Do Regular Pregnancy Tests Work on Dogs?

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Are you wondering if a human pregnancy test will work on your pet dog?

This is a very interesting idea, but you won’t need to concern yourself with it much longer!

Can I Give My Dog a Pregnancy Test?Puppy dogs are only in the womb for 9 weeks — not 9 months. She’ll quickly begin showing signs.

As for your standard pregnancy test, it won’t reveal if your dog is expecting. That said, there are indicators to watch for to determine if puppies are on the way.

A Regular Pregnancy Test Will Not Work On Your Dog

Test kits do exist for pets, but the reviews on these not-so-popular products should convince you to not waste your money.

Go to your vet if you really must know if your dog is carrying puppies or not.

They can do an abdominal ultrasound or give your dog a blood test. In particular, a hormone called Relaxin which is present during gestation can be measured.

Those and other medical techniques can reveal a pregnancy, but they are not 100% conclusive.

Thankfully you can learn a few early indicators that can be monitored at home…

Telltale Pregnancy Signs

Observe your furry friend for certain changes.

For example, several days of a decreased appetite would raise suspicion.

Another sign is a slight increase in your dog’s nipple size as well as a rosier or pinkish coloration.

Less physical activity is also a clue that a pregnancy is underway. Some dogs have mood swings which is normal.

Visually, you’ll probably see a bigger tummy by week 5.

There is usually no real need to get an ultrasound or any other test. Simply let nature run its course!

Keep the Process Simple

Many owners make a big deal out of their dog having puppies.

For sure, it is a momentous occasion. Watching life unfold, right before your eyes, is unforgettable!

Relax knowing that pregnancy is routine.

Your dog’s gestation will last anywhere from 58 to 68 days and they’ll take it in stride.

Your role is pretty limited!

You’ll be happy to hear that complications are rare. A hands-off approach is best. Just be a loving observer.

Welcoming New Puppies

Maybe you are anticipating puppies and eagerly awaiting their arrival.

Though you cannot use a human pregnancy test, what you can do is set up a comfortable area for your dog to give birth.

Put down a soft blanket or some type of quality bedding. Then, let nature take care of the rest.

Preventing Impregnation

Want to avoid future pregnancies?

Simply prevent your dog from mingling with males.

That is obviously the most effective form of birth control.

Female dogs going through their estrus phase are ripe for breeding (usually 1 week to 10 days after menstruation).

One thing is certain:

It doesn’t take long for 2 dogs to sniff each other out. You may want to keep that uterus under wraps!

The Bottom Line

Conventional pregnancy tests are totally ineffective for dogs.

That’s right! Regular human kits are useless when it comes to canines.

But you’ll know soon enough! An entire term is 63 days or less.

Sure, home pregnancy tests designed for dogs exist but they’re pretty unreliable and basically a waste of money.

If you must know now, your vet can test the blood or do an ultrasound.

What Do You Think? Have Your Say Below…

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17 thoughts on “Do Regular Pregnancy Tests Work on Dogs?”

  1. Is there any at home dog pregnancy test that isn’t too expensive? I just want to make sure she’s pregnant before spending $75 on an vet’s ultrasound.

  2. I know someone who lied about the parentage of her daughter. The mother works in a vet office and explained why she knew she was pregnant, less than 10 days after conception. She says that for fun, her and a friend used a dog pregnancy blood test. She was shocked when her test was positive. I know that humans have very different hormones, but would a test for a dog work on her? I know it tests for Relaxin in the blood, which humans also make, but that soon?

    1. That sounds pretty fishy to me. The hormone tested for, in human pregnancies, is completely different than the hormone tested for in canines. Even if your friend really did take a canine pregnancy test and had it come back positive, absolutely zero reliance should be placed on those results.

  3. I am curious to find out something. In a multiple-female environment, is it possible that one female’s heat cycle can stimulate the other females into heat? It’s like women in a close environment with menstrual cycles that sometimes correlate. It seems like our 2 younger females have each had at least 3 heats per year for the past 2 years. When we do breed, we make every effort to ensure that they are not pregnant at the same time.

    But early last year we bred one, the other one was not in heat and showed none of the signs associated with being in heat. Then, a week before the first one gave birth, the second one blew up like a balloon and they both gave birth on the same day! 2 litters from 2 mothers, totaling 25 pups, and in the heart of winter so all 27 of them were here in the house. Since then, the number of cycles per year seems to have increased for both of these females.

    1. Hi Karen. Yes, if a female is in heat this can bring another female in heat. Your female must of had a silent heat, which means there might not be any signs of a season.

  4. The female dogs’ cycle is different. Their bodies keep working as if they’re pregnant for 2 months after the heat cycle, even though there are no puppies inside. So false pregnancies are a very real possibility and it shows up more significantly in some dogs and not others.

