How To Tell If A Dog Is Pregnant

We all know that when a dog’s abdomen gets large she is pregnant. But this is one of the last signs you will see! There are a few ones that you can see sooner and deduce that you have a pregnant dog. How to tell if a dog is pregnant? Well, look at these signs. Keep in mind that your pet may have all of these or just a few. However, she will show more and more signs as time goes by. 

How To Tell If A Dog Is Pregnant

1. Appetite Will Change

One of the first signs you can notice is changes in her appetite. Sadly, there is no definite and direct answer here. Some dogs will eat less while others will eat more. An interesting fact is that at early pregnancy dogs may vomit. This is equivalent to morning sickness in humans. How to tell if a dog is pregnant? She will probably eat less. This will occur at the beginning of the pregnancy and in the middle of it. At the end of pregnancy, your dog will probably eat more. She needs more nutrients and more food, in general, to provide for her babies.

2. Your Dog Will Be Less Active

This is also one of the first signs you are going to notice. The main thing to remember is that some dogs will become seriously inactive. She may sleep the entire day and refuse to move, walk or etc. Other dogs may be less active but not drastically.

The problem here is that some dogs are already less active than others. If your pet sleeps the entire day, it will be impossible to notice the difference. One tip you can use is to look at how fast she gets tired when you walk her. If she gets tired much sooner, you may have a pregnant dog. 

On the other hand, we have dogs who are severely active and spend the entire day running around. When a dog of this kind becomes less active, it can be obvious that she is pregnant. 

3. Discolored or Bigger Nipples

This sign is one of those you can use with a lot of certainties to tell if your dog is pregnant. Her nipples will become bigger. Normally they are very small. At an early stage of pregnancy, the nipples will become bigger. The areolas will change as well. You can notice that they will become rounder. 

Nipples will change their color as well. We can see that they will become redder due to increased blood flow. All of this happens at an early stage of pregnancy. At the end of the pregnancy, she may even leak milk which is a definite sign that you have a pregnant dog. 

4. She Will Change Her Behavior

Pregnant dogs will almost always change their behavior. But there are two sides to this story. The first one is that some dogs will become more addicted to you. She may want to spend a lot more time next to you and just crave your attention.

Then we have dogs who will want to be alone. These dogs may even look like they have depression and they don’t want to play, move around, or don’t want your attention. If this is the case with your pet, keep in mind that some may become aggressive! Pregnancy is a new thing to her so she will act weird and even strange. 

5. Bigger Stomach

As you can assume, a bigger abdomen is one of the signs that tell you just one thing. Your dog is pregnant. There is no need to add that this happens at the late stage of pregnancy. Other signs will be visible much sooner so you can use this sign as one of the last and one of the most certain ones.

Keep in mind that your dog may gain weight as well. If there is no other reason for your pet gaining weight (the diet is the same, level of physical activity didn’t change) pregnancy is the most obvious cause. 

6. She Will Want To Nest

The last sign is the most obvious. Your pet will start to make a nest. This is nesting behavior and most dogs will present it in the last few weeks of their pregnancy. A dog will shed her fur and use it for this purpose. But she will probably use all the other things she can. The reason is obvious. She makes a nest and prepares for giving birth. 

If you know that a dog’s pregnancy lasts between 56 and 70 days you can calculate when this should happen and use it to tell the cause of nesting behavior. 

Take Your Pet To A Vet

If you notice some of these signs it is time to take her to a vet. He will perform a test and make sure that she is pregnant. Although these signs are obvious and when you can notice all of them probably will reveal pregnancy, there are a lot of issues and conditions that can cause similar signs. As such, taking your dog to a vet is more than just a smart idea and can prevent any risk.

In most cases, your dog will have a safe and sound pregnancy and you will get puppies. On the other side, we can see some dog breeds who have issues with pregnancy and who will probably need professional help and even treatments during the pregnancy. Taking your pet to a vet as soon as you notice any of these signs is a safe way to eliminate the risk and help your dog.

The Final Word 

How can I tell if a dog is pregnant as soon as possible? Look at these signs. If you notice one, two, or all of them you can deduce the cause of it. You should be lucky and you should take her to a vet just to be certain and help your pet with the pregnancy. Always remember that your dog may be scared and confused, especially if this is her first time being pregnant. The second time will be much easier.