How can you tell if a dog is pregnant?  I think I might know why Lola's owners were so quick to get rid of her.

Oh, I hope not, she's just a baby! Because I've only had her for a couple of weeks, it's difficult for me to notice changes in her because I'm just getting to know her. But I have noticed that her teats have gotten bigger since I got her, and yesterday I noticed that her tummy has gotten bigger and feels firm.  Please tell me it could just be impending heat;  I've got an appointment to have her spayed next week anyway.

We're going to the vet, of course, to find out for sure, but not until Wednesday when I get paid. I wish we could go right this second!

In fact, maybe they'll bill me.  I'll call when they open and see if we can come in today.

I haven't reached the vet yet, the phone has been busy.  I have no idea who the father would be, since I've only had Lola two weeks.  It would not have happened here, since all the dogs in this house are neutered or spayed. If she does turn out to be with pup, I will e-mail the family I got Lola from, but if they knowingly gave away a 10-month-old pregnant pup, chances are I won't get good info from them!

Here's hoping I'm just overreacting to a false alarm!

Oh poor Lola. I have no clue what symptoms of heat or pregnancy are. Hopefull your vet will get you some answers today. Let us know.

Well, I talked to the vet tech and she said it does sound like pregnancy is one possibility, from the signs I described (engorged teats, firm lump in tummy, etc).  She said she wanted to wait a couple of weeks before examining her, to get further into the pregnancy, which baffled me, since it seems like we have no idea how far into the pregnancy we are, if indeed she is pregnant at all. Unfortunately, they don't bill, so I will have to wait at least until later in the week.

The spay/neuter clinic is supposed to get back to me today, too, about spaying Lola either tomorrow or next Tuesday.  Now I'm totally confused as to what to do!

Gee go figure huh?

I think you're right;  I wasn't happy with that answer, either. Because this vet is very near my house, I thought it would be convenient to start using them, but I wasn't happy with their response to the situation.  They seemed convinced that Lola must have been bred just before I got her, but how could they know that without even laying eyes on her?  They got a little pushy and kept asking me to give them an exact date she was bred.  I kept having to explain that I have had her for sixteen days now and I don't know IF she was bred, let alone WHEN!

The other vet, the one I will now be taking her to, was very helpful and prompty recommended that I bring her in.  They've always been great with my cats; they're just a little far away, but we'll manage. And as for her spaying appointment at the low-cost clinic, which was originally supposed to be next week but had the chance of being bumped to tomorrow, I'm going to put it off until next week after all, just to give the vet a chance to tell me whether Lola's pregnant.

If she is pregnant, what are my options?  I feel like she's just too young to go through with a pregnancy and delivery, being only ten months. And with a mystery daddy of unknown size?  It's just too dangerous! 

Oh, I did hear back by e-mail from her former owner, but they say she did not come into contact with any male dogs while they had her.  They only had her for a month. They tell me the person they got her from was moving out of state and they left no contact information, so I guess that's a dead end.

Let's hope this is all for nothing!  I'll find out Thursday, I guess!