Is it common for poop to obscure puppies on a pregnant dog's X-ray?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! X-rays are performed using relatively low doses of radiation. Though frequent exposure can be harmful to embryos/fetuses, one or two x-rays throughout the pregnancy of a dog should not harm the puppies.

This an x-ray focused on the caudal abdomen. As far as I can see there is moderate distension of the last part of the intestine (colon) which is filled with feces and gas. There are no other abnormalities and the radiopacity on the ventro-dorsal view is due to an artifact rather than an actual abnormality.

Unfortunately the quality of the image coming through to us isn't great. If you are talking about the circular area on the upper right side of the abdomen, this is gas in the stomach and can be normal. If your vet wants to try additional diagnostics but doesn't have ultrasound, they could do a barium study, or they could send the x-rays to a radiologist for review (a veterinary radiologist has extensive training at reviewing x-rays and so can sometimes interpret things a regular vet may not). X-rays can be send electronically to a radiologist for review through various services, so I would ask them if they feel either of these options would be appropriate.

You can try to repeat the x rays in a week time, usually mineralization of bones starts from 36-40th day of pregnancy. If no puppies are seen on the second x rays, it is possible that either she is not pregnant or the puppies got died and got reabsorbed. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Hello. While the stool is not altogether abnormal, I can see your concerns. The first thing to do is take a sample to your veterinarian for a parasite analysis. You want to make sure Soska is not harboring intestinal worms that can be transmitted to her puppies. In the meantime, switch her to a bland diet for a few days. I use 75% white rice & 25% white chicken breast. A little low fat cottage cheese is OK. I would also start her on a good probiotic like Purina's FortiFlora. This is available over the counter. Hopefully, this will help normalize her bowel movements. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It's very unlikely he has a tumor at his age, instead of an xray i would recommend having an ultrasound done (by a specialist), this has better chance of giving you an accurate answer regarding the condition he is suffering from. i'm not sure he will need surgery, it really depends on what is causing it.

We can't often see tumors in the stomach on x-rays because they blend in with the surrounding tissues. Black areas on x-rays are often pockets of gas, which may be normal. I would recommend asking your vet what you are seeing on the x-rays.