# Dog pregnancy week by week: care, feeding and checkups > Dog pregnancy week by week after mating: when a vet can confirm it, when to change her food, how to prepare for whelping and the signs that need a vet right away. Canonical: https://lucernel.com/guides/dog-pregnancy-week-by-week Last updated: 2026-10-16 Type: Guide. Publisher: Lucernel. ## Short answer Dog pregnancy lasts about 62 to 64 days, roughly nine weeks, though timing varies with breed and litter size. A vet can confirm it by ultrasound from about three to four weeks, her food stays the same until about week six, and the last three weeks call for more food in smaller meals. Call your vet for any sign of trouble. - **Choose this if:** A calendar and a note of the mating date are enough for a first, planned litter if your vet is guiding every step. - **Choose the other option if:** Littero helps a breeder who wants matings, pregnancies, expected whelping windows, reminders and later each puppy's weigh-ins kept in one place. ## Side by side | | Calendar and notebook | Littero | | --- | --- | --- | | Records the mating dates | Yes, written by hand | Yes, for each mating | | Shows a whelping window, not one fake date | Partly, you work it out | Yes, a date range with its uncertainty | | Lets you edit the estimate | Yes, cross it out and rewrite | Yes, every estimate can be edited | | Reminders for key dates and vet visits | Partly | Yes, including whelping | | Heat cycles and progesterone charts | No | Yes | | Litters and puppy weigh-ins afterward | Partly | Yes | | Tells you whether the dog is pregnant | No, only a vet can confirm it | No, that is for your vet | ## How the weeks are counted Merck Veterinary Manual says pregnancy in dogs lasts about 62 to 64 days, and VCA Animal Hospitals gives a normal range of 57 to 65 days with an average of 63. The exact day is hard to predict, because the mating date can differ from the conception date and the length varies with breed and litter size. The weeks below count from the mating date, so they are approximate. If there were two matings, write both down. VCA says to expect birth 63 to 65 days after the last one. Merck says your vet can narrow the timing with an examination, hormone testing and vaginal cytology, and advises talking to your vet about breeding before your dog comes into season. ## Weeks 1 to 3: nothing to see yet Right after mating, VCA advises keeping her from other dogs, since heat continues for several more days and she could be bred by another dog, and letting her rest quietly for a few hours. For the first two thirds of pregnancy her food intake stays the same. Merck says a vet can feel the uterus at about day 21, although VCA says palpation at three to four weeks gives variable results. A dog can look pregnant without being pregnant: Merck says false pregnancy is common at the end of a heat and causes weight gain, an enlarged belly, milk production and nesting, and your vet separates the two by history, examination, X-rays or ultrasound. ## Weeks 4 to 5: confirmation This is the window for confirming. Ultrasound is the usual method: VCA calls it the method of choice and says most scans after day 28 are reliable, and Merck adds that it shows whether the fetuses are alive. It is hard to count the puppies this way. A blood test for the hormone relaxin is the other option, and VCA warns it can read negative if done too early or if she carries only one or two puppies. Our guide to dog pregnancy tests compares each method by day. Ask your vet which one fits your dog. ## Weeks 5 to 8: feeding, exercise and a puppy count Feed a premium, high-quality diet approved by your veterinarian. VCA says the label should state that the food is appropriate for gestation and lactation or for all life stages, and that supplements and vitamins should be discussed with the vet first. Some common medicines should be avoided in pregnancy, so call before giving anything. Exercise is the dog's choice, within reason. VCA says to let her decide how much she needs and not to over-exercise a pregnant female. Check for vaginal discharge and call your vet with any concern. After the sixth week her intake should rise gradually. As the puppies grow, pressure on her abdomen increases and she does better with small frequent meals, and in the last three weeks VCA says intake can reach up to 1.5 times normal. An X-ray is the best way to count the puppies, so you know when she is done whelping. Merck says fetuses show on X-rays after about day 45 and that X-rays after day 55 are best for litter size. VCA places the X-ray in the last two weeks, generally around week seven. Your vet will choose the day. ## Week 9: nesting and whelping Give her a familiar, quiet place to deliver. Merck says unfamiliar surroundings or strangers can slow delivery and affect maternal instincts, especially for a first litter. In stage I, which lasts 12 to 24 hours, she may be restless, nest, hide, pant, tremble, vomit or refuse food. A drop in rectal temperature usually comes 8 to 24 hours before delivery. In stage II the puppies are born, usually less than one to two hours apart. A placenta should come for each puppy. Afterward, weigh the puppies when they are dry and twice daily for the first week, and watch the mother's temperature, discharge and milk. ## When to call the vet Merck lists signs of a difficult birth: stage I labor of more than 24 hours, stage II labor of more than 12 to 24 hours, more than one to four hours between puppies, puppies born dead or near death, or a mother in great distress. Call your vet at once for any of these, or after delivery for continued straining, vaginal discharge, fever or depression, which Merck lists as signs of a uterine infection. Merck says blood calcium can fall after delivery because of nursing, most often in dogs under 45 pounds and more so with a very large litter. Ask your vet what to watch for. Call your vet too if a puppy loses weight after the first day. Disclosure: Littero is made by Lucernel, the publisher of this article. ## Frequently asked questions ### How long is a dog pregnant? About 62 to 64 days according to Merck, or 57 to 65 with an average of 63 according to VCA. If there were two matings, VCA says to expect birth 63 to 65 days after the last. ### When can a vet confirm a dog is pregnant? Ultrasound can detect pregnancy from about three weeks, and VCA says most scans after day 28 are reliable. Merck says a relaxin blood test detects it by day 30 to 35. ### When should I change my pregnant dog's food? Keep it the same for about the first six weeks, then increase gradually, up to 1.5 times normal in the last three weeks, in smaller, more frequent meals. ### How do I know she is about to give birth? Rectal temperature usually drops 8 to 24 hours before delivery, and she may nest, hide, pant, refuse food or tremble during stage I. ### Is Littero available? See the official app page for current availability and pricing. ## Our pick: Littero, the kennel book for a litter on the way Littero does not tell you whether a dog is pregnant, and it does not replace your vet. For a breeder it keeps the mating, the pregnancy and the expected whelping window in one record, with reminders for key dates and vet visits, and carries on with the litter and each puppy's weigh-ins. Dates are shown as ranges with their uncertainty, and every estimate can be edited. - Pregnancy and whelping date ranges - Reminders for cycles, tests, vet visits and whelping - Litters, puppies, weigh-ins and documents [See how Littero works](https://lucernel.com/apps/littero) ## Sources (checked 2026-10-01) - [Merck Veterinary Manual: Management of reproduction in dogs (pet owner version)](https://www.merckvetmanual.com/dog-owners/reproductive-disorders-of-dogs/management-of-reproduction-in-dogs) - [Merck Veterinary Manual: Reproductive disorders of female dogs (false pregnancy)](https://www.merckvetmanual.com/dog-owners/reproductive-disorders-of-dogs/reproductive-disorders-of-female-dogs) - [Merck Veterinary Manual: Approximate gestation periods](https://www.merckvetmanual.com/multimedia/table/approximate-gestation-periods) - [VCA Animal Hospitals: Pregnancy in dogs](https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/pregnancy-in-dogs)