Over the years I have had females that I was sure were pregnant because they were showing all the signs and then slowly they start looking less pregnant and no puppies. After doing some research I have found that it is pretty common for females to absorb their puppies. This is being conformed more since vets have started do ultrasounds more on pregnant dogs. There have been cases for example where the ultrasound would show 7 pups and only 5 would be born, so 2 were absorbed. So a bitch could lose all her pups or just some of them. Usually absorption can take place the 28th to 35th day of the pregnancy. When this happens the bitches body breaks down the embryos and absorbs the material. There are a number of things that can cause this, it could due to a hormonal failure to maintain the pregnancy, stress, injury, over crowding in the womb, genetic conditions or lack of proper diet. This is why when you breed your female it is important, especially after the 28th day of pregnancy (or sooner) to keep them from getting too stressed and try to keep them from jumping too much. |