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Dog Pregnancy Calendars Can Be Misleading
This article will discuss the inaccuracies of dog pregnancy calendars, the causes for such miscalculations, and what a dog owner can do to remedy the expected errors in data. There are many calendars available online which seek to calculate the exact day when the dog will give birth. However, though specific dates will be given, they are by no means certain. At best, canine pregnancy calendars will only provide approximate dates, give or take a few days. When preparing for a potentially volatile labor, those "days" can be critical. There are many reasons for the inaccuracies of these dog pregnancy calculators. Let’s take a look at the more prominent factors that affect their calculations. - The actual length of the dog’s pregnancy is not set in stone. Though 2 months is the average period of canine pregnancy, the exact number of days actually ranges from 59 to 64 days. - Human error in inputting the date of mating. Canine pregnancy calendars rely on the exact date when the expectant mother was mated with the stud. If the wrong date is punched in, the wrong calculations will transpire. - The breed of the expectant mother. A canine’s heat cycle depends on the size – and therefore, the breed – of the dog. Bigger dogs will start their heat cycles from the 12th to the 24th month of their existence. Smaller dogs can start theirs from as early as their 4th to their 6th month of life. This may cause some errors in calculating when a particular dog should be mater, and eventually, when a particular dog will give birth. - Intravenous events during pregnancy. An accurate date of birth is essential in developing a plan for the proper care of a pregnant dog. Without the level of accuracy needed, dog owners should develop a plan based on approximations – and such will require a higher level of caution and diligence. Subscribe now to the Pet ComfortNewsletter, your trusted source for pet news. Subscribe today, I'll give you a $17 gift. Act now! For example, instead of preparing for a specific date when all the necessities for labor should be made ready, the dog owner can prepare them earlier than the date provided by the dog pregnancy calendar, preferably 5 days earlier. This way, even if the mother gives birth at the earliest range of the approximation, she can be assured of safer conditions for her labor. Also, the different stages of pregnancy should be approached the same way: with a mindset that everything is based on approximated dates, hence, safer precautions should be implemented. Specific safeguards for the first trimester pregnancy, second trimester pregnancy, and third trimester pregnancy should be observed 3 to 5 days before the particular trimester begins based on the calculations of the dog pregnancy calendar. Dog pregnancy calendars should be treated as a mere guide that will provide for dog owners the closest possible date when the bitch will give birth. Sometimes, these calendars provide the exact date. Often, however, they don’t. Hence, dog owners should always be ready for this eventuality.
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