Pregnant Puppy

[kami1928]

I have a Golden Retriever, and she is about 9-10 months of age now. She first came into heat about 2 weeks ago (not knowing after it was too late). We let her outside to use the restroom, but we do not have a fenced backyard, so she goes where she pleases. I know this sounds rediculous, but I've tried to talk my parents into getting her a yard, because she is AKC registered and a beautiful dog, and I had hopes of showing her one day. But my step-dad is too cheap to get even a dog run for her, so she gets pregnant instead! And worse, with the neighborhood dogs, dont know which ones though! Mutts, mainly. This is really dissapointing for me, although he doesnt seem to care at all! All I want to know is if my dog really is pregnant or not. Here are some signs she is showing at 2-3wks:

1. Her nipples are becoming more pronounced and hard.

2. Her attitude has totally changed, going from a very playful/rough puppy to more loving and lazy.

3. Increased Appetite

4. She was let outside when she was in heat, and was around other dogs(not for certain they were male, although out of the 15 dogs around the neighborhood one is bound to be male.)

5. Abdomen is swelling slightly.

Is there any information you can give me about my dog wheter or not she is pregnant from what I have told you? I really hope she's not, but she's showing all the sings. I guess we'll have to see in few weeks. Thanks guys for any additional information!

 

[tessa_s212]

She is too young to be having puppies. MUCH too young. An emergency spay would probably be one of your best options.

 

[Ash47]

It sounds like you are young and want the best for your dog, but really don't have all the control. It sucks, I know, but at least you care for her and know what's best for her. It does sound as though she is pregnant. Gestation(period that she is pregnant) for a dog is 63 days. Do you know about how long ago it was that she became pregnant?
I will get some breeders attention to this thread. I know they will be of much more help than I.

 

[Rhino]

Those are signs of a normal heat, with OUT a breeding. However, an emergency spay would be in the best interest of this dog. If your family cannot provide a safe and fenced area, then she has no business remaining intact.

Someone should enlighten your father about the REALITIES of owning a dog. The initial cost of purchasing a "beautiful AKC registered dog" is minute compared to the associated costs of being a responsible pet owner.

Because of this "incident", your showing days are over.. unless of course you plan to let her whelp so that you won't have to spay her, which I hope is not the case.

Please, don't allow this puppy to have puppy's, and do consider all that needs to be done to keep this dog safe in the future. If that's unobtainable, then find it a new home.

 

[moe]

This is a difficult situation, obviously you care about your dog, but parents dont, and its supposed to be the adults that lead the way in responsible dog ownership, I would try and get your father to read this topic or at leastsome of the post regarding responsible ownership, your bitch need spaying as soon as possible this we all know, but its down to your parents to pay for this and if they are not willing then you are in a very awkward position. your bitch is still only a baby herself, this in human terms is like someone allowing an 8 year old girl to get pregnant. if you cant get a fenced area then only let her out on a lead at any time,dont allow her to roam your area, she is liely to get run over by a car, or stolen, not too mention this unplanned litter (if she is pregnant) if she has not been speyed is the reason for this because you wanted to show? I know the UK KC allow speyed bitches to be shown, if permission is asked of the KC, but if you cannot provide basic medical cover such as this spey, how can you afford to show your bitch.

Mo

 

[Fran27]

It's too young to have puppies, like everyone said. She can have problems if you don't abort her. I also suggest aborting or spaying, it's for her health.

Also, it's dangerous to let a dog roam. It's also against the law in several states. So when you let her out, take a leash and go with her, or one day she will get hit by a car, won't come back, or will be stolen. ESPECIALLY if you don't spay her.

 

[AmberwayGSD]

This is so sad.Please get her spayed or go to the vet and get a abortion shot.If you dont convince your parents to spay her,they need to be more responsible having a intact bitch.There is no way she should have this litter.She is way too young.Its like a 13 year old kid having a baby.Please try to talk some sense into your parents.Also let them know you can fence a small area with chainlink for pretty cheap.

