We have a Pregnant Poochon!

We had a bit of a whirlwind experience these past few weeks with our pregnant poochon, here’s our journey!

We have a female poochon named Biscuit and a male cavapoo named Blue. Biscuit came into season in June and we assumed that as Blue was only 10 months old at the time that he might not be mature enough to produce puppies. What a mistake that was!

I caught the dogs stuck together in, shall we say, a passionate embrace, and noted down the date in my diary, just in case.

After reading online, I found that pregnant dogs can vomit during the early stages of pregnancy. However, Biscuit showed no signs of vomiting or discomfort. In fact, there was absolutely no indication that she was pregnant. We assumed she was not pregnant. And life went on.

Week 6

However, almost 6 weeks to the day of their mating, we started to notice sudden changes in Biscuit. We took her for her usual walk/run in the park, and she tired very easily. She chased her ball and then lay in the grass panting. This was very unusual behaviour for her. We brought her home and she instantly fell asleep in the lounge.

It was then we noticed her belly had increased in size. Just to highlight, this happened overnight. The previous day there were no signs of pregnancy whatsoever. Indeed so sure were we she was not pregnant, we were going to book a holiday for this summer the day before!

Based on her weight gain, we decided to book her in for a scan. The scan confirmed she was pregnant and 4 puppies were visible on the screen. We were slightly in shock but nevertheless overjoyed with the news.

Based on the date they mated and the scan, we had a due date for Biscuit, 5th August. I was told that it is not uncommon for dogs to deliver their babies up to 5 days prior to this due date or 5 days later.

Week 7

Biscuit continued to gain weight throughout week 6 of pregnancy and beyond. By week 7, Biscuit’s nipples began to swell and started to protrude. This was however very subtle and had we not known she was pregnant, we might not have noticed this change. Her stomach became much more rounded and she was absolutely ravenous for food.

We could really feel the puppies move at week 7. I would gently rub my hand across her belly and would get a little flutter of movement in response. These flutters became stronger as the week progressed.

From week 7, Biscuit would constantly follow me around the home. She was always under my feet and I had to be careful not to trip over her! When I sat on the sofa at night, she would indicate she wanted to sit on my knee. She was like this for the rest of the pregnancy.

Week 8

By week 8, Biscuit increased her activity. She tired very quickly and so we kept her walks very short, only 5 minutes at a time. We didn’t walk far with her either just in case she became too tired to make it home.

Biscuit also began to struggle with the stairs too. More often than not I would carry her down the stairs as she became a little anxious at the top of the stairs.

Week 9

By week 9, Biscuit was utterly exhausted. She slept for most of the day. At night she would wake every few hours and jump up at the side of my bed. I think she just wanted a stroke and some reassurance. She was a little quieter than usual and sought comfort from us during the day.

Towards the end of week 9, our pregnant poochon would seek the comfort of my husband more than she had ever done. We assume this was because she felt vulnerable knowing birth was just around the corner. Rather than sitting on my knee in the evenings as she had previously done, she would sit with my husband resting her chin on his knee.

The pregnancy happened so quickly, it was something of a whirlwind. Our pregnant poochon, Biscuit gave birth on day 63 of pregnancy – her due date!

Look out for our Poochon birth story – coming soon!

For similar posts, see our Dogs Category.