She's gonna blow!!!

[Mach1girl]

My word, is it because this is my females first litter that she just seems sooooo ahead of the pregnancy??? She is in her 4th week, yet is showing all the signs of 5th and sixth weeks. The nesting, loving, her teats look like giant upside down funnels, filling w/ milk (not espressing yet thank the LORD) her nipples look like fingers and-her "pooty" well, that just looks disgusting it is so swollen!

My peke follows her around like he honestly thinks he is the daddy or something. It is hilarious, and unreal.

I hope that theses signs are not signs of a huge litter....Are they? She has 9 nipples. She is showing, and waddley, and I even felt the puppies last night! I am not good at it and only felt I think 2.

Someone with experience help??This is my first litter, and I wasn't expecting her to react the way she has.I have been around friends having pups, but they were a different breed and wasn't so hands on.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

I have never noticed a bitch showing before the 6th week.

The puppy embryos are still TINY at 30 days or less.

Nipple enlargement is normal after week 3.

Being ahead of schedule so to speak is not a good thing since puppies are not viable much before the 56th day.

What days was she bred, was progesterone testing done, and what have you calculated as the due date?

 

[Gallien Jacks]

Are you 100% sure of the dates?

 

[Mach1girl]

The AI happened on December 15th and December 17th. She was 14 days into her heat on the 15th and16 days on the 17th.Pregnancy is supposed to last until the 63 day. I have been told by numerous people to estimate by 63 days, but some tell me 65 days. Either way, today would be considered day #36-right??
I used a pregnancy calendar from debbie jensens site. Maybe it is just the calender she uses, that makes Dixie seem ahead of schedule. I can feel the puppies now, like golf balls.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

What were her progesterone levels at that time?

Have you had an ultrasound?

Count from the last breeding. 34 days.

Do you have any idea what day she stopped being willing to stand for breeding?

 

[bubbatd]

I hope you have " How To Raise A Puppy You Can Live With ".....sounds like you really need some help .

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

Others I would suggest:

Canine Reproduction, A Breeder's Guide by Phyllis Holst, DVM
Joy of Breeding Your Own Show Dog by Ann Serranne
Successful Dog Breeding by Wilcox and Walkowicz

 

[Mach1girl]

What were her progesterone levels at that time?

Have you had an ultrasound?

Count from the last breeding. 34 days.

Do you have any idea what day she stopped being willing to stand for breeding?

I have not had an ultrasound. I have tried to set up an appointment for one, and the vet(only vet in town) who performs it is a traveling vet, which means, when he arrives or contacts the vets office, they will contact me for an appointment, so it can be today, or when it is too late.
Did not check progesterone levels(I dont think-I wasn't there!) The vet more or less went by counting days, and her "flagging".
Do you mean by the last day she stopped being willing to stand for breeding by which day she stopped "flagging?" We tested her right until the end, by the "tickle test" (touch the top of the tail and see if she points her but at you and moves her tail to the side) Her "flagging went on well into about her 23 or so day of heat.

Remember, I didn't know the breeding took place, I was just anxious for the bleeding to be over with. She was in heat for 28 days, she stopped bleeding on day 30!

 

[Mach1girl]

I will go to Books-A-Million tonite and look for the books you guys recommend. I was just wondering why she just seems so ahead of herself! I have been studying what I can find, inquiring, consulting w/ others, calling the vet(Boy! That was a good one-all because she was puking!) I know what to expect-I thought I did, it just seems weird! I also get wayyyyyy paranoid alot. Even w/ family members-I have got, I swear-receipts for hundreds of hospital visits for my kids, and only one was serious!

I just don't want her to pop!!!

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

According to Holst, the first day the bitch will not stand for breeding (or flag) is called D1, or the first day of diestrus. Whelping is usually 63 days from D1.

So your bitch was last bred on day 16, which is 7 days before D1.

It is QUITE possible that you missed her by breeding her this early. If you did NOT miss her, don't look for her to whelp much before day 70. Palpating fetal vesicles at 34 to 36 days by someone not trained specifically to do so is really unlikely. You are more likely feeling bowel contents.