 

[yuckaduck]

For sure to young to have pups but if you seriously have plans to show her maybe spaying is not the way too go. I believe to show they are suppose to be intact. However if your parents are too cheap as you put it to put up a fence.....well a leash works well too. How about tying the dog up instead of letting it roam. Of course this will not stop would be suiters from entering your yard but it would prevent your dog from so many dangers out there. When she is in heat you will need to go out and be with her ready to fend off the studs who come calling.

I think now would be a good time to seek a vets advice and tell them that you do not want her to have pups but plan to show her. Before it is to late there are hormone drugs that can be used to abort her too.



Also just to let you know Hope has those same symptoms after her heat...we were positive she was preggy. Even the vet said she was but if she is or was then it is the worlds longest pregnancy for a dog.

Going on 15 weeks now and she is still showing the same thing. She is not in false preggy or anything she is just still swelled up some. Honestly the only explaination we can provide is that they lied to us and she has had a litter before.

 

[showpug]

Take her to the vet and have her spayed. There is a chance she is not pregnant and there is a chance that she is. Either way, a spay will solve your problems but the procedure will be a lot more expensive if she is pregnant so that may be an issue when it comes to convincing your parents...

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

Spay her. It is not worth the risk to her physical and mental health to try to have her carry a litter and raise it.

There are other show prospects, but not another of THIS dog.

Make the appointment and get it done ASAP.

 

[Athebeau]

She is much too young to carry a litter. Plus the responsibility of placing pups etc can be difficult...what if there are problems during whelping? your Father will be much more upset forking over big $$ for an emergency C-section, rather than a Spay right now. What if some of the pups are malformed, unhealthy, cleft plates etc.

I have seen some of the top breeders with tons of experience go through horrible whelping sessions...one breeder "almost" lost the female while whelping and had to be rushed to the Vet with huge Vet bills.

I also recommend that you have her spayed.

She may not be pregnant, but why take chances. Also, spaying done during th early stages of pregnancy is much safer than waiting for the second half where spaying becomes more difficult. Don't wait, call your Vet today, and make an appointment. Let them know that she could possibly be pregnant.

A good thing for a young person to get involved with is obedience trials...much funner than conformation. Obedience will introduce you to the shows and allow you to observe the "other" side of dog shows.

You could also compete in agility and other sports. Have fun with your dog.

 

[yuckaduck]

Again I agree that this dog is too young to have puppies but there are other alternatives to spaying to end an unwanted pregnancy if you seriously wish to show. If you do not want to show then spay her! Sure there are other show prospects out there but how many dogs will your parents allow you to have? This one plus a show dog. Or is this dog the only one and therefore your only show prospect? What kind of showing are you interested in? If it does not require the bitch to remain intact then yes by all means spay her.

 

[bubbatd]

Please have her spayed !!!! I do want to add that she would have had to be out alone for at least a half hour if she is pregnant.Anything could have happened to her ! Never just leave a dog out into an un fenced area !! SPAY!!

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

What other options, yuckaduck?

The mismate shot carries a high risk of mortality, pyometra on the next season, auto immune mediated hemolytic anemia, etc.

Not something i would ever put one of my bitches through.

I would either spay, or cull at birth.

 

[yuckaduck]

What other options, yuckaduck?

The mismate shot carries a high risk of mortality, pyometra on the next season, auto immune mediated hemolytic anemia, etc.

Not something i would ever put one of my bitches through.

I would either spay, or cull at birth.

There are hormone shots and other alternatives...she should go and speak to a licensed vet. If she needs the bitch to remain intact for showing otherwise I agree with spaying her now. I am not suggesting that this dog should have puppies....just being realistic about what the dog is wanted for. If she wants to show her and she needs to remain intact then she should do anything she can to fulfill that.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

YUCKADUCK wrote: If she wants to show her and she needs to remain intact then she should do anything she can to fulfill that.

Including the risking the life of this puppy?

I would not risk the life of any of my dogs for them to step foot into a show ring.

Show prospect puppies are born every day. She can get another one. Clearly the home situation is not ideal for maintaining an intact bitch at this time.

