How Long Are Dogs Pregnant?

Dog gestation length, and why due dates vary

VCA Animal Hospitals puts normal pregnancy at 57 to 65 days, averaging 63. The AKC notes that the due date depends on what you count from: about 63 days from ovulation, 65 to 66 days from the hormonal LH surge, but anywhere from 58 to 72 days from the first time the female accepted breeding. If there were two matings, count 63 to 65 days from the later one.

Breeders who need precision ask their vet for progesterone blood tests during the heat cycle to pinpoint ovulation. For an accidental pregnancy, your vet can estimate the stage from an ultrasound or X-ray and give you a working due date.

Signs of pregnancy, week by week

Weeks 1 to 4: the fertilized eggs implant at around three weeks, and many dogs show little. Some have slightly pinker, larger nipples, a brief dip in appetite or mild morning sickness, and become a little more affectionate or less active. These early signs also appear in false pregnancy, so they are not proof.

Weeks 5 to 8: appetite and weight increase, the belly becomes firm and rounded around days 45 to 50, she may urinate more often, and a clear, odorless discharge is common. Puppy movement can sometimes be seen around day 50. Week 9: she may lose interest in food a day or two before delivery and begin restless nesting, digging, pacing and panting.

How a vet confirms the pregnancy

Ultrasound is the preferred method: it can detect pregnancy from about three weeks and is reliable after day 28, often showing heartbeats. A blood test for the hormone relaxin can be run from about 27 to 30 days after breeding, though it can give a false negative if done too early or if the litter is very small. Abdominal palpation at three to four weeks is possible but less reliable.

An X-ray after about day 55 is the most accurate way to count puppies. That number is important on delivery day, because it tells you when she has finished and whether a puppy may still be inside.

Caring for a pregnant dog

For the first two-thirds of pregnancy, about six weeks, her food intake stays roughly the same. After that, intake rises gradually, up to around one and a half times normal in the last three weeks, ideally as smaller, more frequent meals of a food labeled for gestation and lactation or all life stages. Talk to your vet before adding any supplement or giving any medication, as some are unsafe in pregnancy.

Keep exercise gentle and let her set the pace, especially late on. A week or two before the due date, set up a whelping box in a quiet, warm room, lined with washable bedding, and let her get used to sleeping there.

Prepare the whelping area early, lined with washable bedding or puppy pads, and a puppy playpen will keep the litter contained once they start moving.

Signs that labor is close

A drop in rectal temperature is one of the most useful signs: labor usually begins within 12 to 24 hours after it. Many owners take her temperature twice daily during the last week, with advice from their vet on what is normal for her. Loss of appetite, restlessness, intense nesting, shivering and panting are also common in the final day.

Have your vet's number and the nearest 24-hour emergency vet saved before the due date. Ask your vet in advance how they want to be contacted during delivery and what they consider an emergency, so you are not deciding in the middle of the night.

When to call your vet during or after delivery

Call your vet or an emergency clinic if she strains hard for a long time without delivering a puppy, if more than two hours pass between puppies while you know more are inside, if labor goes beyond 24 hours, or if you see a green or black discharge before the first puppy is born. Weakness, collapse or a puppy visibly stuck also need help straight away.

After birth, watch for a foul-smelling or heavy discharge, fever, hot, red or hard mammary glands, restlessness with trembling, or puppies who cry constantly and fail to gain weight. These can point to infection, mastitis or low calcium and need prompt veterinary care.

This page is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your pet.