Is my rescue dog Abby pregnant??
What I haven't mentioned, is that shortly after I got Abby I found out from her previous foster mom that she had a heat cycle in late July. We had originally been told this dog was spayed. The previous foster person was supposed to have reported a heat cycle immediately, and did not, so by the time I got Abby if she is pregnant she may have already been 3 weeks along. The previous foster person kept Abby outdoors, and I believe she neglected this dog badly. It is quite possible Abby may have been bred around July 27th, which is when the woman claims the neighbors kids brought Abby to her door and said they found Abby "playing " with their dog, who is a husky /golden retirever mix. I am a huge advocate of spay/neuter programs, however, I am the one who always fosters the pregnant animals as I have gained a lot of experience over the years and have the medical knowledge, plus I love babies  however, it has been about 9 years since I fostered a pregnant dog, it has been mostly cats, and really far fewer animals in general in our area every year which is a great sign.
If we hadn't been told the dog was spayed to begin with we would have spayed her before this had a chance to happen, but by the time I got her she could have been 3 weeks along so it was my decision as to whether to go ahead and spay, or allow the pups to be born, raise them and find them homes. I opted for the latter. If she had just finished her heat cycle I probably would have said ok let's spay her now. It's a personal decision, and one I know many don't agree with, however, I will make sure any pups she has (if she is pregnant) will go to good homes and will be spayed or neutered. We actually DO check up on people to ensure the surgery has been done. Anyway, with that said (I felt the need to explain as I would love to have people to talk to about this situation as it develops and not have people assuming I am being irresponsible etc) .... I'm still not sure if she is pregnant. Her condition improves day by day, she now appears to be at a good weight, has a healthy, shiny coat, and is adapting very well to life in our family. She is excellent with my kids, my cats, and is warming up to my dogs. She loves to be a couch ornament. LOL Her eyes simply light up with the affection we show her and it makes me so happy that this dog is finally getting the love and care she deserves. I have carefully palpated a couple of times and thought I could feel a couple of little walnuts, which would indicate she IS pregnant, but not necessarily. What is confusng me is that Abby did not look like a dog that had recently finished a heat cycle when she came here. She has absolutely no swelling of her vulva, and her nipples were not enlarged or pink at all. If she had been bred I would've expected some enlargement of her nipples by now, but I can't remember if their vulva remains swollen after a heat if they were bred? I've never bred a dog, only fostered pregnant dogs who were obviously pregnant and usually only a week or two away from delivery. So though I can read text books, veterinary manuals etc... it doesn't compare to real life experiences which vary from dog to dog, and people often notice things and make mental note of them that aren't mentioned in textbooks. I suppose all I can do is wait and see, but I hate not knowing...lol... Is there anything else I can look for? She has been to the vet, who was not sure either, there is no medical need to subject her to xrays or sonograms etc.... I just want ot know. LOL If she is, she could be 5 weeks now, going by the dates the previous foster person gave me. She has been putting on weight, but I believe that is simply because she is receiving better care and a higher quality food now. Anyway, any insight or opinions are welcome..... thanks |
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| I wish I had some wisdom or knowledge of value to share with you. I have never bred a dog either, so I don't know. I know a lot about horses...lol..but that's not much help here.
I can say how very glad I am she ended up with you!! Thank goodness she's got someone responsible looking out for her best interests - and potentially her puppies' best interest - now!  |
| All I can say is - Wow! I'll be anxious to hear the continuing saga of Abby. She found the best possible home with you!
Chris |
I'm not much help on the issue, but i dont think you made an irresponsible decision at all, whats done is done, and they are living creatures. I still think your an angel for taking her in, she couldnt have found a better home.  |
| Isn't it funny the way the universe works, here you've been carefully planning for puppies for years and you may wind up with a completely unexpected litter. God passes out blessings in the most unexpected ways! |
| I do rescue and we had a dog given to us that "might be pregnant", and she was. She hardly gained any weight, but had 4 pups. We did a blood test to confirm, but then we had issues with what foster home could take on puppies, so we had to know. I won : )
We had all females and had them spayed at 7 1/2 weeks, before they left. They were fine through the surgery, and the next day you would never know they'd been done. There are pros and cons to pedeatric spays/neuters, but with rescue dogs I don't think there is a choice. Not that I don't trust new owners, but thinks happen. like dogs get stolen, lost etc. Plus we had a vet that did us a great deal on them, as they were rescue dogs. Then we could ask for a higher adoption fee as they were already done, and we could weed out people who wanted a puppy but wanted a cheap one. |
| Yes, I'm thinking along those lines if she is indeed pregnant.
I got a great deal from our vet when I had Cleo the pregnant rescue kitty last year, plus I offered each person 20 dollars of my own money paid to the vet at time of spaying and neutering for each kitten, all of which followed through. |
| Puppies are so cute. Good luck! |
| I hope you have more courageous vets then we do here...they won't perform early spay and neuters...I wanted to that. But alas couldn't so I wrote my gaurantee to void if they don't spay/neuter at 6 mths...I will also be calling to see how each pup is doing and who has followed through. I am pretty confident all did, but I still wanna know.
