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A video of a woman welling up in tears during a visit to a veterinarian’s office has gone viral on TikTok, receiving some 1.2 million views at the time of writing.
The clip was posted Wednesday by author Anna D Stoddard (@annadstoddard). A message overlaid on the clip read: “Took Bailey [her dog] to the vet because she was gaining weight really fast and slowing down in energy…”
The owner was later surprised to find out that her dog isn’t ill but rather pregnant. On the clip, a person at the veterinarian’s office can be heard saying: “Okay, we have puppies. Not too many though, thankfully.”
The owner, appearing tearful and emotional while holding her hands up to her face, simply replied “OK” a few times.
A caption shared with the post read: “Still in shock…”
How To Know Your Dog Is Pregnant
The traditional method of detecting pregnancy in dogs is through “careful abdominal palpation.” This involves gently pressing your fingers on the abdomen to detect swellings in the uterus that indicate the presence of puppies, explained veterinarians Krista Williams, Kristiina Ruotsalo and Margo S. Tant in an article for VCA, one of North America’s largest animal hospital chains.
But the most reliable way of detecting, as well as monitoring, pregnancy is via an abdominal ultrasound. “Ultrasound is the ‘gold standard’ for detecting pregnancy and assessing the viability of the fetuses,” they said.
Blood tests can also detect pregnancy in dogs by measuring levels of a hormone called relaxin, which is produced by the developing placenta following implantation of the embryo.
The veterinarians said abdominal radiographs (also known as X-rays) are useful for detecting pregnancy during the last trimester of the gestation period, when the bony structures of the puppies can be seen. X-rays are best for determining the numbers of puppies in a litter.
‘A Literal Mess Right Now’
The voice in the clip said: “You do have two puppies in here,” as the owner was shown what appeared to be an image of the puppies in the womb.
The puppies appear to be a “good size” and they “look like they are in a good presentation,” the voice said, adding it’s “probably not too long” before the dog gives birth.
In a later comment, the original poster wrote: “I’m a literal mess right now…expecting puppies in 48-72 hours…”
@annadstoddardStill in shock….
Some TikTokers questioned why the dog had not been spayed, a surgical procedure where the ovaries and uterus are removed to sterilize a female dog.
Candy Estes940 simply asked “spay?,” to which the original poster replied “was scheduled to happen this summer when I wouldn’t have school and could care for her post-op.”
Spaying is “generally recommended” for all female dogs due to its “many health benefits and advantages,” such as the prevention of breast cancer and the elimination of the risk of uterine and ovarian cancer, explained veterinarians Williams and Ernest Ward in another VCA article.
User Hero wrote: “Am I the only one who think she’s a bit? Like she’s not spayed what did you expect?…
User morganpowell282 agreed, writing: “Doesn’t spay her dog and then is shocked when she’s pregnant.”
Other TikTokers were relieved for the original poster.
User Kourtney Recaldini said: “i just know those are happy tears [because] it’s not life threatening, you can see your face light up when u realize that the [problem] is just puppies.”
The original poster replied: “It was mostly shock. But a bit of happiness that it wasn’t something life threatening.”
User @fauxanima said: “honestly puppies are better than thyroid disease or cancer, which is what I was worried about.”
The original poster agreed, replying: “That’s exactly what I was worried about. A little bit of my reaction was relief that I wasn’t going to lose her.”
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.
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