Dog pregnancy week by week
Enter the mating date, or the ovulation date your vet gave you. You see which of the nine weeks your dog is in, what is happening to the puppies and what to do that week.
Tim de JongThe first day she accepted the male
First mating if there were several
How far along she is
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Pick the mating date to see how far along she is.
Orange is this week. Tap any week to read about it.
Week 1 · days 0 to 7
Fertilization
Eggs released at ovulation need 2 to 3 more days to mature in the oviduct before sperm can fertilize them, so fertilization happens around day 3. Sperm survive for about a week inside her, which is why a mating a few days early can still work.
What you may notice
None. Nothing about her looks or acts different yet.
To do this week
- Write down every mating date, or the date your vet gave you.
- Keep feeding her usual food in her usual amount.
- Check with your vet before any medicine, flea or worm treatment, or vaccine.
General information on a normal pregnancy, not a substitute for vet checks. Call your vet about any bleeding, discharge, illness or worry during pregnancy.
How far along is my dog?
A dog pregnancy lasts about nine weeks, or 63 days on average. The tool counts day 0 from the mating, or from ovulation if your vet timed it with progesterone tests, and splits the pregnancy into nine weeks of seven days. Week 9 simply runs until she whelps.
With only a mating date, expect the real stage to be a few days either way: sperm can wait inside her for a week before her eggs are ready, so the puppies may be conceived well after the mating. For the full due-date window and a dated checklist, use the dog due date calculator.
Dog pregnancy week by week
The development milestones come from the pregnancy timeline of reproduction researcher Patrick Concannon and the Merck Veterinary Manual, shifted to count from ovulation.
Week 1 (days 0 to 7): fertilization
Eggs released at ovulation need 2 to 3 more days to mature in the oviduct before sperm can fertilize them, so fertilization happens around day 3. Sperm survive for about a week inside her, which is why a mating a few days early can still work.
What you may notice: None. Nothing about her looks or acts different yet.
- Write down every mating date, or the date your vet gave you.
- Keep feeding her usual food in her usual amount.
- Check with your vet before any medicine, flea or worm treatment, or vaccine.
Week 2 (days 8 to 14): embryos travel to the uterus
The fertilized eggs divide as they move down the oviducts and reach the uterus around day 9 or 10, where they float freely for another week before settling.
What you may notice: Still none. No test can confirm pregnancy this early.
- Normal walks and play are fine.
- Avoid rough games and contact with sick dogs.
Week 3 (days 15 to 21): implantation
Each embryo settles into a small swelling of the uterine wall by about day 16 and starts to attach around day 20 or 21, when the placenta begins to form.
What you may notice: Some dogs vomit or go off their food for a few days in the early weeks as their hormones change. Many show nothing.
- Book a pregnancy check: palpation is possible from about 3 weeks, an ultrasound from day 25.
- Food stays the same: extra calories now only add fat.
Week 4 (days 22 to 28): heartbeats appear
Heartbeats become visible on ultrasound from about day 23, and with almost any scanner by day 26 to 28, when the band-shaped placenta also shows. The skeleton starts to calcify around day 28, but is far too soft to show on an X-ray.
What you may notice: Often nothing obvious yet, which is why a scan or blood test is the only way to know.
- Ultrasound between days 25 and 35 confirms the pregnancy and that the embryos are alive.
- A relaxin blood test works from about day 28.
Week 5 (days 29 to 35): from embryo to fetus
The uterine swellings reach about 3 cm (just over an inch) and are easy for a vet to feel. Her red blood cell count starts to fall, a normal change of pregnancy.
What you may notice: Look for a bigger appetite, weight gain, larger nipples and a firmer belly. They come on gradually and vary a lot between dogs.
- Let her set the pace on walks, and don't over-exercise her.
- Pick a food labelled for gestation and lactation, or for all life stages, to switch to next week.
Week 6 (days 36 to 42): rapid growth
Development speeds up as the embryos turn into recognizable puppies. After about day 35 the swellings merge into one enlarged uterus, so a vet can no longer count them by feel.
What you may notice: Her belly keeps growing. A false pregnancy can look much the same, so rely on the scan.
- From the end of this week, start increasing her food gradually.
- Feed smaller meals more often as the puppies crowd her stomach.
- Ask your vet about deworming her from about day 40, which cuts the roundworms passed to the puppies.
Week 7 (days 43 to 49): skeletons harden
Skulls and spines become visible on X-ray from about day 42 to 45 and are clear by day 47 to 48.
What you may notice: She may tire more easily and prefer shorter walks.
- Set up the whelping box in a quiet, warm room and let her get used to it.
- Keep raising her food toward about 1.5 times her usual amount.
Week 8 (days 50 to 56): getting ready
The puppies are almost fully formed and gaining weight. Teeth show on X-rays near term.
