Pregnancy!!! ???

[Nikkala]

I have a 4 year old Bitch, And a 8 month old Boy.

Recently they have been mateing, and i have noticed that my bitch has Put on alot of weight, And has also had morning sickness, and her rib and belly have both got larger...

just wondering if she is pregnant and weither to take her to the vet, as its very expensive its �30 just for a appointment. dont really want to waist my money for them to tell me she is haveing a Phontom Pregnancy.

Many thanks

Nikkala UK

[lankeela]

Not sure what your question is - if the dog has mated the bitch then there is an extremely good chance she is pregnant.

If you are asking whether an 8 month old dog can father puppies then the answer is yes.

[lankeela]

If you think �30 is expensive, I pray that your bitch does not need a caesarian.

[leelapops]

Sounds much like a pregnancy. If it is, it'll cost you a damn sight more than �30 to ensure your bitch is safe and healthy, and that her litter is OK. Have you not considered neutering one or (I think) both of your dogs? It will/would have saved you a lot of money, time, emotional agony in the long run, and is/would have been the responsible thing to do.

[Kleiber]

Did you want puppies? If so, then fine, but if not, why keep a dog & a bitch together, without having them neutered? My vet only charges �15 for a consultation & if the bitch is pregnant, then surely you'd want the best care for her & her babies, wouldn't you? I'd say, take her & see what they say - if it's a phantom, you'll have saved money in the long run. I'm sorry if I sound hard - don't mean to & if you're really hard up, the PDSA may be able to help with costs. Also, if you consider getting your dogs neutered, the RSPCA can help by sending you a voucher which covers most of the cost -you just take it along to the vet. Good luck.

[Nikkala]

We want pup's. And im not Liable for PDSA, as u have to be in Benifits... and we are not,.. just have to wait till pay day..

And the girl nor the boy will be getting nutered..
The boy is a Stud dog, and i wouldnt like my bitch to change...

[leelapops]

Any change in your bitch will only be for the better after neutering. Suit yourself, but why want to breed and not be prepared financially for it? Or be aware of the implications? Or know when your dog is pregnant, and that she will need regular checks to ensure her health through pregnancy, as humans need?

I hope your pups have found suitable homes before they are born, indeed before they were even planned. I hope your dogs are healthy and that the planning and prep for this has been thorough and exact. I can always hope....

[Kleiber]

Nikkala, your bitch won't change, she'll be just as loving and sweet as she probably is now! It's a myth that spaying changes a bitch's temperament. But I'm glad that you want the pups anyway - what breed are they? Hope all goes well. K :)

[lankeela]

Bet I can guess (Kita -you with me on this one LOL?)

[Kleiber]

I'm with you. K

[gelda]

And me!!!

[kita1]

Lankeela: with you all the way!

Nikkala

If you don't want your bitch to change then get her spayed!

If she has pups she WILL change (not necessarily for the better), she will guard the pups, her whole nature will change - it is part of being a mother. Plus if you do not get her done and even if she does not have pups, she will have false pregnancies and become aggressive and hormonal around the time of her season.

You could have the bitch die through giving birth, if she does manage to survive she could kill the puppies (if they are not deformed anyway from having such a young father). She could turn on the father as she will not want him around the puppies. If you get a vet to look at the bitch and pups at any point (which you probably will not) then you will be looking at a big vet bill. Bitches rarely give birth in convenient office hours.

But then you probably know all of this and will almost certainly go ahead anyway.

[Nikkala]

WELL SHE Has been to the vet's and she is Pregnant!!

Witch is great, She hasnt changed if n e thing she has got more loveing.

and im unemployed so its not like i care when or where she give's birth aslong as she is happy, and well...

The vet said she is healthy and told me to give her a hight protine diet...

I Ovously wont be keeping all the puppy's but i will be keeping one,

and she has'nt changed around the male dog, they r laying together in front of me now.. i am prepaird and i do no that somtimes the male dog will try and eat the pup's so i am going to have to extra vigalant!!

admmitly im only 19... but my mate's staff has had puppy B4 and she will help if need's be!!

Thanks all for your help.

xx

Nikkala

[kita1]

You might find this article informative (go a bit down the page for how to cope with a bitch giving birth).

http://www.dogstuff.info/to_breed_or_not.html

this is an extract from it:
She�s in season and it�s time to take her to the veterinarian for a prenatal checkup and to make sure that her vaccinations, medications and worming are up to date. Once you�ve bred her, she should be under veterinarian care for any illnesses and should be kept away from any dogs that might pass viruses to her. Infestations, illnesses or diseases can affect the unborn puppies. Bitches can have miscarriages. If fetal death occurs early in the pregnancy, it is usually undetected and absorbed by the mother�s body. Abortion may result if fetal death occurs later in the pregnancy, and, dependent upon the cause of fetal death, the bitch may carry the remaining fetuses to term. A number of things can cause fetal death, including fetal congenital defects, the physical health of the mother, her uterus and placenta, malnutrition, anything that alters the health of the mother. This can include reproductive tract diseases and illnesses, such as cystic endometrial hyperplasia, adhesions (possibly from previous pregnancies or caesarian-sections), tumours or hormonal imbalances. Diseases known to cause fetal death include Canine Distemper Virus infection, Canine Herpes Virus infection, Toxoplasmosis, Campylobacter infection and Brucellosis (a type of Canine sexually transmitted disease).

You will still need to exercise your bitch. As the pregnancy progresses, your walks may get a bit slower. She will require about 30% more supplementary food during the last three to four weeks of her pregnancy. Now is a good time to put her on puppy food specially formulated for the needs of puppies and pregnant or lactating bitches. She may become a bit moody and

[kita1]

As the whelping date nears, she may become restless. The whelping area should be ready so that she can become accustomed to it. You may want to schedule a few days off before the whelping date so that someone is home with her at all times. Some bitches do whelp early and premature puppies are the result. Bitches should never whelp by themselves since trouble can occur and no one wants to come home to find dead puppies and/or a dead bitch.

Once whelping begins, be prepared for any problems that may occur. Dystocia is the term associated with difficulty in whelping. While uterine fatigue (inertia), due to length of labour or to lack of physical fitness prior to whelping, is probably the most common cause of dystocia, other factors may also present problems, such as puppies too large for the pelvis or vaginal canine, malpresentation (breech puppies), prolapsed uterus, prolapsed vagina, uterine torsion, or ruptured uterine. You and your veterinarian will need to determine the cause of dystocia. Proper treatment may be either administering drugs (oxytocin) to increase uterine contractions, manual assistance in delivery, or surgery (a caesarian-section).

Once those puppies are all born, there are still dangers to both the puppies and to the bitch. Eclampsia is not an extremely common disease, but it is life-threatening. While it is caused by low calcium levels in the blood caused by the demands of lactating, there is evidence that giving the bitch calcium during pregnancy may, in fact, predispose her to this condition.

Etc.

[lankeela]

Particularly if you are a careful responsible breeder! Bet your life the backyard breeders and puppy farmers get away with it (or maybe work on percentages and don't give a sh*t)