- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
During your dog’s pregnancy, she will depend on your care and protection more than ever.
Most dogs are pregnant for about nine weeks, although gestation can last anywhere from 57 days to 72 days.
Understanding the pregnancy timeline and your dog’s unique needs during this time can help you give your dog the safest pregnancy possible.
Dog Pregnancy Timeline
This chart can give you a rough idea of when certain milestones will happen during pregnancy. Just keep in mind that your dog’s timeline may vary slightly.
| First Trimester (0-3 weeks) | Day 0: Your dog mates with a male dog, and the male dog’s sperm enters your dog’s reproductive tract. The semen can stay there for up to a week and still be viable enough to fertilize eggs.
Day 18: At least one fertilized egg (zygote) implants in your dog’s uterus. Day 21: A vet can feel tiny swellings where the puppies are growing in your dog’s uterus. |
| Second Trimester (4-6 weeks) | Day 25: A blood test can detect if your dog is pregnant.
Day 35: Your dog’s appetite drastically increases. She may need up to 50% more food than usual. Day 42: The puppies’ skeletons become visible in an imaging scan (radiography). |
| Third Trimester (7-9 weeks) | Day 56: Your dog starts looking for a safe place to give birth (called whelping).
Day 62: Your dog’s body temperature may drop, and the tissue around her vulva (perineum) softens so the puppies will be able to pass through. |
How To Tell If Your Dog Is Pregnant
Every dog’s pregnancy is different. Some dogs may show changes in the first few weeks, while others may not show any signs of pregnancy until well into the second trimester.
“The earliest signs of pregnancy in dogs include changes in appetite, lethargy, and behavioral changes, such as increased affection or nesting behavior. Physical signs may include a slight weight gain and enlargement of the nipples,” says Dr. Nicole Savageau, veterinarian at the mobile pet care service The Vets.
Savageau says these signs can be subtle, so don’t be too surprised if you miss them. Sometimes it’s impossible to know for sure if a dog is pregnant until a veterinarian does a blood test.
What Factors Affect Dog Pregnancy Duration?
Dogs with small litters tend to have longer pregnancies. A litter with two or fewer puppies will gestate two and a half days longer than a litter of 10 or more puppies.
In general, small dogs have shorter pregnancies than large and giant dogs, but there are some exceptions. Plus, two dogs of similar size may have widely different gestation times depending on their breed.
Your dog’s age won’t affect the length of her pregnancy. Her parity status (whether she’s given birth before) also doesn’t affect how long she’ll be pregnant this time around.
How To Monitor And Care For A Pregnant Dog
As your dog’s pregnancy progresses, her health needs will change.
Diet
During pregnancy, it’s more important than ever to feed your dog a high-quality diet. Your vet may recommend food designed especially for pregnant dogs. Nutrients like calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium are particularly important for unborn puppies.
For the first two-thirds of pregnancy, your dog will eat roughly the same amount of food as she usually does. But between the 35th and 40th day of pregnancy, your dog will get much hungrier to account for her growing energy needs. She may eat 25% to 50% more food in the last trimester.
During the last trimester, the puppies will take up more space in your dog’s abdomen, so her stomach doesn’t have as much room to expand. To compensate, she may prefer eating several small meals throughout the day instead of a few large ones.
Be careful not to overfeed your dog, since obesity can make labor difficult. Ultimately, you should expect a pregnant dog to gain 15-20% of her original weight.
Exercise
Similar to pregnant people, pregnant dogs need to take it easy to keep the puppies safe.
“Pregnant dogs should have limited exercise and playtime, especially as they approach the later stages of pregnancy,” Dr. Savageau says.
This means you should avoid roughhousing or marathons with a pregnant dog. Any walks you go on should be short and gentle. If your dog still has plenty of energy after a shorter walk, Dr. Savageau recommends swimming as a good low-impact exercise option.
Your vet can help you come up with a temporary exercise plan based on your dog’s health and energy level.
How To Prepare Before Your Dog Gives Birth
In the week before labor, your dog will start looking for an ideal place to give birth. She’ll likely need someplace quiet, without a lot of foot traffic. If you have a specific spot in mind, you can set up a whelping box in that location.
A whelping box should be large enough for your dog to lie down comfortably. The walls should be high enough to keep the puppies in, but low enough that she can step in and out as she needs to.
Make sure to line the bottom of the box with newspaper and cloth, as whelping involves a lot of sticky, colorful fluids that can stain your floor.
Around 6-12 hours before whelping, your dog may start acting antsy. She may whine and pant as her abdomen becomes uncomfortable. She will likely pace around the whelping box and rearrange the bedding to make her perfect “nest.”
Right before the puppies come, you may see a white discharge leaking out from your dog’s vagina. Puppies may come out in a whitish amniotic sac, almost like a bubble, which their mom will lick and tear off. Once one puppy emerges, the next will typically come within half an hour.
When to call a vet
Dogs generally give birth without trouble, but Dr. Savageau says there are a few scenarios in which a whelping dog needs professional help.
You may need to call a vet if the mother:
- Has been in labor for more than 2-4 hours without producing a puppy
- Is bleeding excessively
- Has a puppy stuck in her birth canal
- Shows signs of severe pain or distress
“It’s important to have a plan in place and to contact your veterinarian immediately if you have any concerns,” Dr. Savageau says.
