When Sarah first brought Bella home, a calm, gentle Labrador mix with a tail that wagged at the smallest kindness, she figured she was in for long walks, a bit of fetch, and maybe the occasional chewed slipper. She didn’t plan on becoming a midwife.
It started quietly. Bella’s naps got longer, her food bowl was always empty, and she had this new way of watching Sarah, softer, slower, almost thoughtful. Sarah brushed it off at first, maybe Bella was just settling into the routine
Read more: Daily Dog Care Routine: Essential Tasks for a Happy and Healthy Pet – August 2025
But a few weeks in, the belly looked different. Rounder. Firm, but not bloated from food. And the look in Bella’s eyes? Like she was keeping a secret.
A late-night Google search, a couple of frantic texts to friends, and one “pregnancy in dogs” blog later, Sarah realized this was going to be an entirely different adventure.
How to Tell if a Dog is Pregnant
Dog pregnancies usually last about 63 days, give or take a few. That’s just over two months, though when you’re in it, the time feels a lot longer. It’s not a passive process, either. The mother needs proper food (not just more of the same kibble), a calm home, and a watchful eye.
For Bella, the first few changes were easy to miss. She did not become a huge star in a day. She simply began to take her time a little, and savor off her food, and snuggle to snuggle. At week three her nipples started to expand a little and turned pinker. By week four, Sarah could feel a firmness in her belly that wasn’t there before.
If you’re wondering how to tell if a dog is pregnant, here’s the thing, sometimes you can’t be sure without a vet. Behavior changes, appetite shifts, and a rounding belly are clues, but a vet’s ultrasound (or blood test) is what confirms it. That’s what Sarah did, and it gave her not only the answer but also an idea of how many little ones to expect.
Read more: How to Choose the Right Dog Collar: A Comprehensive Guide for Pet Owners- August 2025
When Should a Pregnant Dog Visit the Vet?
If you’ve noticed the signs of pregnancy in dogs in your pet, and you’re asking yourself “When should a pregnant dog visit the vet?” the answer is: earlier than you think.
Sarah took Bella in at four weeks. The ultrasound showed a handful of tiny heartbeats flickering on the screen, a surreal moment. The vet established a diet that was high in protein and fats and screened the vet to ensure that any parasite was checked and assured that Bella had been vaccinated before the full energy was put on making more puppies.
It is not a good idea to miss that initial visit. The vet is able to see the possible complications, monitor the weight increase and help you go through the normalcy versus what requires attention. Leaving that day with a folder full of notations and an increasing feeling that this was going to be a group effort Sarah had the mandate to work out the program in a group setting.
Read more: Dog Pregnancy: Signs Your Dog Is Pregnant and What You Can Do To Help
Dog Labor and Delivery Process
Labor in dogs unfolds in three stages, though “stages” makes it sound more orderly than it feels in the moment.
- Stage One:
- Nesting. Bella started digging in blankets like she was tunneling to Australia. She carried her favorite stuffed toy to the whelping box, ignored her food, and gave Sarah this side-eye that clearly said, “Don’t go far.”
- Stage Two:
- Active labor. Contractions kicked in, and within the hour, the first puppy arrived, tiny, damp, and squeaking. The rest followed, spaced about 40 minutes apart. Sarah timed it, because if more than two hours passed without a puppy, she knew she’d be calling the vet.
- Stage Three:
- Placenta delivery. Sometimes one comes after each pup, sometimes after two or three. Sarah counted them off in her mind so that none remained behind.
She maintained a warm room and a calm sounding voice even as she was shaking. So many times she told herself in tones of aghast admiration, You are doing great, girl.
Read more: How to Teach Your Dog Basic Commands: A Step-by-Step Guide – February 2025
Caring for a Nursing Dog
After the phase of pregnancy in dogs of your pet, once the pups were here, Bella’s focus narrowed to two things: feeding and cleaning. The rest of the world, including Sarah, barely existed.
Caring for a nursing dog means meeting her needs before she even realizes she has them. Sarah brought her water right to the whelping box. She split Bella’s meals into three high calorie servings a day that is heavy on protein and healthy fats.
