How to Know If Your Dog is Pregnant

There are a few different signs that you can look for in order to determine whether your dog is pregnant. Some clues that would indicate a pregnant dog are visible while others are not. Your vet can make an official diagnosis at about 4 weeks. Here are some signs your dog is pregnant.

If you have been trying to breed your dog, you will be more aware of when to start looking for any of the signs of a pregnant dog. Similar to human menstruation, estrus, or the heat cycle, can occur as frequently as every 4 months or as infrequently as once per year. During estrus, your dog is ready to mate. You can try to determine whether you've got a pregnant dog in your family by looking at your dog's estrus cycle. If you remember when your dog was last in heat, you may be able to date your dog's pregnancy.

Determining whether your dog is pregnant may require you to be a bit of an investigator. Has your dog not gone into heat in the last 4 months? Missing an estrus cycle is one of the first indications that your dog is pregnant. If you are unsure when your dog was last in heat, or had an estrus cycle, you will need to look for other signs that your dog might be pregnant.

Another indication that your dog is expecting is increased time sleeping. Dogs do sleep a lot but a pregnant dog will sleep more than normal and may require more attention. An increased need for sleep is a sign that your dog's energy is going to making puppies and that she is indeed pregnant.

Is your dog eating more than usual or begging for more food? This is a good indication that your dog is pregnant. If your dog seems to always be hungry, while this is abnormal, it is a good sign that your dog is indeed pregnant. The extra calories your dog needs will feed her growing puppies.

Does your dog need to urinate more? This, too, is another good sign that your dog is pregnant as pregnant dogs will urinate more because of the added pressure on their bladder from the growing puppies.

Depending on how far along in her pregnancy your dog is, you may begin to notice other changes that indicate a pregnancy. As the puppies grow, your dog's tummy will grow, which is easier to recognize if you've got a smaller dog. However, most dogs' bellies will get a bigger especially toward the end of their pregnancy.

Another clue that is common toward the end of a dog's pregnancy is more prominent nipples. When your dog is pregnant her nipples, which she will need to feed her puppies, will begin to enlarge and become pinkish. Having them enlarged is an easy way for the puppies to find them.

How can you know if your dog is in fact pregnant? If your dog is showing one or all of the signs of pregnancy, call your local vet to make an appointment for your dog. Your vet can then help you with a care plan and advise you on the best way to help your dog through the rest of the pregnancy.

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