JMO of course.

 

[yuckaduck]

Including the risking the life of this puppy?

I would not risk the life of any of my dogs for them to step foot into a show ring.

Show prospect puppies are born every day. She can get another one. Clearly the home situation is not ideal for maintaining an intact bitch at this time.

JMO of course.

Sorry but I have discussed this exact thing with my vet concerning rescues that come in and are preggy at very young ages. We have administered hormone thearpy drugs and those dogs are all happy healthy dogs now. There was no risk to them so I cannot see the risk to this dog now. You say she can get another show dog but maybe she cannot. We do not know if her parents will allow her to have a second dog so she can show. I have a 9 month old lab that just gave birth to 8 pups. When that dog was brought here it was as a stray and we by law have to wait 72 hours before we can do anything and she was in labour by then. So we could not do a thing to stop it for this poor pup. She was claimed and her pups by her owner so she is not here now but what a shame. I discussed the placement of those pups and the lady told me she would just drop them off at the pet store and they could sell them. Needless to say I expressed my deepest disappointment in her irresponsible attitude and the fact that she refused to spay the dog after. I am by no means against spaying nor am I in favour of irresponsible or acidental breedings. So don't get me wrong here, I just have to say that this young lady should not give up all her dreams unless it is the last resort. We do not even know if the dog is preggy or not. If she is, and she is allowed to continue the preggy and lets just pretend that everything goes perfect....chances of that are highly unlikely at this young age, but lets pretend. The dog may no longer be a good show prospect either. So definantly aborting is the number one concern if she is preggy.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

Why would you have any concern about spaying a pregnant rescue dog?

How could carrying a litter destroy her as a show prospect?

If the owner has to wait several years before she has a show dog, so what? I feel this is not an ideal environment, as I said before, for an intact bitch.

If *I* had bred the bitch, this discussion would not be happening, as the bitch would be back in my custody post haste.

I think the best all around solution for this situation is to spay this bitch. Then her owner can do performance events, go to dog shows, meet the right people, gain some experience, and when she is able to properly take care of an intact bitch, she can get one on her own.

JMO as always.

BTW, Yuckaduck, you feel free to comment on the breeding practices of others, yet refuse to elaborate on your own.

With all due respect, you strike me as a novice to dogs, and even if you still refuse to answer, I'm interested in hearing what dogs you are planning to breed, and why.

 

[showpug]

I have to add that the vets I worked for refused to do the 'abortion' or 'hormone' shots to end pregnancy because the risks involved for the bitch were too high. It may be an alternative, but spaying is the safer choice.

As far as this puppy being a show prospect, the poster never said she was. She said that she was beautiful and AKC registered and had hopes of showing her someday. AKC registration as we all know does not make a dog anywhere near show quality, nor does beauty. There are tons of beautiful dogs out there that are AKC registered that would make horrible show prospects. So, I must say that if you are going to risk the life of this pup by having her go through hormone shots etc. you better be darn sure it's worth it. A lot of people want to show their dogs and never do. Because of this, they use it as an excuse to leave the dog intact it's whole life and put it at risk for health problems. Most people serious about showing seek out a show prospect puppy and have an idea of what they want.

 

[Athebeau]

Well said RedyreRottweilers.

I too feel that a young novice can gain invaluable knowledge with a spayed purebred just by attending obedience trials. This is fun for both owner and dog and the young owner gets to meet other breeders as most conformation show people tend to get their obedience titles along with championship titles.

The young owner does not have the proper environment for this intact girl. Mistakes can happen very easily and some males have gone to great lengths to get to a female. The young owner can learn first with a spayed dog, then later when she has her own proper facilities she can start on a show career.

I can't remember what class this is for, but, with the Newfie specialty show they allow altered dogs to compete in conformation against each other. The judges go over them exactly as they do the intact dogs. A friend of mine with a neutered male Newf just got her Championship title...probably just with the breed club...but, still she had fun with it. I'm not sure if all breed clubs do this.