My Pomeranian is pregnant first time. How do I help her and puppies?

1) don't panic. 2) think about when she may have been in heat and when she may have met a male 3) Gestation is 58 to 68 days, on average 63 to 65 days, so you can estimate when she will have her puppies, say , within 2 weeks or so. When your dog get a big abdomen., take her to your veterinarian for an x-ray or ultra sound pregnancy exam. The vet can then see how many puppies she will have and approximately when and how big they will be. 4) The incidence of a c-section is rare , so I would not worry about that now.

Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Great question- the gestation period in dogs is about 60 days give or take a few days. I would wait another day or two at least before visiting your veterinarian. I hope this helps and thanks again for posting!

Hello! This general article about pregnancy may help: https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/pregnancy/ Trixie is starting to enter the second half of her pregnancy, so you may start to see more significant weight gain, an increase in appetite (as the puppies are rapidly growing) and the starting of development of her mammary glands. Now is a good time in the pregnancy to have a checkup done at your vet to ensure mom and babies are doing well and start mom on a puppy food to increase the amount of nutrition she is getting to feed the puppies during development and lactation Your vet may recommend an ultrasound to see them and count them. As she nears the end of her pregnancy, around 60-65 days, you'll want to have an X-ray taken to count number of babies (if you don't know by then) to know how many to expect, and make sure a whelping box is ready for her to use when she goes into labor.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! The first thing is to be sure that Soska is up to date on all her vaccinations, is heartworm negative, in on heartworm prevention and has been dewormed. You can discuss monitoring her progesterone levels and vaginal cytology to optimize the correct breeding dates with your Vet. I will attach a handout on stages of pregnancy and when to worry during labor. Be sure to have a bulb syringe, hemostat, thread to tie umbilical chords and scissors. Here is a good website for whelping boxes:https://gordonsetterexpert.org/2015/10/29/design-yourself-the-perfect-whelping-box-set-up/ Whelping and When to be Concerned Stages of Labor: -Stage 1 tends to start 10-24 hours after temperature drop (usually below 99 F). -Stage 1: nesting. Can persist for 3-24 hours before abdominal contractions begin -Stage 2: Visible abdominal contractions. FIRST PUPPY SHOULD ARRIVE WITH IN 1-2 HOURS. -Stage 3: passage of placenta. Usually occurs within 15 mins of passing puppy. If it does not happen, don’t worry. When to worry/Call: -Strong contractions > 45-60 mins without birth of a puppy -Weak and infrequent contractions >4-6 hours without birth of puppy ->4-5 hours between puppies (after birth of first puppy without birth of the next puppy). On average a puppy is born every 45-60 mins. HOWEVER, the mother can often rest for several hours between puppies. This rest period is NOT associated with contractions and usually doesn’t exceed 4-6 hours. -If one puppy is born and she is having VISIBLE contractions for >2 hours without 2nd puppy. Recommend calling around 1 hour mark to talk to someone. -Failure to enter active labor (contractions) 24-36 hours after rectal temp falls below 99 F -Mother is in obvious pain: biting at vulva, crying) -No puppy within 2 hours of seeing green vaginal discharge -No puppy within 1 hour of seeing clear fluid from vulva (rupture of allantochorion) -No puppy within 1 hour of seeing a clear/water filled balloon at vulvar lips (puppy is in birth canal) I hope this helps and I wish you the best!

Once labor starts it can be up to 4 hours in between puppies. If there are heavy contractions and pushing after 30 minutes with no puppy then you need to seek help for her. If there is a black or brown discharge, you need to seek help. She is very young to have puppies but most have good maternal instincts and their bodies take over when it all starts. once the puppies come, make sure she cleans them and nurses. They need to stay warm. If she is not sitting with and nursing then you will need to bottle feed. it is best to start preparing a place for her to deliver that way she gets used to it. You can set up a small bed with blankets in a quiet spot that way she can have privacy when it starts.

Your bitch may not act like the typical mother because she is way too young to have a litter, and her mothering instincts may not have kicked in yet. Have a box, lined with warm, soft twels ready. As each pup is born, the mom should cut the cord by "scissoring" it with her teeth. If she does not, tie dental floss about four inches from the pup, and at five inches from the pup. Scrape the section in between the ties with a butter knife (you can go back and forth) until the piece of cord is shredded (shredding instead of cutting "seals" the cord better)As soon aa the cord is cut (or before, if you have to do it yourself), clear the pup's airway with a baby bulb syringe--mouth first, then nose. Finally, rub the pup vigorously with a thick towel to get it mostly dry. Put it in the towel-lined box, Have a low-watt light clipped to one side of the box so the puppy can move into and out of the warm spot on the floor of the box. Watch to be sure a placenta is delivered for each puppy. Finally, between births you can give the pup or puppies to the mom to nurse, but remove them if another pup starts to come so she doesn't hurt them accidently. call the vet for breech (feet first) birth, retained placentas, excessive bleeding, or other concerns.

Great question and congrats on Sasha's pregnancy! I would have her seen by vet in another 15 days for an x-rays. That will tell you how many puppies she is carrying so when she is whelping, you can count them and it will help you identify if there is a problem much sooner. I would also speak with your vet about complications to look out for during labor, and I would start setting aside some money just in case she needs an emergency c-section. It's best to be prepared financially so you aren't in a terrible situation if she does need one. You can feed her a puppy formulated food, but that needs to be stopped 10-14 days before she is due. At that point, put her back on an adult dog food. Once she has whelped her puppies, put her back on the puppy formulated food. She will need the extra calories, calcium, and protein a puppy food provides to support nursing her puppies. Make sure she is up to date on her flea treatment and deworming treatments. Revolution spot on is safe to give to pregnant dogs. If she is due for vaccines, discuss with your vet if they feel it's safe to give her a killed vaccine. I hope this helps and her pregnancy and whelping goes well!