Extremely Tiny & Pregnant! Please Advise!
 

Ok, so I posted a comment on another thread but now I have even more questions here so I thought I would elaborate more and hopefully decide a course of action before Vet visit tonight!

I have taken in rescues my whole life -4 Yorkies in the last couple years, one of them was pregnant and we delivered 2 healthy boys!- so I get all kinds of dogs! I was contacted by a lady who had a tiny 3 pounder little girl, who she says is 3 but I still dont possibly believe she is that old! She has been breed before (you can tell from her pertruding nipples) and whelped a healthy litter of 4. She says she used her sisters male who is 2.6 pounds.

Well she decided she, and I quote "did not want to deal with the whelping this time around" and asked me to take her. Even gave me her AKC papers... (I think there is a special place in the deepest, darkest, part of hell for BYB but thats for another post!) This little girl is soo scared of human interaction that she shakes and curls into a little ball if you come near her. My 6 year old Boston Terrier has become her guardian and will take food over to her... (will post pictures later!)

I am taking her to the vet, and I was originally going to see about getting her spayed and terminating the pregnancy since she was only studded on the 11-14th of this month. But after reading as much as I can on the subject I am now terrified of the anisthesia killing her. She is incredibly tiny, and I am just soo worried about what to do! I have a vet appointment scheduled for later today, but I wanted the advise of YT because you all seem so much more knowledgeable on such things. Please give me your advise! I dont want to kill this precious little baby. And I kind of feel like either way I am putting her life in jeopardy! Can someone please help me decide which way to go? Or at least help me know what to ask the vet? The pregnant yorkie we had last time had her puppies 3 days after we got her so I dont know much of anything about pregnant dogs. She is eating, drinking, and going to the bathroom ok, but she shakes and seems cold to the touch. She also was shaved so she has like no hair... should i get clothes for her? I live in utah, and its been chilly. I have the heat in my house up to 80* (lol, my hubby is about ready to kill me!) I really am scared and nervous... Please help!:confused:

Definitely check with you vet on this. But, I would think even with her tiny size you would be better off having her spayed now. If she is that tiny, chances are very good she will have to have a C-section anyway, and she would be put out for that too....only then, it's under much more stressful conditions.

Yorkies 3 lbs and under have surgeries all the time. If she is otherwise healthy, the anesthesia shouldn't be a problem.

Oh the poor baby :( I hope everything turns out well for her and she is able to get spayed. I can't even imagine such a little one having puppies. Good luck, and bless you for caring for her!

Poor baby. My sofia is only 2.5 lbs and she did great with being spayed. Im sure the vet can tell you whats best for the little angel. I also would get a sweater on her, that may help her out.

I just want to thank you for taking this little one in and whatever is
decided for her safety she will be ok. I agree with you on the BYB.
May they all meet in the deepest, darkest, part of He$$ one day.


Hugs,

Thank you for taking in this lil girl. I can not tell you what to do, but if I was in you shoes, I would have her spayed. I have a lil girl right at the 3 pound range and she did fine with her spay. Good luck with everything:)

our Vet appointment is in a couple hours. I will keep you all updated! she did much better last night, actually climbed in bed with me and slept on my pillow (not touching anyone but its a start!) one day of unconditional love at a time!!! Thank you all for your advise!

How sweet of you to take that sweet baby in. I understand your concern with the spaying or anything else, especially since you do not know her medical history, it could be hard to tell which is best for her. There are healthy, sturdy 3lber's and then there are frail 3lbers..that could make all the difference on what they have to deal with (anesthia/whelping). I'd be confused to. Hopefully the vet can help give the best solution.

Good Luck!

Welcome to YorkieTalk and thank you so very much for being a guardian angel to this precious little one.

I know how scary it is putting a little one under for surgery, but if she carries the litter and has to undergo an emergency "C" section then she'll have to go under anyway. If it were me I'd schedule a spay with a vet who has a lot of experience with Yorkies -- good luck with your vet appointment this afternoon. Will be watching this thread for an update.

Best of luck, but I would want to protect her from having an emergency C-section; this seems like it would be much harder on her than a spay, when the doctor can be prepared, and her health isn't frail. Don't forget just the weight of the pregnancy would stress her little joints, and cause future problems.

Just wanted to tell you.....when I rescued my little Tia from one of those BYB breeders you spoke about :mad:, she was 2 lbs and pregnant! I immediately took her to my vet and he aborted the pregnancy and spayed her and she did great! I agree with others; chances are she'd have to have a c-section and have to have surgery anyway. Thanks for saving this sweet baby and please keep us posted!

