How do you do it and when? I think I feel pups, but it may be wishful thinking I do have a friend coming down who it very good at it, but it won’t be till the end of the week and I’m impatient.
Thanks for the help.

You should not palpate a bitch unless you know what you are doing and how to do it as you can hurt the whelps, leave it to a expert. Been breeding dogs for 27 years and I still won't palpate my girls, I leave that to the professionals.
Aloha,
Jackie

Thank you Jackie, for your concern. I should have stated that I have done palpations before when I worked with a Vet. I just haven’t palpated for pregnancy. I am being very careful!. I want to make sure my imagination isn’t running away with me.

Maybe it's just coincidence but I know a few breeders who had small litters with some pups re-absorbed after this. Wny take a chance? Can't make pups be there that aren't.

I worry about hurting puppies. Won't do it anymore. You'll know in a few weeks anyway. If you really need to know, do an ultrasound

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Replying to:

How do you do it and when? I think I feel pups, but it may be wishful thinking I do have a friend coming down who it very good at it, but it won’t be till the end of the week and I’m impatient.
Thanks for the help.

Know that works for horses and such, but I would just do an ultra sound if you need to know. I would not do it either.

My vet prefers to palpate about 28 - 30 days from ovulation (26-28 days from fertilization). As late as day 32 post ovulation is fine. After day 32 or so from ovulation they are too big and you can't really feel the individuals. Too much earlier and they are just too small.

Palpating is more risky than any well performed ultrasound.

There's also a blood test that can be done.

Thanks for all the advice. Unfortanly the only ultrasound in my area is a mobile unit. They charge some where in the $500 area because of travaling distance.

Relaxin is not accurate for everyone.You could hypotheically u/s (too pricey for you understandably) or wait for her to show. Palpating is not something I would chance unless it's done by a true expert, even then.....

I hope she's preggers

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Replying to:

There's also a blood test that can be done.

I wouldn't palpate either. I heard an xray near the end of the term is somewhat reliable, at least to tell you approx. # of pups and that there are some in there. What else do you need to know? Couldn't you just hang tight and see what happens? I have heard that you can see some physical changes, even if that's not reliable either. Any reason you can't wait for an xray or is that too expensive as well?

40 plus years in the breed and I will only do palpation. I do it very carefully at 21 to 30 days. I feel one puppy and I stop. No taking the bitch to the vet's where they can come into contact with something bad or become upset.

I also do not do x-rays before birth - same reason.

My girls tell me when they are finished and the clean out shot confirms it. Why take chances?

JanG

Jan what signs do your girls give you that they are done?

I also do palpation, gently, to determine pregnancy. Best place to do this is on the bed or the floor, with the bitch lying on her side, relaxed. I put my left hand under the bitch's abdomen, just caudal (towards the tail) from the stomach/liver area. I use my right hand on the top, using my fingers in a rotating or stripping fashion, and work my way gently towards the end of the abdomen.
Figure that the colon is towards the spine and the uterine horns are lower; sometimes you can feel stool in the colon up high, and can feel bumps lower, which would be the uterine horns with feti.
It's similar to a breast self-exam, gentle palpation in a circle using the entire fingers except with the abdomen between your hands instead of breast tissue! The little feti feel like a mini water balloon, about the size of a grape or a little larger at 21-28 days being the best time to feel as Jan said.
Gentleness is the key; you can cause damage with rough palpation.

Thankyou Older and Wiser. That was just the infomation I was looking for.

Older and Wiser, a concise, accurate description but doesn't it take experience to do it correctly and safely? Did you have someone teach you hands on right there with you when you began palpating?

I would still be afraid to do it myself without the help of someone more experienced right there. Thanks for the detailed description, it could help many of us that want to palpate gently someday.

Yes, I did get instruction the first time from a veterinarian. Only thing was, most vets palpate while the bitch is standing, and this is not wrong. I just felt that the best way for me to palpate by myself was when the bitch was lying down in bed, late at night, very relaxed. I found it easier that way, and that's how I got my experience.
I've always been warned by vets to be extremely gentle. I've also done ultrasounds to confirm pregnancy, but have been pretty accurate with palpation. Of course you cannot tell numbers of puppies; this method is to determine proof of pregnancy only.

Totally agree with Older and Wiser. My vet does it standing up, but I find the bitch is more relaxed laying on her side and I do not have to press as hard. To me they feel about the size of a walnut at 21 days.

When my girls are finished having puppies, they lose that look of concentrating/inward looking from their eyes, they are not restless, they want all of their puppies around them, and they do not want to leave the whelping box. While they are having puppies, they want nothing more than going outside and digging. But once they are finished, it takes a leash and lots of coaxing to get them to leave the puppies.

I also give the clean out shot and palpate the abdomen.

JanG