My pregnant dog is sick and not eating. Is it labor or a risk?

Hi and thanks for your post on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Unfortunately, there are no anti-nausea/vomiting medications safe for pregnant dogs. The greenish liquid is likely bile from vomiting on an empty stomach. Nausea and vomiting can be common in some dogs in the early stage of pregnancy. There are also other more concerning causes of vomiting in dogs, so if it continues or becomes more frequent, I would take her into see her veterinarian as soon as possible. Best wishes to you and Khaleesi!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Lulu! I am not sure if I fully understand Lulu's anxiety. It is strange behavior to only chew on herself when she is eating. Maybe she has more allergies and is itchy than anxious? Being mother in animals is instinctual. Most dogs make very good mothers. Her anxiety isn't a predictor whether she will or will not be. I would watch her very carefully after the puppies are born. If there are signs of aggression towards the puppies then you will have to hand raise them with dog milk replacer in bottles. If she is a bad mother I would have her spayed so she can not have any more puppies after this litter. I hope this helps and I wish you all the best!

She needs to be eating something, or she will have very little energy for the whelping. Take her to the vet for xrays, then you'll know the size of the litter and will know if she's having trouble or needs a c section. While there, ask for cerenia injections for the next few days, as this is a fantastic anti-nausea drug that has all kinds of benefits. In this case, I'm hoping it will get her eating for you. If she had a dead pup last litter, that tells me she may be dealing with some uterine inertia during labor, and could benefit from calcium or oxytocin injections, but this requires your working with a reproduction veterinarian through this process. Hope that helps, and best of luck!

You are definitely stuck in a pretty difficult situation here. Obviously as a pregnant bitch, Jenny really needs to continue to eat in order to be healthy enough to carry her pregnancy. If she is ill, she might require medications to make her feel better. The main problem with this is that there are very, very few medications that are considered safe and effective for pregnant and nursing animals. There is only one oral antibiotic in America that is readily administered to pregnant dogs, and it is called Clavamox. It is a penicillin based antibiotic. My assumption is that your vet likely gave a penicillin based injection. If this has not helped at all, she should probably be reassessed, placed on some fluids, and have her fetuses' viability checked with ultrasound. An ultrasound should be able to detect fetal heart beat, so if they appear weak or not present at all than this could be an indicator of an infectious process causing abortion. If your current vet does not have an ultrasound, you may want to go to a clinic that has this modality to give your dog the best treatment possible. Hope this helps!

Poor girl! I would offer her a home cooked meal of plain boiled chicken and rice to see if this helps to entice her to eat. If she after a few days of being on vitamins and she still isn't acting right then I would contact your ve to do additional diagnostics. If your vet hasn't already I would ask them to do a fecal to check for intestinal parasites and blood work to make sure everything else looks ok. If she is close to the end of her pregnancy this could all be normal in preparation for labor. A lot of dogs will have a decrease in activity and appetite in the last 3-5 days of pregnancy. The normal gestation period is 62-63 days. I hope this helps!

It is quite common for dogs to become anorexic in the 24 hours prior to whelping. Be sure that Sweetie has a whelping box ready, or a quiet area in your home with plenty of soft towels and blankets, but keep in mind that these blankets may get ruined during delivery! In the 24 hours prior to whelping, some dogs may also become more restless and may hide or try to be alone. I hope that all goes well!

Poor Princess! She could be pregnant but she could also have something else going on like parasites, eating something she shouldn’t, a bacterial infection or even a viral infection. You can try to offer her some plain chicken (no bones) and white rice to see if you can entice her to eat. If she doesn’t perk up soon, I would have your vet take a look at her. I worry she is going to get dehydrated. Your vet will be able do a fecal, blood work and even X-rays if needed. Your vet will be able to assess her hydration and give her fluids if needed. Your vet will be able to get her started on some meds that are safe for puppies in case she is pregnant to help make her feel better. I hope this helps!