Is she, or is she not?

Although it was not until three and a half weeks from being bred that I noticed the early signs of pregnancy, I immediately replaced MySP's adult dog food with a high quality puppy food right after breeding her. Puppy food provides the extra calories and nutrients that will be needed for the health of the unborn growing puppies and when she nurses them after whelping.

The first and early signs of pregnancy are loss of appetite, nipple growth, reduced activities and  behavioral changes.  I observed MySP to be always sleepy and less active. I would find her inside my dressing room, cozening up with my comfy sheepskin night slippers. I also noticed that she kept cleaning herself more than usual. She also did not want to play our favorite hide and seek game, and did not want to run after me around our dining table. But as soon as I sat down in the sofa, she would immediately snuggle up to me, which was not usual for her.

The later signs of pregnancy are weight gain, increase in appetite, the stomach becomes firmer and starts to expand very quickly. As soon as MySP showed these later signs, I made an appointment with her veterinarian for a check up.

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At the final stages of canine pregnancy, one can observe puppy movements, increase in abdomen size, nesting behavior and milk production. I was quite excited to see the first puppy movements in MySP's abdomen!