How do I know if my bitch is pregnant?

A trained vet can feel the puppies in the abdomen at 28 days.  They appear like small golf balls but are sometimes mistaken for faeces!  However pulpation (feeling with fingertips) of the abdomen must be left to the professionals because an inexperienced person could risk damaging the foetuses. 

Ultrasound is the most accurate way to determine pregnancy and it is best to carry out  this examination at 21 days onwards.  Do not rely on the number of puppies seen on the scan as being the number of puppies that are actually born.  It is not unusual for some of the puppies to be reabsorbed.

The owner should be able to spot a pregnant bitch at 6 weeks.  The abdomen will have enlarged as will the teats and the mammary glands.  The vulva remains enlarged and elastic throughout the pregnancy. 

Pregnancy lasts between 59 and 72 days with the average gestation period being 63 days.  Small breeds often whelp earlier.