Pet answers

Dog pregnancy diagnosis

How do I know if my 10-month-old dog is pregnant? Will she have a milky white discharge if she is pregnant? She had her first heat cycle last month. I kept her in a pen or in the house away from all males but it
looks like her nipples are swelling?

Your bitch is not necessarily pregnant. Her hormonal status is much the same, regardless of whether or not she became pregnant when she was last in heat. The enlargements of her teats could therefore happen even if she is not pregnant. There is little you can do yourself to make a pregnancy diagnosis. I suggest you take her to a local veterinarian (you are also welcome to come to us if you so wish) and have her examined for pregnancy by means of abdominal palpation, ultrasonography or by blood test.

Dietrich Volkmann
Professor in Theriogenology

Feeding a puppy

I have been free-choice feeding my 6-month-old, female cock-a-poo. I'm having a hard time house breaking her. How many times a day should I feed my dog? When should I feed her?

Most 6-month-old puppies should be fed twice a day, about 12 hours apart. Very small puppies, such as toy breeds, may be fed three times a day, but a cock-a-poo is a small breed, not a toy.

If food is left available all day, the free-choice method, puppies tend to overeat and gain too much weight. It's also difficult for owners to detect changes in appetite that might indicate illness.

The amount to be offered at each meal depends on many factors, so you should start with the recommendations on the puppy food label and then adjust more or less while monitoring her weight, growth, and body condition.

You are correct that housebreaking, especially defecation, is more challenging if puppies are fed free-choice. Most puppies feel the urge to defecate within one hour after eating a meal, so that's the best time to take her outside. There are several good methods to housetrain puppies. You may find helpful tips on the Humane Society's Web site.

Craig A. Datz
Clinical Assistant Professor
Veterinary Medicine and Surgery

Updated 5/5/08