Maltese puppies  - 27 days gestation

The gestation period in dogs is approximately 60-63 days from breeding.  When the gestational age has reached 24+ days they can be detected by the use of ultrasound, much similar to techniques to used in humans.  Ultrasounds can be useful to possibly determine the number of puppies a female is expecting.  The small open "nodules" seen in this in the upper portion of this picture are puppies encased in their embryonic sac.  Directly below that in the middle is probably another puppy, but in a different plane of the scan.  Puppies at this gestation age are about the size of an acorn or walnut.

Note:  this scan is not the same pregnancy as the puppies seen on the remainder of this page!