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Most dog owners have probably experienced at one point in their life when their dog escaped out of the yard and ended up missing for hours or days. Many dog owners don't think about having their dogs fixed until something like this happens. Bitches can come home pregnant while the male can get other females pregnant in the neighborhood. It is always recommended to have your dog neutered and your bitch spayed unless you are a breeder.

If your bitch comes home after being lost for a couple hours or days then you may want to take her to the veterinarian to have a test done after five weeks, but only if she was in heat when she was lost. Bitches can only become pregnant when they are in heat which usually lasts for a couple weeks. If she is bred during this time then the possibilities of pregnancy is extremely high. She will stay pregnant between 58 to 66 days. Signs of pregnancy will occur anywhere from 5 to 7 weeks depending on her size. Smaller bitches tend to show signs of pregnancy earlier than larger ones.

Breeders typically want to know if their bitch is pregnant as soon as possible so that they can prepare to sell the puppies. If you do not want to wait five weeks then you can start seeing some signs of pregnancy when the bitch begins to drink and eat more than usual. She may want to lay around more than usual and she will definitely urinate more often. Her nipples will become larger as the pregnancy progresses and some vomiting is possible during the first two weeks. If you notice these things then she is pregnant. It is best for the bitch if you take her to the veterinarian so that you know for sure and you can also be sure that everyone is healthy.

Once you know for sure that your bitch is pregnant you will want to make sure she gets plenty of exercise. If she has plenty of exercise then she will experience less or no complications during labor. You will want to allow her to eat about one and a half times more than what she usually ate before. Closer to the end of her pregnancy allow her to eat twice as much. When she gets closer to having her puppies she will start to lose interest in eating and will look for nesting areas where she could deliver her puppies in peace.

Taking care of a pregnant bitch is a large responsibility especially once she is ready to deliver her puppies. Make sure you have a veterinarian that is willing to be on call just in case you need help. If you are not a breeder then I would recommend to have the bitch spayed soon after she has delivered. You want to allow her to get plenty of rest after labor but do not wait too long otherwise you will risk another pregnancy.

Learn more about this author, Laura Hageman.
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