How to Care for a Pregnant Poodle at Every Stage

Quick Take

• Adding calcium supplements to your pregnant poodle's diet seems like the responsible move, yet it could actually put her life at risk.
• One temperature reading in week nine can tell you exactly when your poodle is about to go into labor, though this only works if you know what to look for.
• Puppies in the same litter can have different fathers, a fact that has everything to do with how dog reproduction works.
• Waiting for your poodle to have one litter before spaying is widely considered the caring choice, but the article explains why that reasoning may be wrong.

When your poodle is expecting, caring for her is a big responsibility and requires a lot of attention. Being prepared is the best course of action, so you’ll need to understand everything about poodle pregnancy. There are various stages of gestation, each requiring different support. For example, if you suspect your poodle is pregnant, take her to your trusted veterinarian for confirmation. A poodle’s gestation typically lasts for nine weeks, and to ensure the pups are healthy, you need to provide her with extra attention, love, nutritional supplements, and appropriate exercise.

Pregnancy Symptoms

While a vet can confirm pregnancy through an ultrasound, pregnancy cannot be confirmed by ultrasound until much further along. However, there are a few signs to look out for:

• Your poodle may be tired and rest more often
• Her belly will start to firm at around two weeks, and it will be noticeably swollen after the first month.
• Swelling of the mammary glands
• Nipples will become more prominent
• Hygiene becomes important, and your poodle will clean herself more thoroughly than usual.
• She will start to nest by gathering toys and other items from around the home and assuming a maternal role. In addition, she may build a nest with blankets, pillows, and other soft materials.
• Your poodle will start to eat more.
• She may have clear discharge, which generally begins between weeks four and five

Gestation Period: How Long Are Poodles Pregnant?

The gestation period for all dogs is approximately nine weeks or an average of 63 days. However, like human pregnancy, it can differ by a few days. Some sources also suggest smaller breeds may give birth sooner than larger breeds. Take your poodle to the vet a few days before her due date to determine if everything is progressing well and how many pups she is carrying. In addition, the vet can give you some tips to prepare for the big day.

Pregnancy Care for Poodles

As mentioned above, when you think your poodle is pregnant, take her to your trusted vet for confirmation. There are several ways the vet can do this, but it depends on what stage of pregnancy your dog is in:

• By day 28, you can have an ultrasound done, which picks up fetal heartbeats
• Blood tests are also an option, but only reliable by day 30

To determine how many pups there are, an X-ray can be performed. However, this can only occur after day 45 when the bones of the fetuses are sufficiently calcified.

Exercise is important for pregnant poodles, so continue moderate daily exercise throughout the gestation period, but avoid intense activity. Walking is the best form of physical activity, as it maintains the dam’s muscle mass and prepares her body for labor.

Diet is also vital to the health of your poodle and her pups. Her appetite will increase by the second or third week of pregnancy. However, after the fifth week, her nutritional needs will begin to increase by around 10% each week as the puppies develop. Your poodle will need a well-balanced diet with more protein. So, adding a scoop or two of cottage cheese or egg to her daily meals makes a big difference. Do not give your pregnant poodle extra calcium or other supplements unless prescribed by your vet, as this can make her susceptible to health conditions like eclampsia. Your home should also be a tranquil space, free of stress, where your poodle can rest.

Average Litter Size for Poodles

The average number of pups per litter varies depending on the size of the breeding pair. For example, larger dogs tend to have more puppies in their litter than smaller breeds.

Toy Poodles

These tiny dogs are the smallest type of poodle available, with the smallest litters. Toy poodles generally have around three pups per litter, but many females give birth to a single puppy.

Miniature Poodles

These poodles are a bit bigger than toy poodles. Therefore, they also tend to have more puppies, usually around five per litter.

Standard Poodles

The average number of pups per litter for the standard poodle is approximately seven. However, a poodle named Crystal made headlines in 2016 when she gave birth to 16 puppies, tying the record for the largest litter of standard poodles ever born!

However, size is not the only thing that affects the number of pups in a litter. Age is also a major factor. For example, older females tend to have smaller litters. In addition, health and timing of breeding also influence litter size. So, if mating occurs at the optimal time relative to ovulation, your poodle can expect more puppies.

What to Expect During Weeks 1-9

Since a dog’s gestation period is only around 2 months, a lot happens during that time. Take an in-depth look at what you can expect during each week of your poodle’s pregnancy.