  5. My husband found a Chihuahua and my neighbor’s Dachshund tried to breed with her; didn’t get tied but did penetrate. Now, 56 days later, her breasts are lactating and full, but she hasn’t really gained any weight. Can she be pregnant or just have a false pregnancy? I’m still looking for the owner. I will get her fixed in December if no one claims her.

    1. Have you figured it out yet? I assume your 63 day wait is over? Did she gain weight? I left my dog, a Boston Terrier weighing 24 pounds, home unattended and my brother’s girlfriend showed up with her one year old male Chihuahua weighing 5 pounds.

      60 days later she has milk, but shows no signs of growing a belly. I know these could be very small pups, if she’s pregnant at all.

    2. I’m having some trouble understanding how your dog developed breasts, milk included, without gaining any weight. Milk is a massive substance and it should correlate with an increase in mass and weight.

      1. I did not say my dog had developed breasts or was engorged with milk. Dogs don’t develop breasts. My dog weighs 24 pounds, and even if she were engorged, that would only amount to about 8 ounces.

        Milk is not a massive substance in a small dog, especially if she is not at full term. My dog was not pregnant, but if she had been, since the father was only 5 pounds, and the chance of them mating was rare, there may have been only one pup if she had been.

        That would have amounted to a minimal number of ounces gained, so we are still talking about a potential for less than a pound of weight gain. This is a normal fluctuation when the weather changes.

        Nature is pretty amazing, animals do not produce more milk than they need for the number of pups they are carrying.

      2. A dog that has not been bred can drop milk. Her boobs can hit the floor full of milk. I once had a Pekingese drop milk to nurse a kitten. I also had a German Shepherd that, after her heat cycles, would drop milk and there was no extra weight.

    3. I’m not sure if she could be pregnant since they didn’t get stuck, but she can have a false pregnancy. I had a female that went the full term and then when it was her due date, no labor and no puppies and her body slowly went back to normal.

      1. Amber, trust me on this, they can still get pregnant even if they don’t lock up. I have 7 Rottweilers, 3 of them female, and we have had a few litters where I know they never locked up with any of the males. Those are the ones that really take you by surprise, to say the least, and those litters all produced between 9-12 pups each time.

        1. I have been trying to breed my Rottweiler with the same male for two years. Issue being he’s not swelling up, he keeps slipping out. The last time we tried, when he slipped out his penis was dripping. Does this mean there is a possibility of her getting pregnant?

          I’ve never had this much trouble before. The father is a high-priced male and a tad short but I’ve never seen him actually drip before. Her vulva is still swollen 2 weeks later. I’m wondering if that is a sign?

          She is snoring a lot more and extra lazy but no appetite decrease per say. Since you mentioned accidents, I just wondered what happened. If he was in there and then pulled out dripping, does that mean she might have taken? Is it like humans and pre-ejaculation with a low sperm count?

          1. Geisu, I am by no means an expert on this subject but from experience I can tell you that it does happen. So, there is at least some hope that your female may have been impregnated. With my gals, we have the snoring and laziness early warning signs plus the most noxious disgusting farts ever produced by any creature as well as vomiting, etc.

            However, it may also be that the swollen vulva is indicative that she may not be pregnant, but still in her heat cycle. I’m curious about the male’s erectile dysfunction issue. Has the owner had him examined to determine the cause? Either way, please respond once you know whether or not your Rottie is expecting. You have aroused my curiosity! Good Luck!

        2. Karen, I am delighted to read your post about not having to tie to produce a litter. My female was in standing heat for nine days and never tied with my male once. He would penetrate and slip every time. We tried to assist them, English Mastiffs, as best we could. Neither have been bred prior and this mating has been planned for a long time.

          She is quite tall and he is not that much shorter by any means, but it looked like he was having a difficult time reaching. It seemed like he would get too excited before the tie. His bulbus glandis would swell but be on the outside. We are still hoping, but not holding our breath.

          In the meantime, she immediately got a vigorous appetite for a while. But then she lost it and would not eat anything we offered. Now we are back to eating great again. Against my own gut feeling, the vet talked me into a relaxin blood test that turned out to be negative but I don’t put complete faith in that method. In the past, I have waited it out and scheduled an x-ray. We should know something in about 3 weeks either way.

      2. Our Border Collie/Heeler mix does this every heat/gestation cycle. After signs of pregnancy and around 50 days from mid heat, she will make a “nest” and treat her toys as if they were pups.

        She’ll keep them in her nest, licking them and guarding them from the other dog (fixed male). We let her do this for a few days and then take the toys away and block off her nest area. It usually takes about a week for her to get back to normal.

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