How to Count Puppies on an X-Ray
Knowing how to count puppies on an x-ray can save you a lot of guessing on whelping day. I’m not a vet, but I learned this method from a vet I had who, in 10 years, was never wrong on a puppy count. I’ve never seen anything like it before or since.
Of course, she can still do it better than I can. But I got pretty good at it, and I want to share her method with you.
How do you count puppies on an X-ray?
Her secret is to start with the skulls. Find every skull you can and count those first.
The trouble is that other things show up on the x-ray too. Poop and gas bubbles can hide a skull. Sometimes a gas bubble or a piece of poop can even look like one.
So take your time, and question anything that doesn’t quite look right.
Why is counting spines so confusing?
Most people count spines, and that’s where they get tripped up.
Puppies look different on an x-ray depending on how much their bones have hardened.
Sometimes all you see is a skull and a spine. Other times you see ribs coming off the spine, plus bigger bones like the thigh bones. Ribs overlap each other. Spines cross over each other. In a crowded litter it can look like a jumble of spaghetti.
It’s also hard to tell where a spine starts and ends. When two heads are close together, you can’t always tell which spine belongs to which puppy. A tail can look like something else too.
Timing plays a part here. An earlier x-ray can be easier to count because there are fewer bones in the way. But if it’s too early, the bones may not have hardened enough to show up well. It’s a balancing act. If you want to understand what’s developing in there and when, my Canine Embryology and Fetal Development for Breeders course goes into it.
What can hide a puppy on an x-ray?
Poop and gas are the usual suspects. Other puppies. The dam’s body shape matters too. Breeds with a well-sprung chest have more room for puppies to tuck up out of sight. Puppies squeeze in wherever they can fit.
Litter size matters most of all. Once you get up to 10 or a dozen, you’re going to miss puppies. Sometimes all you’ll see is a faint line that might be a puppy. When the count is that high, treat your number as a starting point, not a final answer.
Is the second x-ray view useful for counting?
The second view your vet takes is helpful, but it isn’t as good for counting. Puppies are more likely to be hidden behind each other from that angle. I use it to confirm what I saw on the first view.
Vets sometimes use this view to predict which puppy will come out first and how it’s positioned. With one of my litters, the vet said the first puppy was coming headfirst and everything looked good. That litter gave me one of the few breech puppies I’ve had. So I don’t always trust those predictions.
How can you see the x-ray more clearly?
It can be hard to get vets to send you the actual x-ray files. A lot of the x-rays in my video are photos I took of the vet’s screen, and that works fine.
Once you have the photo, use the editing controls on your phone. Turn up the contrast to make the bones stand out. If that makes the picture too dark, raise the brightness. You may need different settings for different parts of the same x-ray, so play around with it.
What does an ultrasound tell you that an x-ray doesn’t?
Not everyone ultrasounds and x-rays, and that’s fine. It’s your program, your dogs, your puppies. Here’s how I use each one.
An ultrasound doesn’t give an accurate count. Puppies are hard to see, and some pregnancies lose a puppy or two early on. That’s why breeders sometimes get upset when the vet says eight and they end up with six.
What an ultrasound does tell me is that I have a real pregnancy and not a false pregnancy, and that things are developing nicely. It also gives me a rough idea of litter size: small, medium, large, or a possible singleton.
That shapes how I feed the dam. With a large litter, I want her getting as much nutrition as I can get her to eat. With a singleton, I keep her on her normal diet so that one puppy doesn’t grow huge with all that room. More on that in Caloric requirements for pregnant and nursing dogs.
The x-ray is for the count. It’s not exact, but it tells me whether I’m expecting around six puppies or 12 or more.
How does a puppy count help on whelping day?
The count helps me pace myself. It also helps me pace the calcium I give. My guide to calcium during and after whelping explains how I use it.
Say I count eight on the x-ray. If she has eight or nine puppies, I can feel pretty comfortable that she’s done. If she’s had six, I know there are at least two more in there.
That matters when she takes a break. On its own, a four-hour whelping pause might be okay. But if it’s 2:00 in the morning and I don’t know whether more are coming, I might go to bed. Then I could wake up to two more puppies, which can be fine, or to a dam who had problems. The count tells me which situation I’m in.
To me, it’s worth having. You do you.
FAQ
What should I count first on a puppy x-ray?Count skulls first. Spines overlap and cross, so they’re much harder to match to individual puppies.
Why didn’t my x-ray count match the number of puppies born?Puppies can hide behind each other, in a well-sprung chest, or behind poop and gas. The bigger the litter, the more likely you’ll miss some.
Does an ultrasound give an accurate puppy count?No. It’s good for confirming the pregnancy and getting a rough idea of litter size, but not for an exact count.
Can I read the x-ray from a photo of the vet’s screen?Yes. Most of the x-rays in my video are screen photos. Adjust contrast and brightness on your phone to see the bones more clearly.
Want to go deeper on how puppies develop before birth, including when they show up on x-ray? Check out Canine Embryology and Fetal Development for Breeders.
