As a self-confessed novice, I'm really sorry to bother with so many threads, but it seems every little thing is making me curious and I like to hear about others experiences too.

My bitch is on day 36 (there abouts) and is looking big! I realise that she'll be less tucked up than her first pregnancy due to slackened muscles, despite the fact she tucked back up very nicely after her first litter. Anyway, her first litter she really only started showing at six weeks, and it was only something perhaps I could notice. She was ultrascanned and confirmed at six weeks too. Well now she's at five weeks and looks more like seven! She's not eating too much and I'm having to make food quite tempting, and hand-feeding isn't unusual now. Should I be concerned for her? Her exercise is the same and I can feel her ribs and spine easily, she's eating less, but she still looks so big.

Any advice and experiences much appreciated, and of course I hope you've all had a great Christmas.

Beth has she been scanned and confirmed pregnant? The only time a bitch has been bigger than expected was during a phantom and she had never had a real pregnancy and loked bigger than the girl who was 4 days ahead of her and was pregnant.

As you say the muscles do relax much sooner, she may be having a bigger litter all adding to her looking bigger than expected. If you are sure no other male got to her then she can't have got pregnant sooner.

Relax and have a glass of something

Glass of something might be what's making me a bit scatty, I don't drink, and half a gin and tonic in me is making me a bit flushed!
She's being scanned on the 3rd, she's displaying all the same things she did last time but I must admit the big belly is really confusing me. I hope she doesn't have more than six... four was knackering enough last time! Have you experienced larger tummies before in bitches that have taken, second time around? xxx

Better lay off the pop  then. My girls first litter for me was her second, there was 2yrs bar a few days between litters, her next one was almost a year later and she had 4 pups, one more than previous 2 litters but didn't look or weigh much more, the pups were an ounce or so lighter than before too which helped her pass them easily.

Wait and see what your scan says, there is nothing you can do if she is bigger or is having more than you would like it is just the chance you take when breeding.

Forgot to say, there's no way at all another dog could have gotten to her, as I supervise all toilet trips and we don't have any visiting dogs. Yes whatever the result we'll be happy with her, one pup or 101. ;)

It might just be she's showing earlier as her muscles aren't as firm as in a maiden. I noticed this with my cats, that second and subsequent litters they seemed to show earlier.

However - I don't know if it's the same with dogs, but in cats (the breed I had anyway) the first litter is often smaller in number than later ones. A first litter of 5 might well be followed by later litters of 6-8. That is a lot for cats... and it was a breed known for large litters; in fact the record for the largest litter of kittens ever used to be 14... I almost fainted when I saw that my first girl had an ancestor from the same cattery as the record holder - quickly did some research and no, not related (phew!) but she did have large litters, 6 in the first and 7 in the next 3.

Be thankful you don't breed rodents. Despite their size they frequently have litters of 16 or more; sometimes as many as 20.