What you may notice: Near the end you may see or feel the puppies moving. Her mammary glands fill out.
- X-ray after day 55 to count the puppies, so you know when she has finished.
- Start taking her rectal temperature morning and evening.
- Save your vet's and the nearest emergency clinic's numbers in your phone.
Week 9 (days 57 to whelping): whelping
Her progesterone falls in the last days, and her temperature drops to about 98 to 100°F (36.7 to 37.8°C), usually 8 to 24 hours before labor.
What you may notice: Restless, digging at her bedding, hiding in a quiet corner and often off her food: the signs of first-stage labor.
- Stay close once her temperature drops.
- Call your vet if labor doesn't follow within 24 to 36 hours of the drop.
- Know the warning signs below before she starts.
How soon can a vet confirm the pregnancy?
Not in the first two weeks, whatever the test. From week 3 onward you have four options, each with its own best window and its own answer:
| Test | Days | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Palpation (feeling the belly) | 21 to 35 | Pregnant or not. Results depend on how relaxed she is. |
| Ultrasound | 25 to 35 | Pregnant, puppies alive (heartbeats) and their rough age. An X-ray counts better. |
| Relaxin blood test | from 28 | Pregnant or not. A very small litter can give a false negative. |
| X-ray | from 55 | How many puppies to expect: the most accurate count. |
A sensible plan is an ultrasound around day 28 and an X-ray after day 55. The scan confirms live puppies early; the X-ray count lets you know when she has delivered the last one.
Feeding a pregnant dog
For the first six weeks, or two-thirds of the pregnancy, keep her on her normal amount: the puppies are still tiny and need very little. From about week 7, increase her food gradually so that by the last three weeks she eats up to 1.5 times her usual amount (the AKC gives 35 to 50% more). As the puppies take up room, split it into smaller meals through the day.
A food labelled as complete for gestation and lactation, or for all life stages, has the extra protein, energy and minerals she needs, so skip calcium and other supplements unless your vet prescribes them. Our dog calorie calculator gives her normal daily calories as a starting point.
Exercise, medicines and worming
Walks are good for her throughout, but let her set the pace and avoid hard exercise, especially in the last third, when shorter and more frequent walks suit her better. Avoid rough play with other dogs.
Some common medicines are not safe in pregnancy, so check with your vet before giving any medicine, flea or tick product or supplement. Ideally her vaccines and worming were brought up to date before the mating. Roundworm larvae pass from mother to puppies before birth and through the milk, so vets often deworm the mother from about day 40 until about two weeks after whelping, and then the puppies every two weeks from 2 weeks old.
Watch for anything unusual. Vaginal bleeding or discharge, fever, repeated vomiting, or a dog who simply seems unwell are reasons to call your vet at any stage of pregnancy.
Frequently asked questions
Can you tell if a dog is pregnant at 2 weeks?
Not reliably. The embryos are still floating free in the uterus and have not attached yet, so palpation, scans and blood tests all come back negative. The earliest dependable checks are palpation from about 3 weeks and an ultrasound from about day 25.
When do pregnant dogs start to show?
It varies with her build and the number of puppies, and a dog carrying a small litter may barely look pregnant. Development speeds up in the second month, so most of the visible change comes in the last few weeks. A scan is far more reliable than her shape.
When can you feel puppies move in a pregnant dog?
Usually only near the very end of pregnancy, in the last week or so. Rest a flat hand gently on her belly while she lies quietly on her side, and never press or squeeze.
Should I give my pregnant dog calcium?
No, not unless your vet tells you to. The Merck Veterinary Manual warns that calcium supplements during pregnancy can cause, rather than prevent, a dangerous drop in blood calcium (eclampsia) after whelping. A complete food labelled for gestation and lactation already has what she needs.
How many puppies will my dog have?
An X-ray after day 55 gives the most reliable count. Before then, our litter size calculator gives the typical range for her size and age, based on a study of more than 10,000 litters.
Sources
Related tools
- Dog due date calculatorEnter the mating, LH surge or ovulation date to get your dog's whelping window and a dated whelping calendar.
- Heat cycle calculatorEnter the first day of your dog's last heat to see when the next one is due, each stage's dates and her most fertile days.
- Coat color genetics calculatorPick each parent's genotype at the E, K, A, B, D and M loci to see the odds of every puppy coat color, with merle warnings.
- Inbreeding coefficient (COI) calculatorEnter a litter's pedigree up to five generations to get its coefficient of inbreeding and the common ancestors behind it.
- Litter size calculatorEnter the mother's weight or breed and her age to see how many puppies to expect and the range most litters fall in.
- Dog age calculatorEnter your dog's age and size to get its age in human years, its life stage and when it counts as a senior.