When is a dog overdue when pregnant?

Our question this week was:

Dr. Debra – I mated my girl on the 13th and 15th February she is showing all signs of pregnancy but is on day 67 or 69 and is full of life could this be a phantom pregnancy. Or is she just overdue if so can they go this long?

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Mandy Linley

Answer

Hi – thanks for your email Mandy. You wrote that your dog is on day 67 or 69 of pregnancy. You want to know if she is over due or having a false pregnancy.

Most dogs pregnancy lasts 63 to 65 days. If there are no symptoms or abnormalities, most veterinarians begin to worry between day 70 and 72.

I'd recommend having her checked to ensure that she indeed is pregnancy, how many puppies are there and if they are still alive. They can do a simple radiograph or ultrasound to answer this question.

A couple articles that might be helpful to you are Pregnancy in Dogs and Pseudocyesis (False Pregnancy).

Best of luck!

Dr. Debra

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