Dog pregnancy calculator
Knowing roughly when your dog is due helps you get the whelping area ready, plan vet checks, and know what is normal at each stage. It is an estimate though, not a fixed appointment, so treat the date as a guide.
How long are dogs pregnant?
Dogs are pregnant for about 63 days on average, measured from the day they ovulate. That works out at roughly nine weeks, or two months and a few days.
The catch is that the mating date and the conception date are not always the same. A male’s sperm can survive for several days inside the female, and her eggs need a day or two to mature before they can be fertilised. So counted from mating, a normal pregnancy can run anywhere from 58 to 68 days. This holds true across breeds, a Chihuahua and a Great Dane both average 63 days. Size matters more as they grow than during pregnancy though, you can see how your dog’s age maps to human years once the puppies are here.
How does the dog pregnancy calculator work?
The calculator adds 63 days to the mating date you enter, which gives the average due date. It then shows a whelping window of a few days either side, because the exact day of conception is rarely known to the day.
If your dog mated more than once over several days, enter the first date for a safer, earlier estimate. For a far more precise due date, your vet can pinpoint ovulation with a progesterone blood test, which is the most reliable method.
How can I confirm my dog is pregnant?
There is no reliable home pregnancy test for dogs, so confirmation comes from your vet. A blood test for the hormone relaxin can detect pregnancy from around 28 to 30 days after mating. An ultrasound from about day 25 to 28 can confirm it and check the puppies are developing, and an X-ray in the last two weeks can count how many to expect.
Dog pregnancy week by week
Here is what is happening through the nine weeks, and what you can do to help.
| Stage | What’s happening |
|---|---|
| Weeks 1 to 2 | Fertilisation and the embryos travelling to the womb. Few outward signs, though some dogs go a little quiet or off their food, a bit like morning sickness. |
| Weeks 3 to 4 | Embryos implant in the womb lining. A vet can often confirm pregnancy by ultrasound from around day 25 to 28. You may notice appetite changes and slightly larger, pinker nipples. |
| Weeks 5 to 6 | The puppies develop quickly and her abdomen begins to round out. Appetite usually climbs. This is when your vet may suggest moving gradually onto a higher-calorie food. |
| Week 7 | The puppies are well grown. She may start seeking out a quiet spot. Get the whelping box set up so she can get used to it. |
| Week 8 | Nesting begins in earnest and she produces colostrum, the first milk. You may feel or see the puppies moving. Keep her calm and avoid rough play. |
| Week 9 | Birth is close. She may go quiet, lose her appetite, and her temperature usually drops below about 37.8C (99F) in the 24 hours before labour. Take her temperature two to three times a day this week. |
What should I feed a pregnant dog?
For the first two-thirds of the pregnancy, around six weeks, her food stays much the same. From the final third she needs more, and vets often recommend switching gradually to a high-quality puppy or pregnancy food to support the puppies and her milk supply. Keeping up with her health throughout pregnancy matters, and dog insurance can help with unexpected vet costs along the way, subject to the policy terms.
Avoid over-feeding early on, as extra weight can make whelping harder, and skip vitamin or calcium supplements unless your vet advises them, since too much can cause problems.
How do I prepare for the birth?
Set up a whelping box one to two weeks before the due date, somewhere quiet, warm and away from household traffic. Make it big enough for her to stretch out, with sides high enough to keep newborn puppies in, and line it with clean towels she can dig at. Let her sleep in it beforehand so it feels like hers.
In the final week, take her temperature a few times a day. A drop of around a degree, to below roughly 37.8C, usually means labour will start within 24 hours.
When should I call the vet?
Most births go smoothly, but call your vet straight away if any of these happen: she passes day 68 with no sign of labour, she strains hard for more than 20 to 30 minutes without producing a puppy, more than two hours pass between puppies when you know more are due, she seems in distress or pain, or there is heavy bleeding or a dark green discharge before the first puppy arrives.
It is worth saving your vet’s out-of-hours number somewhere easy to find before the due date. Once the litter has safely arrived, it is worth reading up on the cost of their first vaccinations so you can plan their early care.
As the puppies grow, our puppy feeding calculator helps you work out how much to feed them, and the puppy weight calculator estimates how big they will get.
What about insurance and vet costs?
Pregnancy and whelping are usually treated as planned events, so the routine side is not something pet insurance covers, subject to the policy terms. Some complications during or after birth may be a different matter depending on your policy, so it is worth checking your wording.
Once the puppies arrive and are old enough, puppy insurance from Perfect Pet can help with the unexpected as they grow.
This calculator and guide give general information only and are not a substitute for veterinary advice. Every pregnancy is different, so always involve your vet in confirming the pregnancy, monitoring it, and planning for the birth.