Weeks 1 and 2

Mating takes place when the female dog is about 10 to 20 days into her heat cycle. Furthermore, because female poodles produce a high number of eggs, they can conceive with more than one male, resulting in pups from different fathers in the same litter. Once the eggs are fertilized, the embryos move to the horns of the dog’s uterus and attach to the uterine lining.

Weeks 3 and 4

Your poodle’s appetite and energy levels will start to change because of embryo development. She will want more food and sleep a lot more. By days 25 to 28, your veterinarian may be able to detect pregnancy using ultrasound, which can visually confirm fetal heartbeats, but physical palpation is less reliable at this early stage. Your poodle’s appetite will continue to increase. Ensure there is plenty of food available for her. In addition, splurge on high-quality puppy food for optimal nutritional benefits.

Weeks 5 and 6

As your poodle reaches week five, she enters the second stage of her pregnancy. This is when the embryos develop into fetuses, and their organs start growing. Also, this is the stage where the pups gain weight dramatically, and you will begin to notice your poodle’s belly swelling. While she still has a large appetite, she will start eating smaller meals throughout the day. During the sixth week, the skeletons and coats of the fetuses are developing. This makes your poodle’s belly grow to the point of being uncomfortable, depending on the amount and size of pups in the uterus.

Week 7

As your poodle enters week seven, her nipples become more prominent, and their coloration darkens. In addition, you may notice a cloudy fluid leaking from her nipples, called colostrum. Furthermore, her breast tissue starts to swell. The fetuses are now big enough to feel moving under her skin. And the hair on her belly may begin to shed.

Week 8

During the eighth week, the puppies develop fully and start to move into position for birth. You will notice your poodle’s belly moving considerably, and she might display signs of anxiety or need to find a quiet, safe place for delivery. You can help her by building her a nest from clean towels, blankets, or newspapers in a relaxing secluded space, like a crate or kiddie pool. However, the material you use for the nest will get ruined during the birth, so have a clean set on hand to remake it after the pups are born.

Week 9

Once your poodle enters week nine, taking her temperature every day is essential. Use a rectal thermometer to check that her temperature is approximately between 100°F and 103°F. However, her temperature will drop by a few degrees right before she delivers, which is a sign she is around 24 hours from going into labor. Once she is in labor, be sure there are not too many people in the room, as you do not want to overcrowd her and make her anxious.

How to Prepare for Labor and Delivery

Luckily, most poodle births are successful without any complications. By this point, you should have already discussed any contingencies with your vet. However, you still need to prepare for any surprises. Here is what you will need:

• Towels, sheets, and clean newspapers
• A thermometer
• A suction bulb, like the one mothers use to suck mucus out of babies’ noses
• Floss or thread
• Heating pad
• A bed or whelping box, like a big cardboard box, canine bed, or lined children’s wading pool
• Someone to assist you

How to Care For Your Poodle Afterward

While having new pups in your household is exciting, you still need to concentrate on caring for your poodle after she gives birth. Here is a care guide to help you keep mom and pups healthy and happy:

Poodles and Puppies Need a Private Space

Keep your poodle and her pups in a quiet, clean, and private space. Being in a high-traffic area can be stressful and cause her to neglect the puppies. Additionally, she needs a space to relax away from her pups while still having access to them.

Ensure the Puppies Are Nursing

For the first two weeks, your poodle will feed her puppies every one to two hours, so she will barely leave them alone. However, if she is not spending a lot of time with them or not nursing them, it is likely that she is not producing milk. If this is the case, contact your local vet for advice.

Continue the High-Calorie Diet

While your poodle is pregnant and lactating, she must be on a high-calorie diet. In addition, ensure she has fresh water and food available. Furthermore, avoid using medications or vaccines while your poodle is lactating unless your vet advises differently.

Don’t Be Afraid to Call the Vet

When your poodle is nursing, it can be very dangerous for her to get sick. This is because her body has to provide her pups with nutrition, but if it’s compromised, the puppies could get sick, too. Therefore, don’t be afraid to call the vet, even for the slightest cough. Additionally, if your poodle displays any of these signs, get her to the vet immediately:

• Loss of appetite
• Vomiting
• Lethargy
• Inflammation or swelling of the mammary glands

Spaying and Neutering

Many people believe it’s healthy for a female dog to have one or two litters before getting her fixed, but this is a myth. There is no benefit to this practice at all. In fact, pregnancy is extremely demanding on a poodle’s body. Furthermore, some conditions during pregnancy, birth, and nursing can lead to death. It is also costly because vet bills add up quickly, not to mention that anything can go wrong, and C-sections aren’t cheap, not to mention the veterinary care for the puppies.