How tell if your Dog is pregnant

Ok I am new at this.. I have a 6 year old Golden Retriever and I think she is pregnant.. I got her yesterday and she was very active and now today she is laying down alot and her nipples look bigger than yesterday.. Everyone that sees her asks me and mu finace` is she pregnant?? Her pervious owner said that she had puppies 2 years ago and that she doesn't go into heat anymore.. Can someone help me please!!!! (I really don't know what to do if she is pregnant because this is my first dog I really like her i got her for valentines day)

 

congrats on your new dog, I am clueless on this, but I dont think there is such a thing as they cant go into heat anymore. Hopefully the experts, (breeders can chime in and help

 

Hi she can come into heat right upto very old age.
The only way she would not come into heat anymore is if she is spayed.

She may just be having a phantom ( fasle ) pregnancy which would show old or some of the signs of being pregnant.

Enlarged nipples and mammary glands.
Milk production.
Vomiting.
Weight gain.
Becoming very quiet.
Nesting behaviour.

If you think she maybe pregnant the vet can do an ultrasound scan to check for any feotuses or a simple blood test to check for the pregnancy hormone, If she has an infection the blood test can give a false positive result, Neither will hurt her or if she is pregnant her pups in anyway...

Retrievers are easy whelpers and do not usually need any help with whelping.

I would call your vet as if he/she does ultrasound scanning and have her checked out just to make sure.

Mike

 

There are several medical conditions that could keep a bitch from having heat cycles. Cushing's disease, hypothyroidism, cancer and diabetes are the more common ones. Addison's disease is less common, but could also be concidered. Cushing's and hypothyroidism can also cause a great deal of weight gain, which might be mistaken for pregnancy, especially Cushing's disease, which typically causes a pot bellied appearance.

Additionally, Golden Retrievers are quite prone to hypothyroidism, diabetes and Cushing's disease.

All of these conditions are treatable, some with more success than others. And all of them can have serious consequences if not treated, including death.

Some bitches can have "silent heats", meaning they are cycling, but have little or no outward signs. If that's the case, pregnancy could be a possibility, or a false pregnancy.

A vet can diagnose what the problem is, if any, and initiate the appropriate treatment. If she's not spayed, and has hypothyroidism, diabetes, or Cushing's, these conditions are more easily controlled if you have her spayed. Spaying will also spare you unwanted pregnancies and the possibility of pyometra, a serious, possibly life threatening infection of the uterus.