Is there a way to tell how many puppies your dog is going to have?

Question

and what r the signs she is a shitzu

Answer 1

The vet can tell by using ultrasound, a non-invasive diagnostic tool. "How can you tell if your dog is in the family way?" Confirming pregnancy necessitates a trip to the veterinary office. The earliest method of pregnancy detection is ultrasound—a nice test because it is noninvasive and very reliable. Fetal heartbeats can be detected at around the 25th day from first breeding. This is not, however, considered a reliable way to determine fetal number.

One interesting fact about the canine reproductive cycle is that the dog goes through roughly the same hormonal changes whether or not she is pregnant. For this reason, there is no progesterone blood or urine test to diagnose pregnancy in dogs. There is, however, a blood test that will detect relaxin, a hormone that is produced in pregnant dogs but is not found in non-pregnant dogs. This test may be performed mid gestation, which occurs at around the same time that your veterinarian can palpate the fetuses.

Most experienced veterinarians can determine pregnancy by simply feeling the dog’s abdomen during a certain a window of time—about 20-30 days after conception. During this time period, there is uterine swelling around the placental sites that feels like firm and discrete lumps. After 30 days, the uterine swelling is more diffuse and it is difficult to distinguish the gravid uterus from the feel of the intestinal tract. Dogs that are very large or obese may be difficult to examine in any stage, however.

A third way to detect pregnancy is by taking x-rays. Fetal skeletons can be visualized at about 45 days of pregnancy. This test cannot be done until late in gestation, but it is nice to know about how many of the little creatures you can expect once the actual birthing occurs.ostic test.

Answer 2

How interesting that your dog is a shitzu. I had a male and female - they had several litters.

Small dogs have smaller litters than larger dogs do. For instance a large dog could give birth to a dozen puppies.

Shitzus rarely have more than 4 puppies.

I used to be able to guess how many puppies Svea would have by feeling her tummy. When the one side was larger than the other it meant she was having an uneven number.
She never had more than four. The only way to know for sure how many puppies she will have you would need an ultrasound. Your vet can also make a guess by feeling her body and listening to the heartbeats.

Shitzus are wonderful dogs. Enjoy this wonderful time.