My new 6-month-old dog is in heat. Is she pregnant from before?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is a possibility but dogs can also have fake pregnancies- all the signs of a pregnancy but with no fetuses. I recommend taking her to a vet for an exam. They can take an X-ray 45 days after mating or look sooner with an ultrasound. Good luck and kisses to Luna!

It could be that Lanzo is still in heat, as it would be too early for signs of pregnancy if she just had her first heat. Vulva and nipple swelling are also signs of heat, and it does take time for them to go down after a dog ends her heat. I would have her seen by a vet in three weeks for a blood test called relaxin. This is a hormone produced when a dog is pregnant. While it isn't advisable for a dog to get pregnant on her first heat, it does happen and as long as you work with your vet during her pregnancy, she can be ok.

It is quite possible she is in pup - males can be fertile for 4-6weeks after castration so if they were not separated, or other males would have had access to her when she was in heat she may well be in pregnant. I recommend you schedule an ultrasound exam with your vet to confirm pregnancy and guide appropriate management. You will need to arrange a separate area for her and pups away from other dogs for at least 6weeks if she is rearing pups

Not necessarily. A vulva can stay enlarged and swollen for weeks after coming out of heat. Keep a close eye on her. You can have your vet check with an ultrasound at 30 days of pregnancy and with X-rays st 45 days to confirm pregnancy. I hope this helps.

Pregnant dogs have enlarged abdomen from about 5-6 week after the heat. Lactation can start 1-2 days before the labour - this usually does not happen in first pregnancy. If Tweet has normal size abdomen and she has been lactating for a few days now i would suspect phantom pregnancy. However, if you want to be sure if Tweet is pregnant or not, you will need to take her to your local vets for x-ray or ultrasound scan.

If Cali stopped bleeding over a week ago, it's still too early to tell if she is pregnant or not. Her nipples and genital area should go down not long after a heat ends. Even if she was pregnant, it would still be too early for her nipples to enlarge in response to a pregnancy. You can wait at least another three weeks then take her into the vet for a blood test looking for the hormone relaxin. This will be present in her blood if she is pregnant. You can wait six weeks instead and then take her into the vet for x-rays or an ultrasound to see if she is pregnant or not. This will also tell you how many puppies she is carrying. Best of luck.

Yes, it certainly is possible that Ruby is pregnant. The only way to know for sure is to have her seen by a vet. I would wait at least three weeks, then take her into a vet. At this point, the vet can do a blood test looking for the hormone relaxin which will be present if she is pregnant.