6 weeks

Some times, she looks skinnier and some times she looks fatter. It's so weird... I wonder if it's because her puppies move, or food she ate or what. Beats me, either way... Thats her Belly!

... Pop!

Bella pretty much POPPED out today! She was obviously showing before if you took the time to look her over but now... she looks pregnant to anyone who see's her :) She is 41 days pregnant or take a few :) So cute!

About 5 weeks pregnant

She's not excited about eating...

Bella is hardly eating. I think she feels pretty icky still from morning sickness. I caught her yesterday in the yard nipping at the grass - Usually means their bellies are pretty upset. Poor girl.

I've tried to Palpate her again recently and now I can't feel anything - I think it's begun to swell and there is now fluid around the puppies so I can't feel them anymore which is normal and supposed to happen...

Getting thicker :)

Bella is beginning to get thicker. She's always been very skinny but her waste is thickening up - it's a lot thicker, and if you stand her up on her back legs she has a definite belly. How cute! We are looking forward to seeing her grow bigger with that baby belly! I'll begin to post pics as it becomes real noticeable!

Bella has morning sickness.

Today I noticed that Bella has morning sickness. She is having a hard time keeping food down. She never actually tossed up - but I could hear that she was about to, and then I could hear her swallowing. Poor girl!

Palpated Bella...

Today I brought Bella in and fed her on my table. Gave her chicken... as she ate I put my hand over her belly and then gently reached up feeling for little hard balls. Sure enough, I felt about 3 in a row! I tried to feel towards her rib cage as I started at her Pelvis and moved up but it was thicker and a little harder, so there could be more but I just can not feel them!

So, it's confirmed. We have puppies on the way!!!!

How to palpate your dog:

This must be done very carefully. You want to feel but not compress at all.

The bitch must be standing and relaxed facing you.

Rub her back and her belly for a few minutes to relax her.

GENTLY place your hand around her belly from underneath.

You are feeling for the uterus, which is a long narrow tube structure lying along the back of the bitch just below her spine, with the intestines filling in below.

Gently reach up towards the bitch's spine to find the uterus (later it might be further down, but at 21 days, the fetuses are smaller and the uterus lies higher.

Carefully, beginning either at the pelvis or the ribcage, bring your fingers together, allowing the insides of the bitch to slide gently through your fingers.

A puppy will feel HARD and Slippery, and usually quite round.

The litter will lie along the uterus like pearls on a string.

So, if you've found the uterus, and a puppy, you want to allow the puppy you've located to easily slide through your fingers and you might find another, another, another!

The idea is to allow them to slip through your fingers, not try to hold onto them. Like reading braille, not like pushing buttons.

21 - 32 days of pregnancy is best to do this, 28 being the better day as the puppies are larger at this time with less swelling from fluids etc...