How do I tell if my Labrador is pregnant and not just having a phantom pregnancy?

Question

My Labrador is 30 months old and went on heat around Feb this year. We mated her with another Labrador, we took her to her vet on the 28th day from when they first mated (we gave them 3 shots) the vet stated he couldnt feel anything and to come back the following week which would have been 28 days from the last time they mated. On our second visit to the vets he stated he couldnt confirm or deny whether or not she was pregnant but he felt she was just having a phantom pregnancy. I asked if there was a further test other than him just feeling for pups and I got a "why do you need to know so urgently", and then told us to come back in a week. My pouchy Remy has turned off her food, got heaps bigger in the abdomen, has enlarged nipples, and is nursing one of her toys a little but not a lot, our dog is an inside lab and can normally stay in all night but lately hasnt been unable to stick the whole night out with out a toilet break.

Answer 1

yea vets try to keep you coming back so they can make more money. Go buy a stethscope. its cheaper. sounds to me like she is pregnant. oh and search around for prices as you don't need an expensive one. listen to your dogs stomache. and then to her heart. you should be able to hear the diffrence in heart beats. the puppies heart beats are really really fast. the mothers is normal. This is also helpful after delievery as you can check to see that she is done if no more of the fast heartbeats. I have gotten good at it over the years. Last litter I could tell there was 2 pups and one heartbeat was to slow and I knew it was not going to make it. It didn't. Really its only like 30.00 less then half a vet visit. and next time they will say oh we need to do exrays see how many or sonogram. 100's of dollars. I have been there once never again. delievered 10 litters with my good old stethascope.

Answer 2

If your Lab is of the big barrel chested type they can carry their pups very high up within their abdomen. It makes it difficult for the vet to feel them way up there. Also if she is showing signs of being pregnant then perhaps she is. The only sure way to tell is to get an x-ray to determine if she is or is not. Around 55 days is a good time to do this and also it will tell you approximately how many pups she is caring. This way you have a good start to know when she is done whelping all her pups.

Answer 3

30 days after mating, a vet can do an ultra sound to determine pregnancy. It isn't a good method to get a head count, but an x-ray at 55 days can give you a close head count.

With the toy, that is a typical false pregnancy sign or first time mother sign. Not being able to make it through the night like she used to, that's more a sign of pregnancy.

Go to a different vet and ask for an Ultra Sound! They're $50-$70.

Answer 4

First of all I would be finding me a new vet..If you breed her around Feb. she should be having her babies around April.

A vet can take blood test to tell you if your dog is having puppies or not ..or X-rays. I will be finding me a new vet. I am concern on what shots you gave your dog...Any way do not take her back to that vet..If she is pregnant she will have her puppies in April just wait until then.. Don't put her through anymore drama by taken her to the vet. Let nature take its course. lol she can't nurse one of her toys..Close to her due date don't let her go out by herself. Many of dogs have been known to drop puppies in the middle of the night, so you need to watch her while she is out there. I know you want to know if she is or not I was the same way when my dog was matted..but please let nature take its course and find another vet..

Answer 5

If you think she may be pregnant, then there is a good chance that is may be. If you think she is 4-5 weeks, then she should be showing obvious signs, such as developing "boobies" and weight gain. Your best bet is to go to the vet anyways, since she will have to be put on a different diet to insure she will produce milk when thee puppies are born. We didnt know our dog was pregnant, and I ended up bottle feeding 10 puppies for 5 weeks, not an easy task. A vet visit is well worth it!

Answer 6

It sure sounds that way to me, all these worrying it's not good for the mommy dogie. Let nature take it's course. Next thing before you know it, there will be a lot of pups running around. Good Luck, very good dogs Labs.

Answer 7

The only way to tell is have her scanned. That way you can confirm for sure that she is pregnant. However, even if it shows she is pregnant, bitches can reabsorb their puppies up to about 5 weeks pregnant when the bones start to calcify.