# First signs of pregnancy



## PoppyLily

Hi everyone, 
As i was saying last week we had decided to breed from Mia. She was mated last Thursday - they tied for about 15-20 minutes.
What are the first signs of pregnancy to look for? We will be taking her to the vets at 3 weeks (as reccommended by our vet) to have her scanned but was wondering if there are any signs to look for. 
Thanks
Kelsie


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## Guest

At some point you will notice a whitish discharge.. this will go on throughout pregnancy.. and start from about 3,4 weeks (although you may not notice as most dogs will just lick it up)
But if you see it thats a sure sign of pregnancy

most of the time you cant physically see a change in body shape until about 5-6 weeks.. sometimes later



obviously scans from about 3,4 weeks are a sure sign, but in my opinion its unnessasary stress and money lol


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## gillieworm

Sorry but I can't help you on the first signs of pregnancy, but I do agree with what gundoggal said about scanning. My boy came from a litter of 14 and when his mum was scanned they were told she was having 4 pups  A friend of ours who is a lab breeder has one of her girls scanned (after years of never bothering) and was told that she wasn't in welp when in fact she was!! She had 2 puppies to proove the scan wrong!

I know quite a few breeders that have been breeding for years and they never bother.

You'll know soon enough if your girl is expecting


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## Blaxen

Hi poppylily, do you have the book of the bitch? I really recommend you buy it as it is really informative not just about whelping etc but just about bitches. Pregnancy etc is also in there. Good luck, I am still waiting to find out about my bitch, it will have been 3 weeks this Monday. still no real signs although there has been slight discharge as mentioned, but won't get too excited just yet


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## Guest

Yes i reccomend book of the bitch also. It also tells you all about whelping (although dont take it word for word, especially about the time between pups as my pups were born about 2 - 3 hours after each other and were fine and the book says that they should be born soon after each other)..

It tells you what to expect throughout the weeks that you will have them (eg when their eyes open) and is very handy.


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## englishrose943

Hi there when my bitches are pregnant the first visable signs are morning sickness around 2-3 weeks after mating and moody or very quiet which is out of character. I have only been for a scan with one of mine and the vet told me she wasnt pregnant when i was sure she was and she had 4 chunky healthy pups so now i dont bother with the scan just a waste of money. Good luck


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## mel

Hi the first signs ive experienced is defo a change in personality like englishrose says they go moody and quiet, discharge is another sign around 3 weekish i always have mine scanned at home so its no stress at all ok it dont give you the exact amount of pups but most of the time its pretty good at confirming mum being in whelp its important if you do have her scanned not to have her done til at least 28 days or you could be told shes not when infact she is


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## louiseddb

Ive had one bitch palpated by head vet as the scanner wasnt working and he said she has no puppies and she never did have. Well 3 weeks later out came 12! Another girl was scanned to show four and she had 8, my friend had hers scanned recently and she was told no pregnancy, went back a week later and scanned one, her bitch is due any day and she can feel more than one!

What i think is a good sign along with others is her boobs if shes a maiden bitch you will notice getting abit saggy, and he vulva doesnt return to pre-season size stays still a little swollen, lack of appetite around 3/4 weeks. But sure guess is pups after 63 days.

Louise


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## Kenmillix

louiseddb said:


> Ive had one bitch palpated by head vet as the scanner wasnt working and he said she has no puppies and she never did have. Well 3 weeks later out came 12! Another girl was scanned to show four and she had 8, my friend had hers scanned recently and she was told no pregnancy, went back a week later and scanned one, her bitch is due any day and she can feel more than one!
> 
> What i think is a good sign along with others is her boobs if shes a maiden bitch you will notice getting abit saggy, and he vulva doesnt return to pre-season size stays still a little swollen, lack of appetite around 3/4 weeks. But sure guess is pups after 63 days.
> 
> Louise


you have just made my day.

i am breeding (hopefully) from my ridgeback. she has been to the dog on a couple of occasions but it is now 3 1/2 weeks since, and i am so excited to find out whether she is pregnant or not.

these signs that you have said louise are spot on for my girl at the moment, she is off her food and very tired.

the vet would not scan or ultrasound until 28 days + so i am waiting until thurs evening now, but may not bother with peoples comments on here.

hope you have found out poppy.


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## snowey

Louiseddb that also made my day 

I am also in the same boat this week - good ties each time so now just the waiting time to find out - and I have decided no scans after reading several different posts.


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## Sgurr

Now that you have pretty well decided not to scan, I'll just add a quick comment. Here it is regular practice to scan for twin lambs in sheep - the price of a scan has to be economic compared to the price of a lamb so £2-£5 (two to five pounds) depending on how many sheep are scanned.

I do find that vet charges for companion animals can be very high.

Sgurr


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## PoppyLily

It is nearly 5 weeks ago since we mated her and we still dont know. We decided not to get her scanned after the comments on here. Her nipples are up and she has put on weight and she did have the white discharge that was mentioned. Her appetite doesnt seem to have really changed but she has started eating a lot slower and sometimes she only eats halve then goes back later for the rest.


