Dog pregnancy symptoms Signs and Symptoms of Pregnancy

Breeding dogs is an exciting experience. The normal gestation period for a dog is 63 days. A dog's pregnancy or gestation period lasts between 60 to 67 days. Most dogs give birth after 63 days. For the first three weeks or so of pregnancy, you may not notice any changes in the bitch. Some females will become more demanding for attention, their nipples may enlarge slightly, and some may become hungrier. These are not a guarantee of a pregnancy, but are good signs. Bitches can show the same signs during 'false pregnancy,' a hormonal abnormality, which may occur after a bitch has been in heat. Decreased appetite is usually one of the earliest signs that your bitch might be pregnant. Not all females go through this doggie version of morning sickness, but a small percentage will eat less during the first few weeks of gestation, usually making up for it later in the pregnancy. Further indication is a sudden decrease in activity, the nipple growth is noticeable, breast material will develop beneath the nipples, which will also increase slightly in preparation for eventual milk production. Behavioral changes are to be expected during this time. The dog will demand for more affection or may experience a few days of vomiting.

In fourth week, the increase in appetite and gaining weight are changes of progress signs of pregnancy, the abdomen will thicken, and gentle examination of the belly will reveal a firm, rather than fat feeling to the area. The bitch should continue to have regular, but not strenuous, exercise to help her maintain her muscle tone and not become overweight. During pregnancy, the mother's food consumption will almost double compared to the pre-pregnancy level so increased feeding must be given to ensure that there is enough for both the dog and the puppies.

you may notice symptoms that point toward her pregnancy, but do not definitely indicate it. Many dogs sleep more, and eventually, eat, drink, and urinate more often. The dog also will be getting a bigger belly! During the first stage of labor the cervix begins to dilate and uterine contractions begin. These contractions are painful and perplexing to the dog. She will appear quite uncomfortable and restless - pacing, shivering and panting. She probably will not eat and she may even vomit. Some dogs whine persistently. Others occupy themselves building a nest. Take her temperature rectally twice a day, the normal dog temperature is about 100.3F - 101.3F. It will normally drop to about 98 degrees Fahrenheit, 8 - 24 hours before the onset of labor and she will refuse to eat or drink anything. If you insist on using temperature as a way to notify you of impending whelping then be sure to keep accurate records of your dogs temperature as her due date approaches. By keeping meticulous records of the history of your dogs temperature, you can better determine of whether the sudden drop in temperature is a real sign that she is going to give birth or if it is a false alarm. And as always, if there is a sudden increase or decrease of temperature that is out of the normal range, call your veterinarian immediately for further investigation. During the second phase of the pregnancy, any big effort should be avoided, like jumps, crazy runs, etc, and the animal should be walked with mild activities, like the open field, or small streets.

Read More

Dog Pregnancy Primer

A female dog, correctly referred to as a bitch, can only become pregnant if she is bred during her heat cycle. The pregnancy generally lasts about 63 days from the date of the first breeding, although this period may be slightly shorter or longer

Signs of Dog Pregnancy
Let's break the signs of dog pregnancy into stages
Early Signs
Decreased appetite is usually one of the earliest signs that your bitch might be pregnant. Not all females go through this doggie version of morning sickness, but a small percentage will eat less during the first few weeks of gestation, usually making up for it later in the pregnancy.
A sudden decrease in activity can indicate that your bitch is pregnant. Just like some women, canines may also experience feelings of exhaustion as their hormone levels change to support embryo production.
Nipple growth is a good indicator that your bitch's body is going through pregnancy changes. The nipples of an unbred female are usually quite small, and the area immediately beneath them will feel flat. However, once a pregnancy is in progress, breast material will develop beneath the nipples, which will also increase slightly in preparation for eventual milk production.
Behavioral changes may also be noticed, with either an increase in affectionate behavior or an expressed desire to be left alone
Progressing Signs
As the pregnancy progresses, you will notice further changes.

An increase in appetite is usually noted about three to four weeks into the pregnancy and is especially noticeable if your female slacked off her food after her heat cycle ended.
Weight gain should be noticeable by one month into the pregnancy. The bitch's abdomen will thicken, and gentle examination of the belly will reveal a firm, rather than fat feeling to the area

About False Pregnancy
Sometimes a bitch will display general signs of dog pregnancy without actually being pregnant. This will happen as she comes off a heat cycle, and it doesn't seem to matter whether or not there was any breeding activity. Rather, it seems to be brought on psychologically, and the symptoms usually subside within about a month.

