First time mom... owner. I have questions!
I have a Japanese Akita bitch, Bijozakura, bred August 24th and a few days after that. She is due sometime around October 27th to 30th according to my vet. The vet is a canine reproductive specialist and she took my breeding dates along with measurements she got from the ultrasound and some blood work to arrive at those dates. There were four puppies seen on the ultrasound. The bitch just turned 5 years old in August and this will be her fourth litter. She is an experienced and good mother.
However, this is my first litter and I have the jitters!
Over the past three days she has started noticeably developing breast tissue, particularly the four teats on her lower abdomen between her rear legs. If you hold her fur out of the way it looks like she has an udder. No worries there - everything seems normal. The teats are enlarged but not hard or discolored.
However, seeming to coincide with this, her urine has developed a very strange smell. I cannot describe it, for I have not smelled anything like it before - its weird, very unpleasant, and quite pungent. It does not smell strongly of uric acid or ammonia and doesn't burn the nostrils. All I can say is what it isn't - its not normal. At the same time she has developed incontinence and will pee on her rug or bedding less than an hour after being taken outside to potty. It was 95 degrees today and quite unpleasant with the reek. Now everything is in the laundry, even the backup rugs and blankets, so she only has the bare floor to sleep on.
My question is the strange smelling pee "normal"? My husband's theory is that the odd smell is caused by sugars/proteins she is exuding as a result of her body preparing to start making milk.
I will be calling the repro vet in the morning to ask her about it as well.
However, this is my first litter and I have the jitters!
Over the past three days she has started noticeably developing breast tissue, particularly the four teats on her lower abdomen between her rear legs. If you hold her fur out of the way it looks like she has an udder. No worries there - everything seems normal. The teats are enlarged but not hard or discolored.
However, seeming to coincide with this, her urine has developed a very strange smell. I cannot describe it, for I have not smelled anything like it before - its weird, very unpleasant, and quite pungent. It does not smell strongly of uric acid or ammonia and doesn't burn the nostrils. All I can say is what it isn't - its not normal. At the same time she has developed incontinence and will pee on her rug or bedding less than an hour after being taken outside to potty. It was 95 degrees today and quite unpleasant with the reek. Now everything is in the laundry, even the backup rugs and blankets, so she only has the bare floor to sleep on.
My question is the strange smelling pee "normal"? My husband's theory is that the odd smell is caused by sugars/proteins she is exuding as a result of her body preparing to start making milk.
I will be calling the repro vet in the morning to ask her about it as well.
Comments
Question: does it smell vaguely like popcorn? I have experienced this with a 5 y/o husky a while back. She was about as far along as Bijozakura. Not sure if it's normal or not but, it was the weirdest smell ever.
As for the smell, I would love to know what you find out about that!
Snf
Glad you figured it out though. Smells make me uncomfortable? Ha
Oh... I just read your last post @poeticdragon. Ok. Good. I was worried for you. lol
I haven't noticed our females having incontinence, but I have noticed they need to go out more often. Also, as they start to produce milk they need a lot more water. So expect her to drink more.
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Wed 10 Oct 2012 - Thu 18 Oct 2012
- Dam begins to spend a lot more time in self grooming.
- Her breasts become even more swollen.
- She may become a bit restless and search for a suitable place to have her puppies.
Fri 12 Oct 2012 - Sat 27 Oct 2012
- Nipples and vulva should be gently cleaned with warm water, you might want to trim the hairs surrounding the nipples, to allow easier access for the puppies to suck.
Mon 22 Oct 2012 - Thu 25 Oct 2012
- Milky fluid may be expressed from the nipples.
Nothing to do with pregnant dogs, but I remember a few years ago one of my aunts was keeping a male (not an NK) for a breeder friend to try to socialize him more and ended up taking him to several vets because his urine smelled extremely smoky... and nobody could ever find anything wrong with him, he apparently just had a bizarrely smoky smell to his urine.