Hi there,

We're hoping that our 2 year old Chesapeake is pregnant...she was bred about 4 weeks ago. She is showing signs of being uninterested in her food and has experienced diarrhea since yesterday. This would be her first litter and ours too. Although we have done a ton of research for the last year on breeding, we're still unsure whether this could be a sign of morning sickness. Any clues out there?

Tina

Morning sickness varies from dog to dog. If you are really interested if she took, consult your vet about having a blood pregnancy test done, (I think its called the Relaxin test) relatively simple test and not too expensive. If my memory is correct, the dog must be at least 28 days post tie.

T. Mac

You can also have the vet do an ultrasound...not terriby accurate for a head count but generally can confirm if there are any buns in the oven. I think the dog also has to be 30 days post conception.

As for being off her feed, most of mine haven't gone off their feed until they get real big just before giving birth. Diarrhea is something you want to watch, could be from the pregnancy or could be unrelated but you will want her checked out by a vet if it doesnt clear up within a day or two or she has blood in her stool. Not to scare you, but the timing is right for the possibility of pyometra, a uterine infection that can get life threatening quickly. Often the early signs are just a general 'off' along with excessive thirst so if she's been a little off since yesterday a trip to the vet might be in order.

For a first time litter you can also go to www.whelpwise.com which is a monitoring service that works with you and your vet during the whelping and lets you know before it would be obvious if she gets in trouble and needs a C-section (since they usually whelp in the middle of the night!)

Is this dog you bred the same dysplastic one you were asking about in the health section?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Julie R.,