Not very long ago I read about an extravagant story and I will tell it to you: In the United States of America an extremely rich woman left her entire left fortune estimated at approximately 2 million dollars to her dog. Believe it or not this is true.
As you can see some people really respect and take care of their dogs. But, unfortunately, there is also the other side of the coin and there are people who don’t treat dogs with respect and beat them, hurt them physically very dab, kill them, leave them on the street, don’t provide food and water for them, or put them to fight with other dogs. In the United States of America exists a state authority, called Animal Police that protects the right of the animals. Unfortunately, there are many states in the world where it doesn’t exist any legislation to protect the animals and punish the people who hurt them. But, this is another story.
Let’s get back to our subject, namely pregnancy in dogs, a very interesting subject because any new life is a wonder and creates strong and beautiful emotions and feelings.
People who have dogs probably know what to expect concerning the pregnancy in dogs. Most dog owners know when there is the breeding season and try to keep their female dog from mating, but this thing may happen without they knowing.
Knowing the signs of the pregnancy in dogs it helps you determine if your dog is pregnant or not. The dogs pregnancy last approximately 63 days counted from the first breeding.
Let’s see some things about the signs and stages of the canine pregnancy.
Early canine pregnancy signs:
-decreased appetite–one of the earliest pregnancy sign;
-a decrease in the dog’s activity –you will observe that your female dog doesn’t have energy and she sleeps more than usual;
-nipple growth – this is a sure pregnancy sign and indicates that the dog began having pregnancy changes;
-behavior changes – you might notice that your dog is very affectionate or that she wants to be left alone at all costs.
Progressing canine signs:
-increased appetite;
-weight gain – will be noticeable at approximately 4 pregnancy weeks.
Late term signs:
-a visible increase of the abdomen size – you will certain notice the increased belly of your dog, especially if she is a little dog breed;
-puppy movement – you might feel the puppies moving inside the dog in the last weeks of pregnancy;
-milk production begins – you will notice milk produced through the nipples if you press gently on them.
After the approximately 63 days of pregnancy your dog will enter into delivery and the first sign that you will notice is the nesting behavior of your dog, that usually happens 24 to 48 hour before delivery, or sometimes even sooner.
When you will notice that your female dog has entered into labor you should prepare a worm, cozy place where to deliver and to supervise her and call the doctor if necessary. Usually female dogs give birth on their own and the average puppies number that deliver is 2 to 5 little puppies.