Help! My Yorkie Is Pregnant
 

I am not a breeder. I actually didn't plan on Delilah ever having puppies and tried to prevent it. Delilah is three years old and this will be our first litter of puppies. She has two or three weeks left. The ultrasound indicated that she has two puppies with viable heartbeats but Dr. Kline advised there could be others. I am very concerned with the pregnancy because Delilah is so small. She was a little over 3lbs prior to the pregnancy and today is 4lbs. I was wondering are most yorkies her size able to safely deliver their puppies naturally? I am interested hearing opinions and experiences on both natural and c-section births. I'm also wondering how to recognize if something is wrong and when to call the vet.

Thank you in advance.

breeding info page

http://www.debbiejensen.com/heat_cycle.html

Welcome to YT. 3 lb. is awfully small to be having babies. I would be prepared for a C section. How big was the daddy dog?

WAAAY off topic and i'm sorry..but I LOVE your signature line :)

to the OP...I wish you the best of luck. I'm sorry you are in this situation.

Just prepare yourself with education on knowing what to do if things do not go perfect. How big is the father? Yorkies have a 20 percent chance of a c-section normally but if the father is bigger and your female is less than 5lbs. that could increase the percentage.
Good luck on a safe and healthy whelping!

Father size really has no bearing on the size of pups....It's all dependent on genetics.

However, I saw that on another thread that you posted the sire comes from a litter of shunt puppies. Prepare yourself from heartache.....Most likely he is a carrier.

actually, there was a study done at some university where they bred two liver shunt yorkies together, and none of the puppies had it, so i don't necessarily think the puppies will have the shunt for SURE

to the OP, i'm sorry you've found yourself in this situation, hopefully she won't need a c section..

I'm very familiar with Dr. Tobias of University of Tennesse and the tests she has conducted and tests have not proven conclusive or definitive....a situation like this where the sire comes from a litter of shunt puppies.....the possibilities are greater than not.

Size of the male relative to female
 

Mardelin's comment
"No bearing" is a bit too broad of a statement. Some bearing would be more precise. It is really mostly a matter of statistics. Traits by either parent are more likely to be passed on to the descendant. In this case, using a smaller male is more likely to produce smaller pups then using a larger male. Size is determined by a suite of genes so as Mardelin implies, using a small male is not a guarantee that the pups will come out small. The best predictor for the stud will be in looking at what he has already sired.

jenhenwood
The size of the pups in utero during the last week will be the best indication if Delilah will have problem or not with a natural delivery. Did your vet give you an indication of their size? Without any other information I would agree with Littlebit an Yorkieaddict that Delilah stands a greater then normal chance of needing a cesarean due to her small size.

Good luck! I hope you get some extra puppies beyond the two that were seen by your vet.

Mardelin is right about the shunt study. And as breeders know, genetic problems will often skip a generation so the fact that he breed two shunt babies and no puppies in the litter had it means nothing to me. Yes, you need to be prepared for heartache and also a C-section. You said you tried to prevent her from getting pregnant. She should have been spayed long ago but that is neither here nor there. Pregnancy happened and we will do our best to help you and be there for you.

If it is not already planned, I would highly suggest that Delilah have an xray taken a few days before her due date. That will give you a better idea of how many pups to expect and their size in regards to being able to fit through the birth canal. I do not shun you in any way for this unplanned pregnancy, and wish you the best outcome for Delilah and yourself, but do wonder why you did not have her spayed long ago if you had no plans to breed her. Maybe after this pregnancy????
Good luck and please keep us posted. We will be here to help anyway we can.

Best wishes. I hope everything works out good for you.

I don't understand why anyone would keep an intact 5 pound female around a stud. I know from experience if they can find a way to tie they will. I wish you the best but I'm glad I'm not in your shoes. My advise is to find a good breeder's vet and possibly a mentor quickly. I do hope you get her or your male fixed after this and don't put her life in jeopardy again.

:( :( 3 lbs ? That's SO tiny.

GOOD LUCK TO THE MOM - I hope it goes well for her but if I were you - I'd go have her spayed so this doesn't happen again.

Thanks to everyone for the input. Here's a little more history. Delilah, prior to pregnancy a little over 3lbs and currently 4lbs with 2-3 weeks left in her pregnancy, came from a litter of five. Her mom and dad were both 4lbs. The breeder advised me not to have her spayed because she was small. She said Delilah's aunt hemorrhaged and died from the procedure. My vet said since she's had no infections and is unlikely to at her age so there's really no reason to spay her since she's been perfectly healthy.

Louis, is 7lbs, and came from a litter of five. His mom is 4lbs and his dad is 2 1/2 lbs. Three pups died when switched to kibble. Autopsies were completed and liver shunt was found. Bile tests were done on the remaining two puppies and they are happy and healthy dogs to this day.