I'd get that ultrasound. Pronto.

 

[Mach1girl]

So she may very well NOT be pregnant?? As big as she is getting would be a false pregnancy?

That means, that the "normal" ovulation period of day 10 to day 15 is not true? Or does that mean it would not apply to females whose heats last entire months??

If she is not pregnant, man, that would be a saving grace!

When I felt for the puppies, I layed her on her side w/ one hand underneath her and used my other hand to feel just below the ribs, by gently pressing both palms towards each other. This is what the vet said to do.

Why can't they develop a pregnancy test for dogs like they do women??? I hope the ultrasound vet calls soon then. How would they make her stop "Falsing" if that is what she is doing? I have had a dog have a false once, but not like this. She just gathered all the stuffed animals she could find and crammed them up to her nipples and groomed them constantly, She finally got over it and it never happened again. But she didn't get fat and her nipples didn't look like cow utters.

Oh, by the way, her teats are filling w/ milk too. You can actually see the swelling AROUND the nipple, like an upside down funnel on each one.

Oh well. I'll get some books. And who is that you mentioned who tells about pregnancy and D1?

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

That book is the Canine Reproduction one.

You can also read about Diestrus here.

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/the-stages-of-canine-reproduction/page1.aspx

it says:

Diestrus: A Delicate Time

The next stage of the heat cycle, diestrus, is considered the period when progesterone dominates the hormone scene. Diestrus lasts from 60 to 90 days in a dog that doesn’t become pregnant or approximately 63 days in a dog that does become pregnant. As a consequence of the bitch’s long exposure to progesterone when she’s not pregnant, she’s prone to a condition called pyometra if not spayed. Pyometra occurs when the uterus fills with bacteria and white blood cells. If untreated, pyometra can lead to fatal illness due to toxins secreted into the blood stream or the uterus actually rupturing. Thus, it’s highly recommended to spay a bitch that will not be used for breeding.

There is no way to tell when ovulation will occur without doing progesterone testing and pinpointing the LH surge, or the point when Progesterone reaches 5 nanograms in the bloodstream.

But if D1 was at 23 days, really 24 days, you would have to add the days since the last breeding to 63 to arrive at a whelping date.

 

[showpug]

I have not had an ultrasound. I have tried to set up an appointment for one, and the vet(only vet in town) who performs it is a traveling vet, which means, when he arrives or contacts the vets office, they will contact me for an appointment, so it can be today, or when it is too late.
Did not check progesterone levels(I dont think-I wasn't there!) The vet more or less went by counting days, and her "flagging".
Do you mean by the last day she stopped being willing to stand for breeding by which day she stopped "flagging?" We tested her right until the end, by the "tickle test" (touch the top of the tail and see if she points her but at you and moves her tail to the side) Her "flagging went on well into about her 23 or so day of heat.

Remember, I didn't know the breeding took place, I was just anxious for the bleeding to be over with. She was in heat for 28 days, she stopped bleeding on day 30!

With the vet you have described, what happens if your bitch needs a c-section to deliver? Do you have an alternate plan or a vet on call?

 

[Mach1girl]

Her vet is not traveling. The vet who does the ultrasound is a traveling vet who visits local offices here and there. If she is due and complication begin, my vet is on call, and is willing to be there when I need him. And at that time, an x ray can be done so the ultrasound will not be needed. As a matter of fact, I am so paranoid, I have offered to pay the vet to deliver the puppies verses letting her have them at home. My husband thinks I am crazy, but I do not want any problems I live in a huge city, so it is strange the ultrasound tech doesn't have a fixed office, but, he doesn't.I am on the list for my vet to contact me as soon as they hear from the tech.

But I may be paranoid for nothing. She may not be pregnant! Man, she looks it though

I was upset about this at first, but is it wrong for me to be starting to feel excited? I'm trying to be careful!

 

[Molly_Moppet]

If you're not sure you want her to be pregnant, why did you get her artificially inseminated?!?

 

[Fran27]

It's a long story, her husband did it without asking her, without knowing that the bitch was too young.