My stafford bitch has recently been mated (she has had all the relevant health checks). I wanted to know from more experienced breeders, if there is anything I can look out for to confirm pregnancy apart from having a scan done. ( I dont want to stress her out unnecessarily). At what stage in a staffordshire bull terrier does it become obvious that they are pregnant.

Hi Guest,

Look for the following:

Increased body weight and enlargement of the abdomen. These signs may not be obvious if there are only a few pups.  A reduced food intake and vaginal discharge are common approximately 1 month into the pregnancy.  Enlargement and reddening of the mammary glands, especially from 40 days after mating. However, this can also happen if a female dog has a pseudo or false pregnancy.  Milk production is variable. Some female dogs produce a watery fluid from day 55 onwards and others only produce this just before giving birth.  Nearer the time you can take the bitch's rectal temperature and this will normally indicate when she is about to whelp. A dog's normal temperature is 101 or 102. In late pregnancy it will run below normal, around 100. Within 24 hours before delivery it drops to 97 or 98. Toward the end of the pregnancy, the dog's abdomen will balloon out, her mammary glands will enlarge and may drip milk, and she will display nesting behaviour.  Hope this helps.

Arnie :-)