My puppies aren't for sale. I am keeping one and giving one to my best friend if everything goes okay. I'm extremely worried but I don't want to take additional chances with Delilah to abort puppies when she and the puppies could be perfectly healthy. The puppies will be tested and my dogs won't have anymore puppies after this.

Should I spay my female or neuter my male? Is a c-section safer than natural birth? How do I know if something is going wrong with a natural delivery. These are important questions that I'm still trying to answer. I have seen two vets already. Looking for advise from people who have been through it already.

Thanks so much for everyone taking time to provide me with the additional insight I need. You're all great!

[QUOTE=Yorkie Dad;1572439]Mardelin's comment


"No bearing" is a bit too broad of a statement. Some bearing would be more precise. It is really mostly a matter of statistics. Traits by either parent are more likely to be passed on to the descendant. In this case, using a smaller male is more likely to produce smaller pups then using a larger male. Size is determined by a suite of genes so as Mardelin implies, using a small male is not a guarantee that the pups will come out small. The best predictor for the stud will be in looking at what he has already sired.
QUOTE]

Yes, probably a generalized statement.....but, without conducting a class on genetics and line breeding, it was probably best to generalize.

I have a very diminutive small male (line bred) that I bred to one of my females (6 1/2 pounds and line bred)......that throws pups between 5 & 7 pounds ( throws his dam and sire).

I bred the same female to a 6 1/2 pound male (also line bred) pups were between 3 1/2 and 5 pounds......

Attending several genetic/breeding classes and with a piece of expert advice given to me by mentor (40 years of breeding/exhibiting with over 100 Champions that she alone has finished).....if you happen to see a sire that you like, it is best to go back to his sire to breed to.....after all he is what threw what you liked.

wow, 3 lbs. i really wish you the best of luck. my only advise is (like dee stated), get an xray and make sure you are home as much as you can be.

what did your vet say to you about her size?

Sending prayers for you, mom and pups for a safe delivery and healthy babies.

size of the stud doesnt hold much bearing...I have bred a 3.5lb male to 5.5lb female results varied from 5-8 lbs adult weight. I have also bred a 6.5lb male to 5.5 female results were 3.5-4.5 adult weight...Unlike Marys example (hers were line breeding) these breedings were total outcross ...

The best predictor for the stud will be in looking at what he has already sired this is not necessarily true a total outcross breeding will never mimic a previous litter.

I do not advocate breeding such a tiny little girl let alone having an intact male from a shunt litter be used as a stud accidental or not this litter should have and could have been prevented with merely responsible pet ownership!

Another excellent example: Repeat Breeding.....The sire and dam of my lil stud....

1st breeding produced : a beautiful Champion.....7 pound female, definately on the lighter side of blue

2nd breeding: produced my lil guy: very dark steel blue, diminutive in size and bone.....and a smooshy lil face that looks more like a girl

3rd breeding: produced another female champion....medium boned...a bit more of a terrier look and very, very dark

The only thing the 3 had in common was a gorgeous topline and beautiful movement....otherwise you couldn't have told they were siblings.

This thread was not started to start debate but, a plea for help......So many things to consider when breeding and much education is needed.

My concern is for your girl and puppies....her size is a concern.....the puppies may or may not be shunt (scary and I hope not) and your boy that should be nuetered....there is no DNA marker to date that determines whether or not he is a carrier....all it takes is the wrong two being put together and how the genes shake up.

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

:thumbup: You are absolutely right!

I already answered in great detail in the OPs other thread--my reply there only mimics the answers given here, so this time I'll just say, "Yeah, what they said!"

Another thing that I overlooked was the girl is 3 and it's her first breeding....another risk factor.

Can you explain why her age and that this is her first breeding are considered an additional risk?

Thanks in advance.

It is recommended to breed your female yorkie prior to the age of 3 because the bones in her reproductive area are set by that age. This can lead to a more difficult whelping process......dialation, etc.

In addition to allowing time to develop physically, it's ideal to let a dog mature emotionally before throwing it into parenthood...let them fully outgrow their 'puppy stage' if you will. I've heard the second heat, which sometimes can be 1 year--too early, IMO. The further out they are from reaching that needed level of maturity, the more risk you have for them not being the 'motherly type.'
As far as it being her first pregnancy--to me, that relates more to the uncertainty in knowing how your female will react individually. Will she be willing to take care of the pups? Will she be a free whelper, need assitance, a section? Once you understand your female's individual 'style,' it's a little easier to recognize what is 'normal' for her. (Most of the time.)
Hopefully that makes sense.

Bama,

I think she asked this question in reference to my posting her age "3" for her first breeding would be a concern.....

Mary

Oh, I missed that....somehow I was translating it as the dog being extremely young...no wonder it confused me. :rolleyes: My bad. OK, strike that then.:p

So not like you.....you usually read every post before you post:eyeballpc

Hey, today was bath day AND I put up the Christmas tree...give me a break!;) Just didn't pay enough attention this time, I suppose.:p