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Sierra - 45 days (pre-parturition)

The above dark area shows a pup in the gestational sac. Sierra’s ultrasound – confirmation of pregnancy at approx. Day 29

This is an exciting time for all of us as it seems like an eternity since we have had puppies in the house. Sierra hasn’t experienced any morning sickness at all. She knows exactly when meal times are and is the first to remind us if we are late with meal service! She goes outside for brief bathroom breaks but usually arrives back at the door within minutes demanding to come inside. We believe she uses a code which consists of 3 barks a pause followed by another 3 barks followed by 2 barks, a pause and repeat. Sierra is a very happy girl and always shows her enthusiasm but her distinctive howl and her uncontrollable tail wag which is more like a full body wag are her trademark. 

At this point, the embryonic sacs are a little over 4 cm.  Although several sacs were detected during the ultrasound at day 30, it is still difficult to determine exactly how many babies Sierra will have.

Fetus at approximately day 39

At day 39, the puppies head into a huge growth stage. Their heartbeats can easily be detected with a stethoscope or ultrasound. They start to develop toes, eyelids, whiskers and claws and are beginning to look more like puppies everyday with their canine features becoming more pronounced.

Around day 45, the fetuses develop their sex organs. The leg buds lengthen and toes become more fully developed. Pups continue to grow and pigmentation develops. The eyes now have lids and remain sealed until approximately ten days after birth.

The gestation period in dogs is approximately 63 days. We are looking forward to the miracle of birth once again on approximately November 4th.

Stay tuned…..




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