# My dog is due next week but doesnt look pregnant?



## hjb123

My labrador is over 8 weeks pregnant and you can hardly tell she is pregnant - is this normal - should she look pretty fat by now? We had her scanned at 4 weeks and they said she is pregnant but was too early to tell how many. My labrador has always been pretty big built and has put a bit of weight on but when the spaniel was pregnant a few years back it was so obvious it was having puppies

Has anyone else had a lab that doesnt look pregnant so late on or is it likely to be a small litter/something wrong?

thanks


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## Devil-Dogz

At 8weeks, I would expect to be able to tell she was in pup. Through many things, but yes she should have gained alot of weight. You should also be able to see puppies moving about. I would have had her re scanned at 5 weeks or just after, puppies can still be re absorbed up until then. It could be possible that she is just carrying one pup very high up, which I would want to know before she goes into whelp. It may be worth your while having another scan - just to be prepared if nothing else.


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## Tanya1989

I'd definitely be having her scanned again to rule out the possiblities of a singleton pup.

This is taken from my website Thinking Of Breeding Your Dog?



> Every experienced breeder dreads to hear the words "Singleton Pup". It is a way of describing the fact that only one puppy can be seen in the womb either through scanning or palpation. It may just be that the other puppies are hiding within the ribcage, or it maybe she only has one puppy.
> 
> Singleton puppies can be a major problem. Firstly, the dam does not trigger labour. It is the puppy foetuses that trigger the labour. A hormone called Oxytocin is what causes the uterus to contract regularly which expels the puppies from the bitch's body. The puppies, when developed enough, or run out of room within the uterus, release excess sodium which filters across to the dams blood via the placenta. This triggers the dams parathyroid to allow the skeleton to release the oxytocin in to the dams blood. This calcium passes into the muscles (remember the uterus is basically a giant cluster of smooth muscles) which in turn makes the muscles contract. Here is where the problem lies: A single puppy, more often than not, cannot release enough sodium for the dam to trigger the release of the calcium, which in turn means the uterus can't contract. The puppy is trapped inside the womb and dies.
> 
> Secondly, singleton puppies have a lot of room in the horns of the uterus, this means they have a lot of growing room, which means they get very big compared to those who were born as part of a litter. Which makes if difficult for the bitch to pass the puppy naturally. Often a singleton, who is able to self trigger labour, gets stuck in the birth canal and a c section is needed to save mum's life. Often a stuck puppy becomes a dead puppy very soon.
> 
> When an animal dies, decomposition begins instantly although it takes a few hours before any physical signs can be seen by the eye. The puppy begins to decompose immediately after death and the bacteria used in decomposition infects the uterus and pyometra can occur.


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## hjb123

thanks for the replies, am getting her looked at by a vet on Tuesday who should hopefully be able to see something or tell me more

am hoping theres nothing wrong, personally I think she has put some weight on but the rest of my family dont!


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## braunsk9

did you find out the results? I have a female that is due in 7-8 days and we did a scan and saw one real high in the ribs and she hardly gained any weight.


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## hjb123

Hi,

Sorry forgot to update this post. Well a few days after I posted this we had the dog scanned again and it was found not to be in pup! Was very disappointed but thats life, we will try again next time


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## swarthy

hjb123 said:


> Hi,
> 
> Sorry forgot to update this post. Well a few days after I posted this we had the dog scanned again and it was found not to be in pup! Was very disappointed but thats life, we will try again next time


If they confirmed pregnancy at 4 weeks, it sounds like she may have re-absorbed the pups - I tend to leave my scans to about 5 weeks and they are done with the bitch standing solely for the purpose of confirmation and not how many - i.e. try to keep the whole experience as stressless as possible.

I believe some experienced breeders don't scan - I can remember my first stud dog owner not wanting me to - but my curiosity got the better of me at 5 weeks - even though I knew deep down she was.


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## Taylorbaby

swarthy said:


> If they confirmed pregnancy at 4 weeks, it sounds like she may have re-absorbed the pups - I tend to leave my scans to about 5 weeks and they are done with the bitch standing solely for the purpose of confirmation and not how many - i.e. try to keep the whole experience as stressless as possible.
> 
> I believe some experienced breeders don't scan - I can remember my first stud dog owner not wanting me to - but my curiosity got the better of me at 5 weeks - even though I knew deep down she was.


nothing to do with the thread but just a question about scanning! why didnt they want you to scan your dog to see if she was in pup? is it due to stress? I keep seeing people advertising scanning for pups, but Im always a worry wort, I used to take my cats in at 4weeks to confirm pregnancy, but I dont anymore as I can just as easy see it myself now!


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## Freyja

I don't have my bitches scanned. With my breed whippets unless they are only having one or two pups then it is pretty easy to tell early on. We knew by 3 weeks that Freyja was pregnant but she did go on to have a big litter of 10.

I know of several people who have had problems aftre the bitch has been scanned a couple have had bitches confirmed pregnant but reabsorbed the litter and 1 whose bitch was scanned and told no pups. 4 days after the bitch was due she started getting stressed and showing signs of being in labout but nothing was happening. The bitch was rushed to the vets and had to have a emetgency ceasarian to deliver 1 pup.


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## luvmydogs

I don't scan either, for the same reasons as Freyja.


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## Guest

Scans can be very misleading. I was told that one of my smaller girls (Chihuahua) was carrying a singleton pup, which could have been pretty disasterous! I was worried for weeks until I could feel that she had two - phew, was I relieved. It was several weeks of worrying and stressing for nothing.


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## swarthy

Taylorbaby said:


> nothing to do with the thread but just a question about scanning! why didnt they want you to scan your dog to see if she was in pup? is it due to stress? I keep seeing people advertising scanning for pups, but Im always a worry wort, I used to take my cats in at 4weeks to confirm pregnancy, but I dont anymore as I can just as easy see it myself now!


As Freyja has pointed out, some dogs reabsorb after pregnancy is confirmed - I have to say with my first litter - I cancelled the appointment a couple of times  because I was torn between wanting to do what the stud dog owner felt best - and my own desire to know for definite (even though I did know - if that makes sense).

I took advice and was told if I was going to scan, to leave it until around 5 weeks - and do it with minimal fuss - i.e. the bitch standing up etc - and I have to say (despite my misgivings on the ability of being able to scan a fidgety labrador standing up) - both my girls were absolutely brilliant - now next is the turn of the wriggle monster daughter / half sister - although having said that - she was absolutely fantastic having her hips / elbow sedation and eye tests done despite my concerns to the contrary.


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## braunsk9

That is a good idea...I have a female that is 2 weeks bred today and I'm not going to have her scanned this time and see what happens. I had her scanned on her last litter around 4 weeks and she only had one but that could have been because of timing and the female is very dominant.


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## Guest

hjb123 said:


> My labrador is over 8 weeks pregnant and you can hardly tell she is pregnant - is this normal - should she look pretty fat by now? We had her scanned at 4 weeks and they said she is pregnant but was too early to tell how many. My labrador has always been pretty big built and has put a bit of weight on but when the spaniel was pregnant a few years back it was so obvious it was having puppies
> 
> Has anyone else had a lab that doesnt look pregnant so late on or is it likely to be a small litter/something wrong?
> 
> thanks


dunno! but could she have absorbed the pups? dont know much about it myself but has happened to one of my friends bitch twice now! She were scanned - showing pups! then first time a dead singleton, second a singleton that survived!
see your vet - ask what he thinks!!!


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