Emergency 01522 262582
Out of hours 01522 262582
Friars Lane Surgery 01522 534841
Birchwood Surgery 01522 694275
Wragby Road 01522 535942

If you are looking to book a cat vaccination, please be aware that there is an ongoing shortage of some cat vaccines affecting all UK Veterinary practices. Find out more here.

Pregnancy Diagnosis in Bitches

Confirmation of pregnancy

Pregnancy in bitches can often be confirmed by a physical examination between 3 and 4 weeks after mating. Later in pregnancy, or if confirmation is necessary, pregnancy can be detected using ultrasound. We have a modern veterinary ultrasound machine which can both detect pregnancy and confirm that the puppies are alive and well. Ultrasound is extremely safe for both the bitch and her puppies. We are happy to examine bitches for pregnancy using ultrasound from the sixth week of pregnancy onwards.

Ultrasound examinations are not an accurate method of determining how many puppies are present.