You've got time to get prepared for babies. Once you know for sure, those walnuts you are feeling will dissappear...and then later you will feel the pup moving. The sacks fill with fluid making them hard to detect after the 5 weeks. Most pregnant humans look better and have a content glow...maybe that's the same for dogs. Just to be safe and if she needs to gain weight anyway feed puppy food. Remy looked tight and small all the way through. Like I said before the teates were her biggest change, and then her attitude turned from play to protection of her body. And peeing constantly. It's possible Abby only tied once, and only has a few pups inside...making it harder to see body changes. Look forward to all the news about Abby, this is so good that she got you. And time to settle in to a family, I am sure her pregancy can be stress free now. We are all waiting with you. |
| Well if Abby is pregnant she could be 6 weeks along tomorrow, only 3 weeks from a possible due date. Since canine sperm can live 5-7 days in the females reproductive tract it is possible she didn't ovulate at that time and may only be 5 weeks along. Of course, she may not be pregnant at all, but I am beginning to lean more towards thinking she is. She has gained a lot of weight in the last couple of weeks. I think I got her on August 17th, so I've had her about 2 and a half weeks I guess. She only eats about 3 cups of food a day, but it was only two cups when I first got her, and the woman who had her before said she wasn't eating hardly anything the week before I got her. She was maybe 30-35 lbs when I got her, and I think she has gained maybe 5-7 lbs. I haven't weighed her because I don't know how she would react o me picking her up. I guess I should try that today maybe.
I "think" her nipples are a little larger, but again, it may just be that she is filling out due to better care. Her waist is definitely thicker, but if she hadn't been as thin as she was when I got her I wouldn't suspect pregnancy at all. If she is 6 weeks now, I may be able to feel pups moving in a week or two weeks at the most.... so we'll see! |
| Just thought I would post an Abby update....
We've had her for a month today. She fits right in, and has blossomed so much in terms of personality. She really is an amazing dog.
I STILL don't know for sure if she is pregnant, but I think she is. She has no waist now, she has gained a lot of weight, and when she is relaxed her belly looks quite big. When she notices anyone looking at her though she tenses up her belly muscles and pulls it all in. LOL I have been trying to get intouch with the woman who had her befor me to get more information, and it took her 2 weeks to respond to my email. (I also left a phone message) Anyway, she says she thinks Abby was in heat from July 24 til August 5 or 6th, and now I am thinking that Abby may have been bred in the first week of August, not on the 27th when the woman said Abby got loose. I got more information about the neighbors dog, he is a male, he is not fixed.... and he is a golden retriever/lab/husky mix. LOL So, chances are if she is pregnant, he is the father, or of course it could have been a wolf. We have lots of wolves around here so who knows. Or it could have been both. Or not at all...lol.... I know that at this stage I could take her in for an xray to know for sure, but since there is no medical need to expose her to that I won't. I'll just have to keep wondering I guess. When I feel her belly sometimes I can feel what feels like puppy movement, very slight though. It could just be gas though. Anyway, guess it's not much of an update since I still don;t know anything for sure...lol.... oh well... time to get ready for work.... |
| Hi Stacey,
I am so glad to hear Abby has fit right in. That is great news. You gave her a wonderful home, and got your sibe all at the same time, it couldn't have worked out better. I commend everyone for early spaying and neutering. We do that with our kittens, it was more difficult than I thought to find a vet, but after many phone calls and emails, we found several to do it for us, but we were picky, and interviewed them all, and chose 2. So far the one we have decided to try is working out well. We have had 2 litters early spayed and neutered at 11 weeks old and they were bouncy as can be. I have just recently researched a little on canine early spaying and neutering. It sounds like those that have done it, have had success, and seem to be disproving allegations that they male or female dog doesn't get as large. Actually, early spaying and neutering has been practiced since the early 1900's, later it started raising questions about what problems may happen because of it. I can't speak from any experience when it comes to dogs, but I would like to see more research into it, and if it is as safe to do dogs as cats, I believe it should become more the norm. I have 1 cat that was early altered, and Toulouse is 17 lbs now, with another year to grow. If Abby turns out pregnant, you know I expect lots of pictures.  If she is, I know you will find wonderful homes for the puppies. Keep us updated, I like all the good news!!
Hugs, Stormi |
| Hi, thanks for the update...I am so curious to see what happens. Thinking of her all the time.
Stormi...good for you to have vets in your area to do spay and neuters early. Not one single vet in our city will do it...except for the spca. They say that dogs who go through it early, have teeth problem (changing from baby to adult), and incontinence is an issue. The spca does them early because they are not personally invested into these animals, they are noone pets yet, therefore if something went wrong...it's not a big deal to them. They only do animals that are turned into the spca for adoption. |
| HI, I havent been around for ages, so just reading up on the threads.....
I need to know, was abby pregnant? Is all well? (I shall go and have a mouch around see if I can find the answer on another thread, I need to know!) |
| Yes she was, she had her babies about a month after she got here. There are threads throughout the forum, about their birth, and updates and pics |
| Well congratulations!!!!!!
Am off to look at the threads, and hopefully some pics !!!! well done!! just think, how many dogs you have now rescued! |
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