Welcome to YT....the first thing you will see is a multitude of differing opinions on different "ideas" and what is "considered in the best interest of our babies". While I can not speak for all breeders, I feel compelled to share a little advice gained from years of experience with breeding, whelping, and association with people that have probably forgotten more about those areas, than most vets know when they go into practice! I am aware of many, many problems that can occur during pregnancy and whelping a litter. NO ONE can catagorically say a female will not have problems whelping a litter. They may be able to say, with accuracy and confidence, that HER pelvic ring is large and she SHOULD not have problems passing a "normal" size puppy.....but THAT is where the problem comes in!! Your vet can NOT determine accurately what size her babies will be UNLESS she has a working knowledge of the pedigrees behind BOTH the breeding pair, back at least 12 generations, and then it is only an educated guess.....and you can still get outliers. Breeders always do things that are not "necessary", just to keep the odds of this crap shoot, more in our favor. I have ultrasounds done at 4 weeks, JUST to determine if my lady actually is pregnant and how many she is carrying. I have waiting lists of people wanting my babies, so I like to know this information. Then at 56-58 days, I get an xray....it is then I measure puppies to determine if they will pass thru the pelvic ring....I also know how many babies I have and will know how many "after births" to expect....these steps are certainly NOT necessary, and they are rather expensive, but my ladies are first and foremost in this game plan and I want every piece of valuable knowledge I can have, to assure me the odds of a successful, SAFE whelp, is on my side. I start by not breeding ladies under 5 lbs....and I know with as much certainty as possible, what her 12 generation pedigree, combined with the male's 12 generation pedigree, is more than likely to produce. Good luck with your breeding/whelping experience.....it will be a valuable teaching adventure for you! |