Does Your Dog Need An Ultrasound?

You're a dog owner facing one of two situations: you suspect your dog is pregnant because she's behaving oddly or you know she's pregnant but you have questions. Either way, you're debating whether your dog needs an ultrasound. While there are reasons you might want to do an ultrasound, they are generally not a necessity. Let's look at the pros and cons of canine ultrasounds.

There are a several good, legitimate situations where an ultrasound for your pregnant is appropriate. The most important situation, obviously, would be confirming that your dog is actually pregnant, if belly palpitations don't clarify the situation. Having an ultrasound will confirm the pregnancy and it may also give you a clear picture of how many puppies there are. If you do get the ultrasound done earlier in the pregnancy than you may not be able to see the puppies.

By measuring the puppies, an ultrasound will also provide a pretty good indication of how pregnant your dog is. Your vet can determine an approximate age of the puppies by the general length of one or two of the puppies that they are able to see. If you don't know how pregnant your dog is, getting an ultrasound might be a good idea.

If you don't know the dog that sired the puppies, and therefore have no idea how big the puppies might be, getting an ultrasound toward the end of the pregnancy will allow you to see how big the puppies are going to be. Having an estimate of the size of the puppies will help you determine if your dog can give birth naturally or if your dog will need some extra help.

Your dog may also need an ultrasound if you want, or need, to know how many puppies she is having. This is good for your own curiosity and, if you were breeding your dog, the other dog owner may want to know how many puppies there are should he wants one. Knowing how many puppies to expect will make the birthing process easier as you will know when your dog is finished. While an ultrasound is not always accurate, you can get a close count of the puppies.
If your dog is experiencing complications during her pregnancy, an ultrasound is a good idea to make sure everything is OK. If your dog is showing signs of weakness or lethargy, you should take her to the vet and discuss your concerns about her with your vet.

Ultrasounds are very expensive and, generally speaking, should be used only if you need questions answered about your dog and her pregnancy. If your dog's pregnancy is going well and she doesn't appear to be having any complications, you probably can, and should, skip the ultrasound.

Ultrasounds can be done safely on a pregnant dog. Ultrasounds can help determine how long your dog has been pregnant or how close she is to giving birth. Having an ultrasound done on your pregnant dog can also help determine if there will be any complications during the pregnancy or the birth. Ultrasounds can be beneficial thought they are expensive.

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