# Really Pregnant or False Pregnancy?



## lauramichelle

I'm not a breeder but a friend is, and she's not sure what is going on. The female has had 2 previous litters....12 and 8 puppies. The male this time...this is his first breeding. The female and male tied 3 times 3 days in a row. So she would have been 63 days on Mon, Tues, and today of this week. But the female isnt looking pregnant. She just isnt very big. If you look closer, her rib cage area looks fuller, but that is about it. However....her teats are hanging, vulva is swelling, and she 's had some of her typical odd pregnancy behaviors. She gets a rash on her back everytime she is pregnant, and she's got it now. She's also been way more clingy to her owner than normal, which is typical of her when she is pregnant.

If she hasnt gone into labor by tomorrow, the owner is taking her to the vet to make sure everything is ok.

But can they be pregnant and not get a large belly? Her other litters were pretty large, so we're thinking she might only be have 4-5 pups in this litter...if she is pregnant. We know she was bred at the right time (like I said, this is her 3rd breeding) and she allowed the male to tie for 3 days.

She had diarrhea yesterday, which is typical of her as she nears labor. But she doesnt look big enough to be pregnant. We are sure of the dates too....they were all written down. And her last 2 litter she was 63 days right on the day when she delivered.

All her signs indicate she is pregnant, she just looks too small to be pregnant.

Ever seen one not get a belly?


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## angelaw

only when there was 4. xray her and find out, that way it removes all the guess work


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## Lauri & The Gang

An xray is the only way to know.

And it can be critical if it's a very small litter - like a one or two. If there's not enough 'push' from the uterus the bitch may need a c-section and going past the due date can endanger the pups.

Been there, done that, had the pup die in my arms after 8 hours.


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## kleinenHain

My female just had 3 her last litter and she put on very little extra weight. I wasnt sure until day she had her pups which was right on time.


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## kleinenHain

I agree with Lauri, been there done that.


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## Chris Wild

Agree with the others, she should be x-rayed. If it is a very small litter that would explain her belly not being large. Also, as Lauri mentioned, a very small litter can lead to whelping problems and sometimes c-sections are needed in those cases.


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## shepherdbydesign

I have to agree with the rest. Having one or two pups may not help the female to start her labor, like a larger litter will. And with that said spend the money not just for the piece of mind but for the expectant mom and baby's health


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## Dogtired425

Any update? Puppies? No puppies


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## lauramichelle

*Update*

She was not pregnant. And in reality, it wasnt a false pregnancy either. Just us being wishful thinking and imagining she looked a little bigger









Apparantly either the stud she was bred to didnt do the job (it was his first breeding) or the pregnancy just didnt take for whatever reason. But she got a clean bill of health, and go ahead to breed next heat.

Luckily, we have found another puppy that we are extremely excited about and we get to bring him home the 1st or 2nd week of May.


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## SouthernThistle

"However....her teats are hanging, vulva is swelling, and she 's had some of her typical odd pregnancy behaviors. She gets a rash on her back everytime she is pregnant, and she's got it now. She's also been way more clingy to her owner than normal, which is typical of her when she is pregnant."

I know you said "it wasn't a false pregnancy either," but the above sounds to me like a false pregnancy. It's one thing to imagine her getting bigger, but it's another to have teats swelling, etc. 

Uno (my Dober-girl...who was spayed) had a false pregnancy. She started producing milk, and she would grab blankets and pillows, drag them to her crate and start shredding them, making a nest. She then carried around a squishy pillow as her puppy.


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## Northof60

It sounds just like a false pregnancy to me. My Shiba Inu had many of these. The teets would swell and produce milk. He vulva would swell etc etc.


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