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## Guest

I took my bitch to stud last month !
So i am in the Same Position ,my last mating day was the 30th of last month so finger crossed she will be cushty


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## louiseddb

Well having a bitch miss twice  i think i know when she is pregnant and when not!! Boobs are a good sign but can also be indicators of a phantom, so id pay more attention to her tummy. At 5/6 she should definately be starting to show. if your still unsure at 6 weeks, i would recommend a scan as if you really are unsure and you will need to start preparing whelping box and all the kit etc. Which is more money! not a cheap venture. I wish it was 2-5 pounds!! last i paid was 47.50 allthough i prefer being in a rice warm room in the house with the whelping box, than a barn in february in the middle of the night, i was so close to the heater i nearly melted myself!!!


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## Freyja

My bitch always becomes very affectionate when she is pregnant. She is usually only comes to you when she wants a fuss but when she is pregnant always site on OH's knee.

When she had her second litter we took her and her daughter to the vets for a check up as both should have been pregnant I didn't want 2 litters together it was just how it happened Tegan had already been mated when Rosie came in season and I had got pups booked of her she only has seasons every 12 months so had no choice but mate both. My vet was ill in hospital but the locum a woman siad she though Tegan was definitely pregnat she was 6 weeks Rosie was 5 weeks and showing nothing but her nipples were bright red .The vet said that was the first sign of pregnancy the nipple turned red. She was right 3 weeks later she was like a barrage balloon and whelped 10 pups 6 days early


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## Guest

MrPedigree said:


> I took my bitch to stud last month !
> So i am in the Same Position ,my last mating day was the 30th of last month so finger crossed she will be cushty


If my bitch ain't in pup she will be on the transfer list lol


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## Kenmillix

is drinking more more water a sign too?


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## cav

Kenmillix said:


> is drinking more more water a sign too?


carnt say ive noticed any of my bitches doin this as mine all drink plenty of water anyway


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## Blaxen

about what stage do you usually start to see/feel movement?


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## Kenmillix

my book for my breed says 6 1/2 to 7 weeks.

millie has now got really big nipples and her stomach has got hard. trying to think of an excuse to take her to vets to see what they say without having a scan. fingers crossed.

edit: she is carrying at least 5 pups woop woop woop


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## Kerrie

I have recently bred my bitch, she is a Pomeranian so it was difficult to tell when she was pregnant until late (7-8weeks) but i did notice she did drink alot more especially just before she pushed the puppies down into her stomach (which i saw happening and this normally happens at night so i was lucky) enlarged nipples is a sign, i never noticed any discharge from Foxy. I never had Foxy scanned as i do think it is a waste of money its more worth while if you wait until the day the pups are due and she does have them (as it it only a couple of weeks later from when you would have the scan) Foxy did eat less at the beginning of her pregnancy but then near the end started eating alot more and she did become very relaxed and just wanted to lay about and not do much. 

Your dogs 9 weeks of pregnany will go quickly and you want to make sure you are prepared because even if she isnt pregnant this time you will be ready for next time as you want to breed her. You want to make sure you have a whelping box (or any cardboard box suitable) and a whelping kit, you also want to make sure that you read up on the birth and caring for new born puppies, you need to know what to do if one of the puppies is coming out backwards, sidewards, cord tied around the neck, not breathing etc.. its alot to take in so i would say concentrate on this more than if she is already pregnant as you cant do anymore to control that but you can control the way you look after them.

Good Luck and puppies are so much fun when there born, hours of fun.


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## snowey

It is now 4 weeks from mating and already my little girl is showing signs, this is her first litter - her teats are pink and down - and very, very cuddly more so than normal. After our walk yesterday she was more tired than usual. So all going well, puppies due in November.


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## dalimandi

I also would recommend book of the bitch i breed gsd's and its the best book you will ever read,i also think that each bitch is different in the signs they show and also differs with the size and breed of the bitch


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## roxycon

My staffi's nipples are now pink and have errected. However it has only been 1week since mating! Is this a sign of pregnancy?


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## WhippetyAmey

roxycon said:


> My staffi's nipples are now pink and have errected. However it has only been 1week since mating! Is this a sign of pregnancy?


Why the hell are you breeding your staffie? Please tell me you are a troll.


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## roxycon

WhippetyAmey said:


> Why the hell are you breeding your staffie? Please tell me you are a troll.


Because my staffi is a pure thoroughbred pedigree and i want to continue the line... I eat trolls for breakfast.. prick


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## simplysardonic

roxycon said:


> Because my staffi is a pure thoroughbred pedigree and i want to continue the line... I eat trolls for breakfast.. prick


With all health tests in place? Your breeder mentor should be able to advise you on the early signs of pregnancy


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## cinnamontoast

roxycon said:


> Because my staffi is a pure thoroughbred pedigree and i want to continue the line... I eat trolls for breakfast.. prick


Button pressed.

Don't come on here resurrecting an ancient thread telling people you're breeding a staff when the rescues are crammed with them and them call someone that name. Duh! No wonder you're thought to be a troll.


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## rocco33

roxycon said:


> My staffi's nipples are now pink and have errected. However it has only been 1week since mating! Is this a sign of pregnancy?


Hopefully not


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## rocco33

roxycon said:


> Because my staffi is a pure thoroughbred pedigree .


Oh dear 
a pure thoroughbred - this is a dog not a racehorse


> and i want to continue the line..


and what line? do you even know what a line is? 



> I eat trolls for breakfast.. prick


Charming


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## roxycon

Roxy, the staffordshire bull terrier.


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