Visitors? Only a couple of trusted friends, and only for short, quiet visits. Puppies need peace in those first days, and Bella needed the space to bond. Sarah checked for mastitis daily, warm, swollen, or reddened mammary glands, because catching it early can prevent misery for both mom and pups.
Read more: Labor, Delivery, and Postpartum Care in Bitches and Queens
Postpartum Care for a Mother Dog
The days after birth were a blur. Bella slept more, but every twitch of a puppy’s paw had her lifting her head.
Postpartum care for a mother dog means being just as attentive as during pregnancy. Sarah checked Bella’s temperature every morning for the first week, a fever could mean infection. The normal postpartum discharge was there, dark green at first and fading over the weeks. Anything foul-smelling or excessive would have sent them straight to the vet.
Nutrition stayed a top priority. Nursing takes more out of a dog than pregnancy itself, so Bella’s food and water bowls were always full. Follow up vet visits confirmed she was healing well and the puppies were growing fast.
Read more:
Dog Pregnancy Stages and Timeline
If you’ve never been through it, the pregnancy in dogs stages and timeline might help:
- Weeks 1–3: Fertilization, early embryo development. Almost no visible signs.
- Weeks 4–5: Appetite picks up, nipples enlarge, belly begins to round.
- Weeks 6–7: Rapid growth, fur forms on the puppies, noticeable weight gain.
- Week 8: Nesting begins, the whelping area prepped.
- Week 9: Puppies can arrive anytime.
Sarah actually kept a notebook, dates, small observations, little “hunches.” She swears it helped her feel more in control when things got hectic.
How to Help a Dog Give Birth at Home
During the pregnancy in dogs, when the vet says it’s safe, you might choose to have the birth at home. But here’s the truth about how to help a dog give birth at home, you’re more of a supporting actor than the star.
In a corner well secluded, Sarah kept ready a whelping box, a box of towels, gloves, scissors, antiseptic and bulb syringe. Their number to the vet was taped on the wall.
She was near enough in labour to see Bella, but only intervened when either thing appeared to go amiss. One puppy needed help, its tiny chest wasn’t rising.
Sarah cleared its airway gently and rubbed it with a towel until it let out the smallest squeak she’d ever heard. She still remembers the relief flooding her chest at that moment.
Read more: Pet First Aid Basics: Essential Knowledge for Every Dog Owner -August 2025
Socialization and Puppy Development
Those first two weeks were all about warmth, milk, and sleep. But by week three, Bella’s puppies started opening their eyes and stumbling toward each other. That’s when socialization and puppy development really begins.
Sarah introduced them to soft toys, different floor textures, and background sounds like the TV or a quietly running vacuum. She kept it gentle, too much noise or rough handling can set puppies back.
When the sixth week came, familiar friends were invited to visit the pups in brief visits to allow the pups to get to meet other people. They wagged, and sniffed, and fell over half way through play. And during that fortnight Sarah laughed a great deal.
Read more: How Often Should You Feed Your Dog? Setting the Right Dog Feeding Schedule – June 2025
The Rescue of Puppies Into Their New Homes
The most difficult thing was the farewell. When the puppies turned eight weeks old, they were independently feeding on their own, had received the first shots, and now were ready to find their new families.
Sarah had sent each one away with a little blanket out of the whelping box smelling of Bella and the litter to soften a blow. It felt both sad and nice seeing them go and since they were headed to loving homes, it did not hurt me as much.
Read more: LED Dog Collars: Enhancing Nighttime Visibility and Safety for Your Pet- August 2025
Final Thoughts
Dogs get messy, exhausting, and in some cases nerve-wracking during pregnancy. However, it is also one of the most redeeming things you can share with your pet.
Sarah has learned to see the “little hints” in her experience with Bella, how to know when to call the vet in, how the process of dog labor and delivery works in the real sense of the word, and how detailed one should be when it comes to taking care of a nursing dog and the postpartum care needed by a mother dog.
No pregnancy in dogs is the same, though with the proper knowledge, patience and heart, you can provide both mom and puppies a great start in life.
If you should ever happen to be seated cross-legged on the floor at 3 o’clock in the morning, telling a dog that just gave birth to a new baby what a good girl she is, then you will know what Sarah felt at that time.