How to Calculate Due Date in Chihuahuas

By Heather Vecchioni

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

Calendar
Veterinarian
Ultrasound
Radiographs

Step 1:
Determine the date of your Chihuahua's breeding. Dogs typically experience pregnancy for 62 days. Like humans, however, dogs can go into labor a few days early or late.
Step 2:
Visit your veterinarian, if you are unsure of your Chihuahua's breed date. By performing an ultrasound, the doctor can attempt to detect fetal heartbeats. Audible heartbeats signal that your Chihuahua has been pregnant for at least 25 days and should go into labor within 37 days.
Step 3:
Feel the expectant mother's belly. Your Chihuahua's abdomen will display palpable puppy sacks about 20 to 30 days into the pregnancy. If the doctor can feel these sacks, prepare for the arrival of the little ones within 32 to 42 days.
Step 4:
Radiograph your Chihuahua's abdomen. X-rays reveal puppy skeletons about 45 days into gestation. If your veterinarian can discern skeletons in the radiographs, you should meet the puppies in 17 days or less.
Step 5:
Take your Chihuahua's temperate daily, at noon, beginning about two weeks before her due date. Lubricate the thermometer with KY jelly and insert it into the rectum about one inch. The normal temperature for a dog ranges between 100.5 and 102.5 Fahrenheit. If your Chihuahua has a temperature below 100 degrees, prepare for the puppies within 24 hours. Contact your veterinarian if she doesn't deliver, or if the pregnancy lasts more than 69 days.

Tips & Warnings

Toy breeds, like Chihuahuas, commonly deliver about one week before their due date.
Prepare for the possibility that your Chihuahua may need a Cesarean section. Because of the breed's size, puppies often don't make it through the mother's birth canal and require surgical delivery.

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