is my dog pregnant?

[Partyfops]

I have an 11 month old Lab who has recently finished her first season about 4-6 weeks ago.

Her vulva (?) is still quite swollen and her nipples are quite large, it also looks as if she could have some milk in them.

At the beginning of her season we found out that she has been escaping through a hole in the fence. As soon as we noticed the hole was fixed etc. This was within the first few days of her season.

I'm not aware of any dogs nearby that she could have got to.

Can they get false symptoms?

only the vet can tell

I know that is the only way we would know for sure, but I was wondering whether it's common to have some false symptoms after the first season that's all.

It could be a phantom or she could be pregnant. See a vet.
Are you planning to spay?

Yes, she is going to be speyed in February. I genuinely don't think that she could actually be pregnant that's all. I will book to see the vet tomorrow.

If she was pregnant would they Spey early?

Spay (sp)

Not sure. A bitch in season is very tempting and a dog can run for miles to get to her. That's why they should only ever be off lead in a secure area.

If she was getting out while in heat, then yes she could be pregnant.

And yes, it's possible to spay when she is pregnant, thus ending the pregnancy. It's more risky (like spaying an in-heat bitch), and it should be done as early as possible - so if your dog is 6 weeks pregnant I'm not sure whether it's feasible.

Get to the vet asap.

This is how we got our boy, his mum was only 13 months and had been on her first season.
The vet will give you the best advice.
It cost the owners over £1K for scans/ puppy checks/ worming/ elbow checks + raising a large litter until new homes were found

We were very careful with her when she was in season, never off lead etc, we live quite remotely so there weren't many other dogs around.

Im not sure she would have been out of the garden for long enough to do the deed either, don't they lock together for like half an hour after?

I don't think we could breed from her if she was pregnant anyway as she had Neospora as a pup and I suspect there is a small chance for it to be passed on despite her being treated.

I will take her tomorrow.

No they don't always lock.
Weren't many other dogs? It literally takes one.
Vet tomorrow.

It could well be a phantom, they're common in unspayed bitches and can be very convincing indeed.

If she only got out very early in her season and wasn't gone for long each time then you'd have to be very unlucky for her to be fertile at that point, have found a loose entire dog who knew what to do and who she was happy to stand for.

That said, it's not impossible and it's far better to be safe than sorry. She might just still be within the time frame for having the mismate jab so it's definitely worth getting her to the vet asap to see what your options are.

Vet visit

Please don’t get her done until she’s AT LEAST 18 months. It is not healthy to do so this early.

Oh and watch your dog.

The vet advised that we should spay her about 8-12 weeks after her first season. I'm not sure I could go through another season, she bled very heavily, it was everywhere despite wearing the season pants.

It just seems to have taken ages for her nipples etc to go back to normal after her season.

Fingers crossed she's not up duffed !!

Just wanted to add, after their first season there vulva will swell and likely stay larger than it was before. It’s just part of them becoming a ‘proper’ bitch... iyswim

They are not very pronounced. More noticeable at different angles.

Picture

We noticed this after our dog's first season, I was absolutely terrified she was pregnant, despite NO opportunity. Her aunt had 14 puppies and I had visions of trying to rehome 14 mixed breed pups (not to mention surviving the 8w with them all over!!

Totally normal, even now 2 months after her season her nipples are more pronounced and "booby" looking. But definitely wasn't pregnant.

Your vet may have recommended that OP but any decent vet would recommend waiting she had fully grown and developed which is around 18 months of age, at the very earliest.

My vets will only spay before that age if it’s just for medical reasons ie to save the life of the dog.

Your dog will need all her hormones to grow as healthy as possible. If you get her done now, you will be stunting her growth because you’ll mess up her hormones etc - you wouldn’t take a going girl into hospital and have her tubes tied after her first period. It is no different.

And I’m sorry, you got a female dog. Female dogs bleed around twice a year. If you can’t deal with the blood I don’t understand why you’d get a female dog.

Up to you what you do. I imagine you’re gunna go ahead and get her done ASAP. But for the sake of your dog I really wouldn’t.

Why do most vets say to spay at 6 months in small/med breeds chippy? Also says this online.

@ I imagine you’re gunna go ahead and get her done ASAP.

I have listened to my vet who knows my dog well, she has advised to spay between first and second season.

We decided against the vet today as we sat down and worked out dates and we think it would be impossible for her to be pregnant, or rather if she was pregnant she would be a lot more pregnant than she currently looks.

You need to get her checked if she was escaping the garden.

The garden was sealed by October 28th which was the first few days of her season. This would make her very pregnant.

If there’s any chance she could be pregnant then it really would be better to know for sure one way or the other. Her size isn’t really a good indicator, some bitches can look very convincingly pregnant during a phantom and others barely show at all.

I agree it’s very unlikely she is pregnant but it’s not impossible and the last thing you want is a litter suddenly appearing if you’re not set up to care for them.

My dogs like that, she had her first season finishing at the end of November and definitely not pregnant unless she is the Virgin Mary of dog world. Our vet also recommends spaying between first and second season.