Second trimester: Phoenix

Phoenix's pregnancy has now made a lot of progress. The second "trimester" is now complete and the embryos have turned into foetuses - from blobs of cells to almost-formed pups.

During the fourth week, the spinal cord and nervous system complete their development and facial features are beginning to form. At the beginning of the foruth week an experienced person can feel the embryos by palpating the uterus; by the end of the fourth week the uterus has filled with amniotic fluid to protect the developing pups and nothing will be felt until the pups have grown much larger. The embryos grow from 5-10mm to 14-18mm in length. It is during the third and fourth week that the embryos are most susceptible to malformation. Embryos that are not developing properly may be resorbed by the bitch.

Puppy late embryo

  During week five, the sexual characteristics take shape and the eyes are formed, sealed by eyelids to protect their sensitive development. Whisker buds form on the face. The leg buds lengthen and toes and claws form. The internal organs begin to form. The foetuses almost double in size, from 18mm to 30mm. By now they are really beginning to resemble puppies, and they are more resistant to developmental problems.

Foetus at 39 days

 By the end of the sixth week, thepuppies have skin with colour pigmentation. They have grown to 45mm in length and weigh around 6g. The internal organs are well under development and the fetal heartbeat can be heard with a stethoscope.

By now, Pheonix's belly has started to swell - she no longer has a narrowing of the body below the ribs, but a fairly flat belly line. Her abdomen feels like a water balloon when you press it. With the pups getting bigger, she is eating smaller meals more frequently to get enough food to nourish both herself and the developing puppies.