Ask the Veterinarian/4 year old Pom

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Expert: - 5/31/2010


Question
My mom has a 4 year old Pomeranian that is not fixed and has been exposed to a 5 month old skiperkey. I believe she is pregnant but not sure when I was grooming her one of her tears leaked white milky stuff. Is that a sign of being pregnant and if so what stage of the pregnancy do the teats start to leak?

Answer
One of her tears? I am guessing you meant teats? White milky stuff is usually milk and if she is leaking then she is going to be having puppies in a week or so. They have a 63 day gestation so count from her 15th day of her last heat 63 days out.

Hopefully this Schipperke is a smallish dog or you had better be prepared for her to have a c-section if this birth doesn't go correctly. You didn't state if it was her first litter or not.

I would strongly suggest she be spayed when these puppies are 6 weeks old so she doesn't go through this again and you might even cut her chances of having mammary cancer later although if they are not spayed by 4 yrs old they have about a 80% chance of getting it.

So have her looked at by the vet and he can tell you how close she is. If he xrays her he can tell you how many puppies as well.

Good luck and make sure she is eating a high quality puppy food now and until the puppies are weaned such as Science Diet Small bites puppy growth. She needs it now and all the way until they are weaned.  

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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