I think my dog is pregnant

[RJSchaefer]

We needed to get her fixed. I KNEW we needed to get her fixed. I even have the SpayUSA coupon sitting on my desk and we just never were able to schedule a good time with the vet.

Now I think she's knocked up from our puppy. I don't really know the signs in a dog, but it's just a gut feeling. The boyfriend is setting up an appointment with the vet to examine her. If she isn't, we're just going to bite the bullet, quickly reorganize schedules and have her fixed ASAP. if she is...I don't know what we'll do.

I feel like such an irresponsible owner. I've never had a dog who wasn't fixed by 1 year. The puppy is set to be neutered in June, once the kids are out of school, so I can be home all the time when he's recovering. This is "his" dog (he got her before we got together), so I let him lead the way and make the decisions. I should have forced the issue.

 

[Peaches Lee]

What gave you the idea she is pregnant? Even if she is pregnant you could get her spayed depending on how far along she is, a lot of people do this do to the severe overpopulation of dogs/cats. Good luck to you in whatever you decide.

 

[wyoDreamer]

If the dog was just recently bred, then it is fine to spay her. Don't wait too long, the longer you wait the harder the procedure is - you will probably be ok. It isn't until about 18 days after a dog is bred that the embryos implant in the uterus. Some vets will spay right up to full term ...

I called the vet to schedule my dog for spay surgery when she had her first heat, so the surgery was about 2 weeks later. Only my housemate let his dog out into the yard with her and they mated. We were taking turns letting the dogs into the backyard - one in the backyard other tied out front, then switch them the next time they go out, not sure why he put his dog in the backyard. Vet said no problem when I called in to check about still getting her spayed two weeks later.

 

[RJSchaefer]

I caught the puppy mating with her about a month and a half ago. We separated them, best we could. She'd had her heat a few weeks prior, and I just kept my fingers crossed that biology was on my side.

For the last two weeks, she's been acting unusual. I can't put my finger on it, maybe intuition. I looked up the symptoms of pregnancy in a dog but they didn't help much.

I suggested to the boyfriend we go the spay regardless route. He got pretty upset at the idea. "If she's pregnant, let her have the babies." This dog is a special needs pup he rescued from the woods, a dozen different kind of screwed up, and I'm just not sure letting her reproduce is the best course.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Good luck with your situation, I wish you the best. Guys can be such softies!

I would probably start discussing plans for a whelping area and finding homes for the puppies if he isn't going to take care of the situation now. Maybe start a savings account to help pay for vet bills and just in case scenarios if the birth goes awry.

 

[Peaches Lee]

I caught the puppy mating with her about a month and a half ago. We separated them, best we could. She'd had her heat a few weeks prior, and I just kept my fingers crossed that biology was on my side.

For the last two weeks, she's been acting unusual. I can't put my finger on it, maybe intuition. I looked up the symptoms of pregnancy in a dog but they didn't help much.

I suggested to the boyfriend we go the spay regardless route. He got pretty upset at the idea. "If she's pregnant, let her have the babies." This dog is a special needs pup he rescued from the woods, a dozen different kind of screwed up, and I'm just not sure letting her reproduce is the best course.

I believe dog gestation is about 63 days (give or take), so spaying her now is a good idea. If she were my dog, I would have her spayed ASAP. A couple things to think about if your boyfriend is resistant is cost of an emergency C-section should she have difficulty birthing (cost is anywhere from $1,000.00 and up) and most clinics need paid up front or they won't see your dog, and she could die along with the puppies. Mastitis, an infection of the mammary chain, causing the female to be very sick and the pups would have to be nursed by you about every hour or so. And last but certainly not least is the overwhelming amount of unwanted and neglected PUREbred dogs in shelters. I think you have a good head on your shoulders, you need to lead the way on this issue. And like I said before it is absolutely up to you whether to spay or not, this is just a scenario that would run through my head if I were in this situation (which I have been in before and have spayed). Good luck!

 

[dutchhollow]

Well, if you saw him breed her, or they were ever unattended while she was in heat (which lasts about 21 day, I have had bitches bred as late as 25 days (planned breedings). You could have taken her in within a few days and got a shot to keep her from getting pregnant. And, I don't quite understand the difficulty of the appointments, you drop them off and pick them up the next day, and no one needs to be around for the males recovery, they are both simple procedures. Sorry if it seems like bashing, just if someone else reads this there are other answers (shot), I don't think a vet will do a spay with 2 weeks to go, but by now you should be able to notice some belly, and mammary's getting larger? And now as others stated a good bank account, ultrasound, and I hope you don't have any complications with birth. What kinds of dogs are they? Comparible in size, head shape and size?
Sorry you are going through this.

 

[RJSchaefer]

Well, if you saw him breed her, or they were ever unattended while she was in heat (which lasts about 21 day, I have had bitches bred as late as 25 days (planned breedings). You could have taken her in within a few days and got a shot to keep her from getting pregnant. And, I don't quite understand the difficulty of the appointments, you drop them off and pick them up the next day, and no one needs to be around for the males recovery, they are both simple procedures. Sorry if it seems like bashing, just if someone else reads this there are other answers (shot), I don't think a vet will do a spay with 2 weeks to go, but by now you should be able to notice some belly, and mammary's getting larger? And now as others stated a good bank account, ultrasound, and I hope you don't have any complications with birth. What kinds of dogs are they? Comparible in size, head shape and size?
Sorry you are going through this.

Yeah...it does seem a little bit like bashing. =) That's OK.

I understand when you say "simple procedure", but I've had experience otherwise. My older dog was neutered and it got a bit complicated because one of his testicles didn't descend. The vet's office wanted me to leave him there for observation - which I couldn't afford - so I was instructed to not leave him alone for longer than an hour at home. I know it's not the norm, but it makes me reticent to plan a neuter when there's anything planned.

As far as his dog, all I heard was "I'll take care of it." I'd say I could take care of it, and he'd insist it was his dog and he wanted to pick where she went. He didn't seem to trust the SpayUSA vets. I didn't know they had a shot available for females. Darn it!

He's a little bigger than she is, but not by much. They're both mutts. He's an aussie/beagle mix and she's something we can't identify. Best guess is an Italian Greyhouse/Chihuahua mix.

 

[dainerra]

with mutts it can be even more dangerous when it comes to needing a c-section.

tell him that, if she has these puppies, there is a chance that she could have a very expensive emergency surgery - dogs always have emergencies late at night and on the weekend.

If that happens, you could end up losing her, the puppies or both. Even if all survive, you could end up nursing puppies 24/7 for the first few weeks. The list of things that can go wrong goes on and on. The list of reasons to let her have this litter is blank.

 

[SA Farm]

How old is the "puppy" who bred her? Dogs can also have false pregnancies and show all the signs and symptoms without actually being pregnant. Males under 6 months can't always inseminate a female.
If you decide to have the puppies, please make sure you find good homes for them. Having and raising puppies from birth to sending them off to their new homes is a lot of work and you should make sure to do your research. The types of dogs you describe aren't known to have whelping issues as far as I know, but you should be prepared for anything that could go wrong and have a whelping kit on hand and your vet alerted to the due date so they can be prepared if anything does go wrong.
Regardless of your decision, I wish you the best of luck