Dog Pregnancy Calculator (Due Date)
Enter your dog's breeding date to find her due date. A dog is pregnant for about 63 days (9 weeks) from breeding, with a normal range of 58–72 days. If your vet tested for ovulation, you can get a more exact date.
This is an estimate. A breeding date alone cannot give an exact due date. Book a vet visit to confirm the pregnancy, and ask your vet about progesterone testing if you need a more exact date (for example, for a planned C-section).
How this dog due date calculator works
Puppies are born a set number of days after ovulation. The problem is that most owners only know the breeding date, and breeding can happen several days before or after ovulation. That is why the calculator gives a likely date plus a normal range. The Merck Veterinary Manual gives these figures:
| Starting date | Due date (estimate) | Normal range |
|---|---|---|
| First breeding (mating) | Day 63 | 58–72 days |
| Ovulation (progesterone test) | Day 63 | 62–64 days |
| LH surge (vet blood test) | Day 65 | 64–66 days |
| First day of diestrus (vaginal smear) | Day 57 | 56–58 days |
Ovulation happens about 2 days after the LH surge, so the LH and ovulation rows give the same due date. The pregnancy timeline below is counted from the LH surge, the way vets usually count it.
Dog due date examples (from breeding date)
| Bred on | Most likely due date | Normal range |
|---|---|---|
| January 1 | March 5 | Feb 28 – Mar 14 |
| March 15 | May 17 | May 12 – May 26 |
| June 1 | August 3 | Jul 29 – Aug 12 |
| September 10 | November 12 | Nov 7 – Nov 21 |
Dates are for a non-leap year.
Dog pregnancy timeline
| Day (approx.) | What happens / what to do |
|---|---|
| ~18 | Embryos attach to the uterus. |
| ~21 | A vet may be able to feel small swellings in the uterus. |
| 22–27+ | Relaxin blood test can turn positive. |
| 25–35 | Best time for an ultrasound to confirm pregnancy. |
| ~45 | Puppy skeletons start to show on X-ray. |
| 55+ | Best time for an X-ray to count puppies, so you know how many to expect. |
| Last week | Take her rectal temperature twice a day. A drop to about 98–100°F usually means labor within 8–24 hours. |
| 64–66 | Due date (counted from the LH surge). |
Pregnant dogs need more food in the last part of pregnancy and while nursing. Our dog food calculator shows her normal adult needs, and your vet can tell you how much to increase it. After the birth, you can track growth with the puppy weight calculator and read how big will my puppy get.
When to call the vet
Call your vet or an emergency vet right away if:
- Your dog has strong straining for more than 30 minutes without a puppy coming out.
- More than 2 hours pass between puppies, and you know more puppies are inside.
- No labor starts within 24–36 hours after her temperature drops.
- She is more than 70 days past a known breeding date.
- You see dark green or black, or bad-smelling, discharge before the first puppy, or heavy bleeding.
- She seems very weak, in pain, or ill at any time during pregnancy.
Sources
Merck Veterinary Manual: Whelping and Queening in Bitches and Queens; Pregnancy Determination in Bitches and Queens; Dystocia in Small Animals; Clinical Investigation of Canine Reproduction Disorders.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a dog pregnant?
About 63 days (9 weeks) from breeding is the usual estimate. Counted from the first breeding, normal pregnancies last 58–72 days. If your vet measured the LH surge, the due date is much more exact: 64–66 days after it.
Why is the due date range so wide when I only know the breeding date?
Sperm can live in the female for 7 days or more, and a dog can be mated days before she ovulates. So the breeding date does not tell you exactly when the eggs were fertilized. Progesterone or LH testing by your vet pins down ovulation and narrows the range to about 3 days.
My dog was bred more than once. Which date should I use?
Use the first breeding date. The normal range of 58–72 days is counted from the first day the female accepted the male.
When can a vet confirm my dog is pregnant?
An ultrasound works best about 25–35 days into pregnancy (earlier than day 21 can give a false "not pregnant" result). A relaxin blood test can turn positive from about day 22–27. X-rays show the puppies' skeletons from about day 45 and are best for counting puppies after day 55.
How do I know my dog is about to give birth?
Take her rectal temperature twice a day in the last week. In most dogs it drops to about 98–100°F (36.7–37.8°C) 8–24 hours before labor starts. She may also stop eating, pant, shiver and start nesting.
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