Chihuahua Pregnancy
Gestation for a Chihuahua is usually 9 weeks (63 days) but if she has a small litter of puppies she can go on to 70 days. Because a young Chi can have sever problems with a first litter, a Chihuahua should never breed on first heat (see also our Breeding page).
Although it is possible to determine exactly when a successful breeding (pregnancy) took place from taking your Chihuahua’s temperature, and therefore predict her whelping date the following signs along the way should occur.
| Weekly Schedule of Chihuahua's Pregnancy |
Week 1 to 4 | During the first 4 weeks you may see some small change in your Chihuahua (but sometimes none during this early stage): As progesterone hormones rise some Chi’s will become more affectionate but conversely some will become more snappy and irritable. If pregnancy is suspected contact your vet at this stage since several things can go wrong. This can be for not only the puppies but also the mother dog (including death occurring if the litter die in the womb). Arrange a schedule of checks with the vet. |
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Week 4 | After 4 weeks you should detect an increase in weight so start weighing her every few days |
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Week 5 | After 5 weeks weight gain should be more obvious, and the mother should show signs of eating more – if no weight gain is detected it might be worth having your vet do an ultrasound to confirm whether there are puppies or not. |
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Week 6 | After 6 weeks you or your vet might wish to palpate (feel) for the puppies at this time since even movement could be evident. She will need to urinate more frequently, and these times might be ideal to encourage her to exercise a little. |
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Week 7 | After week 7 there are often signs that mammary glands enlarge but sometimes this only occurs after giving birth. |
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Weeks 8 to 9 | Finally, during weeks 8 and 9 she should be noticeably pregnant, and you need to have your whelping box and supplies ready. Discuss this with your vet but these often consist of a disposable purpose made cardboard box, absorbent pads and warming pads (a common cause of new-born death is hypothermia) for the new-born puppies. In addition, your vet may suggest other items such as animal disinfectant, feeding syringes, etc.– don’t minimise how useful all this will be! |
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| Please note, we strongly recommend that the birth take place at the vet clinic, the items recommended for weeks 8-9 above might be kept for an emergency or by an experienced breeder. See our Breeding page for more information on the Birth event. |
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In addition to the above pregnancy information, see also our Breeding page for information on preparation and birth.
If you would like to see a web site providing some interesting pictures of a caesarean section performed on a Chihuahua (not for the squeamish!) click on following: c-section web site
This page was last modified on Thursday, May 20, 2010
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