A lot of owners are concerned how to detect cocker spaniel pregnancy, because at early stages may be really difficult to define. But if you already think that your dog expects puppies, you can be more attentive and try to look for next symptoms.
Abrupt decreasing in activity. It is natural for a pregnant female dog to feel reduction of energy and become more calm as she may experience exhaustion and changing of hormones level. Commonly this energy slowdown starts in two weeks after conceiving. Changing of nipples. It is a very reliable indicator. Nipples get enlarged due to a milk preparation in pregnancy progress. Also, the color will be changed to slightly darker pink as they have increased blood flow.
Diminishing of appetite. During the first two weeks cocker may lose appetite and even can have kind of “morning sickness” such as occasional vomiting. In this case, do not try to feed her. As a rule, dog does not have more than one or two day without food. If she avoids food more time, then you should appeal for a piece of advice of a vet. Behavioral changes. Your dog may unexpectedly become very affectionate or irritated, anxious and in a bad mood. This indicator is not very trustworthy, but will not pass unnoticed for owners, who has a strong bond with their pets.
Also there are cocker spaniel phantom pregnancy symptoms, which make a task to detect it much trickier. There are some reasons for false sings. Namely, changes in hormones due to stress situations, diet, etc., and because of lifecycle. If a dog comes to her natural season of pregnancy, but, factually, it does not occur. Her body feels that there is a drop off of a part of a cycle and provokes false evolutionary expectations of giving a birth.
If you are sure about fact of pregnancy you may use cocker spaniel pregnancy calculator to count expected dates of whelping.
