How long a dog is pregnant is a common question for many first-time dog owners. The answer is that dogs are pregnant between 58 and 63 days. Information about a dog’s process from pregnancy to delivery will be shared in the following article. Let’s learn about the best way to take care of your pet during pregnancy.
1. How long DOES the dog’s PREGNANCY LAST?
As mentioned above, the dog’s gestation period is only about 2 months, much shorter than humans. This period of time a pregnant dog is calculated from the time when the fetus begins to be formed and developed in the mother dog’s womb.
Dogs are about two months pregnant.
2. How to care for pregnant dogs step by step
2.1. 0-7 days of the first pregnancy week
Take your dogs to a veterinarian is necessary
2.2. Second week (7-14 days)
Next, in the second week of pregnancy, cells that develop into puppies have begun to grow and divide. And at the end of this period, these little embryos that will move into the mother’s womb. During this time, your dog will still need to be fed and exercised normally.
2.3. THIRD week (14-21 days)
In the third week of pregnancy, for those who are concerned about months of pregnancy, embryos will begin to grow in the womb, where they will receive the necessary nutrients from the mother dog. At this stage, the fetus is less than 1 cm long.
Your dog will continue to eat and exercise normally, start watching if your dog has increased appetite sensitivity, and feed it to your dog’s needs. Do not change the mother dog’s diet suddenly or when they are not in demand.
2.4. FOURTH week (21-28 days)
During the fourth week of pregnancy, at this stage, experienced veterinarians or dog breeders can feel the fetus by gently touching the mother’s belly. By the fourth week, the fetus’ eyes and spine have begun to develop more completely than the face that begins to form. The fetus grows to a length of about 1.5 cm. The nipples of a mother dog may begin to swell, and the vagina may secrete at this stage. And a mother dog can have fluid coming out of the vagina.
For those of you who are looking at how long a dog is pregnant, the fourth week of fetal development is considered one of the most important stages of pregnancy, given that it is the time when puppies are growing in the womb and the most vulnerable and deformed. At this stage of development, therefore, let’s begin to refrain from letting mother dogs play, exercise too hard. Ask your veterinarian about changing your diet and supplementing your dog’s nutritional needs to see if they need supplements.
Restrict dogs to vigorous exercise
2.5. Fifth week (28-35 days)
By the 32nd day of pregnancy, there will be more amniotic fluid in the mother dog to protect the puppy. Therefore, at this point, it will not be difficult for a veterinarian to detect the presence of a puppy in the womb by touching it.
From the fifth week of this period onwards, puppies will begin to form toes, claws and whiskers that begin to grow. During this time, the fetus also begins to develop a clearer genital region into a male or female sex.
At this stage, besides, the mother dog will start gaining significant weight during this period. Therefore, you should increase your portion of the food and divide it into several small meals.
Take your baby to prestigious veterinary hospitals for an ultrasound to monitor the fetal heart of puppies in the womb.
2.6. sixth week (35 – 42 days)
During this period, the belly of the mother dog will grow bigger every day, and the nipples will also be noticeably darker, and puppies will appear to start developing signs of skin pigmentation, which determines their color and appearance.
You should continue to increase your dog food and let your dog eat as much as you want. In order to increase the proportion of dog food in the womb, in addition, mother dogs need to be given synthetic vitamins to increase the nutrients needed for dogs.
In addition, owners should start preparing to nest their mother dogs such as beds or cribs for the upcoming birth process, ensuring that the bed or cribs are comfortable, comfortable, and comfortable.
Vitamin addition for dogs
2.7. SEVENTH WEEK (42-49 DAYS)
The mother dog’s belly will begin to shed hair in preparation for labor. This is perfectly normal, don’t worry. Puppies in the womb will continue to grow and grow, by now, they are almost fully formed.
By the end of the seventh week, put your dog back on the normal menu, without vitamin supplements. This triggers the dog’s body to begin stockpiling calcium, an important mineral in the late stages of pregnancy, from dog food eaten.
2.8. EIGHTH WEEK (49 – 56 DAYS)
As mentioned in the answer to how many days a dog is pregnant, it is a time when puppies can be born at any time. Give your dog a rest to avoid the risk of premature labor, as ideally puppies should stay in the womb for another week. The puppy can start nesting at this stage, and you can even see and feel the puppy moving in its belly as the mother dog lies down.
By the end of the eighth week, mother dogs will start producing baby milk. Make sure your dog eats as much food as he wants to be ready to give birth.
Eight weeks is the time when a puppy can be born at any time.
2.9. Ninth Week (56-63 DAYS)
For those of you who are learning how many months pregnant a dog will give birth, this is the time when the dog is about to give birth to a puppy. At this point, the mother dog may become quieter than usual, in order to prepare for labor. You should put your mother dog in a cage and provide more food. However, if it is normal for a mother dog to lose appetite in the near future, you don’t have to worry too much.
At the time that the pregnant dog is about to give birth to this puppy, you should take the temperature of the mother dog several times a day. In particular, as mentioned above, if a dog has been pregnant for more than 60 days, measure the temperature every few hours, day and night, so that it can determine the imminent delivery.
Dogs that have given birth to puppies also need to take care of their health
Thus, understanding how long dogs are pregnant and how to take care of them in stages as mentioned above will make it easier and healthier for mother dogs to give birth to puppies. If you want your mother dog to visit and get advice from a veterinarian, you can go to Animal Doctors International. This unit has many years of experience in dog examination during pregnancy and postpartum.
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