Your bitch may also decide to adopt some babies to fill the void during this time. This may be puppies from another litter on the premises, or she may substitute objects such as toys or stuffed animals. Borrowing puppies from another bitch can lead a potentially dangerous situation and calls for your intervention; however, if she is only playing mom with toys, give her time to come to terms with the situation on her own before removing the items, then try to get her focused on other activities.


by Kelly

Read More

Parvo What do I do if My Puppy Has Symptoms

First, be aware that there are other health issues that can cause some of the same symptoms as Parvo. Not all cases of bloody diarrhea with or without vomiting are caused by Parvo. In fact, worms and other parasites can cause bloody stool and diarrhea. Many people label these symptoms automatically as Parvo without having the puppy tested. If your puppy displays these symptoms, make an appointment with your veterinarian right away for a Parvo test. Your veterinarian can run a simple ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test and have an answer for you in about 10 minutes. Although it isn't foolproof, these tests are highly accurate. It's based on the same type of technology used in home pregnancy test kits. Recent vaccination can interfere with the test results giving a false positive reading. A false negative test is actually pretty rare. A white cell count can be used to confirm or dispute a false positive test in a recently vaccinated puppy.

What if my Puppy Tests Positive?

Treatment of Parvo disease basically becomes a race against time. There is no cure for Parvo itself. Instead you support your puppy's system until it is able to build up antibodies and recover from the disease. The antibodies can bind and inactivate the virus. Every day that your puppy lives, its chances of survival increase. The key is to keep your puppy alive long enough for its immune response to kick in.

If your puppy is infected with Parvo, it probably has a 50-50 chance of survival. If it lives through the first three to four days after becoming symptomatic, it will probably make a rapid recovery, and be back on its feet within a week. But, without medical treatment, most puppies die. Some puppies will die from Parvo despite prompt and adequate treatment.

How will my Puppy be treated?

Again, supportive therapy is the only treatment. The most important treatment is making sure your puppy receives sufficient fluids to replace those being lost by diarrhea and vomiting. This is the single most important treatment in fighting Parvo. IV fluids are preferred, but in less severe cases, subcutaneous and oral fluid replacement can also be used. It is difficult to sufficiently replace lost fluids in this manner, and it is incredibly labor intensive. If you work outside of your home, quite honestly, you do not have the time required to devote to support a severely infected puppy sufficiently to enable it to recover. Your best bet, in that case, is to have your puppy hospitalized so that it can receive the necessary care. But, be prepared, it will likely cost $2,000 or more, and require several days hospital stay. Even with the best available care, the mortality of severely infected animals is high. Without the correct amount of properly balanced intravenous fluids, the chance of recovery in a severely stricken animal is very small.

The next important treatment is antibiotic therapy. The antibiotics will not cure Parvo, but are given to fight secondary conditions and bacterial infections caused by the attack on the puppy's intestinal system.

Other treatments can include anti-emetics to prevent vomiting and fluid loss. Products such as Metoclopramide or Chlorpromazine are frequently prescribed. Controlling body temperature is also very important. You want to make sure your puppy does not get chilled.

What if I Can't Afford Hospital Treatment?

If you simply aren't in the financial position to hospitalize your puppy, home care may be the its only chance for survival. You will need to force feed fluids, and have subcutaneous fluids administered as well. There are some natural and homeopathic treatments for Parvo on the retail market. I would personally recommend Amber Technology (www.ambertech.com). They offer natural herbal formulas for the treatment of Parvo. Minimally, you would want to obtain Parvaid and Vibactra to support your puppy's immune system. They have quite a few success stories and I have personally treated Parvo puppies successfully with their products. They have a very good informational document available on their website.

Other anecdotal success stories include treating with Tamiflu and colloidal silver. However, I would highly recommend involving your veterinarian in whatever course of treatment you decide to take to ensure the best possible outcome for your puppy.

If your puppy doesn't show obvious signs of improvement within four days, it is unlikely it will survive.




By Cheree Miller

Read More