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Are you thinking of breeding your bully and wondering how long English Bulldogs are pregnant for?
An English Bulldog is, on average, pregnant for around 2 months or 63 days. English Bulldogs, like other dog breeds, have three trimesters, with each one lasting approximately 21 days.
Sperm can live inside a female for a number of days, which means that the act of mating is not the measure of gestation - which can make it hard to predict the actual length of your dogs pregnancy without the help of a veterinarian.
A vet will be able to use hormone measurements to find a much more accurate time frame for gestation.
The different stages of pregnancy in an English Bulldog
All dog breeds are pregnant for around two months, and go through three trimesters. All a dogs trimesters last three weeks.
The English bulldog gestation period begins as soon as the fertilised eggs travel to embed themselves in the lining of the uterine horn. This will be during the 2nd and 3rd week of pregnancy and will be when the first signs of your English Bulldogs pregnancy will start to show. Your bulldog will become more affectionate or irritable.
The implantation and early development of the embryo begin at around 3 weeks. This will be the time that your dog mood changes become more pronounced. You may also notice that your bulldog will have a change in appetite and being to develop breast tissue.
At around the 4 week stage of your English Bulldogs pregnancy, you should start being able to physically feel the foetuses. It is also the time that the puppies spinal cords and facial features being to develop in the uterus. After the first full month of pregnancy, a heart beat will be able to be heard.
At around week 5, the foetuses will begin to look like an English Bulldog, developing their legs and toes. At this time, your pregnant bulldogs belly will become more noticeable as it's pregnancy-bump develops.
At week 6, the foetuses will begin to develop their pigmentation and eyelids.
At week 7, the puppies will reach their full birthing size. They will be physically feel-able inside the abdomen of your bulldog. This is a sign that the pregnancy is coming to an end, and that you will need to start preparing to welcome the litter.
Week 8 will see your dog preparing for the birth, showing nesting behaviour and with the puppies moving around within the uterus as they prepare to leave and at week 9 the puppies will be ready to be born and labour will begin.
Signs an English Bulldog is pregnant
There are several different signs an English Bulldog is pregnant, which are:
Change in appetite: The appetite of a pregnant English Bulldog will change throughout their pregnancy. Your dog will likely have a diminished appetite during the early weeks of pregnancy before having an increased appetite later in the pregnancy as your dog needs to start eating for two.
Lack of activity: Your bulldog may become less interested in physical activities and play.
Breast growth: Your dogs milk glands start to develop at around 2 weeks into the pregnancy, this will result in your dogs nipples and breasts growing. Your dogs nipples may also become redder due to the increased blood flow.
Vomiting: Some dogs will experience nausea and vomiting during their pregnancy.
Change in mood: You will notice that your bulldogs mood starts to change, either becoming more affectionate or irritable. Some dogs seek company and extra attention, while others isolate themselves and do not want any attention, even if they are a normally friendly dog.
Signs an English Bulldog is going into labour
Week 8 of your bulldogs pregnancy will see your dog preparing for the birth, showing nesting behaviour.
Once labour properly begins, your dog will begin to start to pant, as well as begin to pace and move around. Keep an eye on her and regularly check her temperature with a rectal thermometer.
Once the temperature drops from 100°F to around 98°F, this is a sign that the delivery is due within the next 12 to 24 hours. If you are going to the vet for delivery, this is when you should set off.
There are three stages to a dogs labour, stage one will last generally 12-24 hours and during this stage contractions in the muscular wall of the uterus will increase in strength and frequency. Stage two can take anywhere from 1 to 24 hours and is the stage at which the puppies are delivered. Puppies are usually delivered one at a time and generally take 30 - 60 minutes each to be delivered. In stage three, the placenta is delivered and this should take place at the same time as stage two.
Conclusion
All dog breeds are pregnant for around two months, and go through three trimesters. All a dogs trimesters last three weeks.