Omgosh, what kind of people are out there in this world today!
Thank you for being so kind to this little girl, and to all the others that you have adopted. We definitely need more like you around.:D

I am by no means extremely experienced in breeding, but I think that I would follow suit with the advice given about getting her spayed. I would be afraid of what complications could ensue due to her size and pregnancy combined.

That poor poor little girl, I think I would go for the spey also. I too had a tiny 3.5lb girl who I put off getting spey'd because of the fear of the anestetic, this despite her having major surgeries before, she developed pyometra and still came through it okay thankfully. It only after I kicked myself foe not doing it earlier.

Oh my...

prayers are comin'

...I don't EVER think I will understand some people..."don't feel like dealing with it again" WTF ~ Why couldn't she think of that BEFORE the tie....:mad:

Ok, I think I have decided there is just "stupid" floating in Utahs air right now. The Vet, if you can call him that!, just said that she is perfectly healthy enough to have the litter and does NOT reccommend spaying her during her pregnancy! Should I get a second opinion??? I really am confused! How do I know a good doctor for Yorkies? The one we had for years moved last summer...

P.S. she really does seem alot better today, even sat in my lap the whole car ride home. She is eating and drinking, and she is getting more active... I know its partly because I love dogs with all my heart and they can sense that, but I think she really is liking it here!

I'd get a second opinion.

Are there specific questions I need to ask to find out who a good vet is? I am really scared and just want what is best for her. No dog should ever have to be put through this! Oh, and for those of you wondering, I called the Animal Control services and they have taken all of her pups due to unhealthy conditions. I just got a call from the detective that they had had numerous reports on her, but did not have an actual address for her (which i provided them with). She apparently had a shed full of dogs that i did not know about... Utah made Animal Cruelty a felony and she is facing charges... I feel soo sad for the puppies...

First let me commend you on taking this wee one in the hopes of doing what is best for her.

Now on to this little girl.....way to small, should have never been bred in the past or ever.

Find another vet. Impossible to tell if a female is pregnant at one week. Seek advice from another vet. One that is well versed in Toy Breeds. Have her spayed now.....do not allow her to whelp this litter. Not only are you concerned with her size (oh by the way putting a smaller male with a female is a misnomer, all is predicated on pedigree). Mother controls pup size while in utero. Which brings us to the well being of this little girl. What you have described as her behavior is not good. So, her mental stability also contributes to the health of the puppies. If she's not eating well and she's apprehensive....Your concern should be for her. Having the spay performed now, would be easiest on her. While being pregnant or in heat is not the best time to have a spay performed....but, in this wee ones case, I would strongly recommend it. The anesthetic used today Isoflorine is much different than the barbituates used in days of old......Either way......if you decide to whelp this litter, and she encounters problems in whelping she'll require a C-section and still have to be put under......more issues to add, and will expand further if you want.

Whelping pups from standard sized yorkies comes with it's own set of problems and difficulties......allowing one this small to whelp a litter is asking for trouble.....

Ok, you guys are right. If I am this worried now, then I am sure its just going to get worse later on. This little girl (who still needs a name, btw) has been through enough. Thank you all very much! Will someone help me on what to have ready for when she comes home after the spay?

The vet that you choose, and I'm sure with your level of concern will be a great one.

I'm not sure if you've gone through a spay. Some vets will say they want an over night stay.....Here's my read on that. The Spay will be conducted in the morning, she'll be monitored throughout the day, but if there is no staff on prem throughout the night, I'll fight it, My reasoning is, if something goes wrong I'm there to see it and can get them to the ER, I'm monitoring them throughout the night. Your vet will most likely give her an antibiotic and a pain shot before she goes home. The vet will prescribe pain meds and antibiotics to take home with you, insist on them. Each vet is different in the stitches they use; some will use disolving stitches, some will ask you to come back in 10 days to have them removed. But, for a period of 10 days you need to keep her down; no jumping, running, anything strenuous (try and keep her as confined as possible). You don't want those stitches compromised. Ask for an elizabethian collar to keep her away from the stitches. Some girls never bother them, but it's good to have them on hand. She'll probably not want much to eat, but make sure she drinks and if you want you can give her baby food (chicken) or you can give her steamed rice and chicken. She may be a bit groggy for the first 24 hours, but will begin to get back to normal in about 48 hours..

Oh! by the way you may see her shiver....she'll be a bit weak and in discomfort.....that's where the pain meds come in and they also help you to keep her down.
Now on to her name....she's a wee one.....how about Tinker.\\

Please keep us posted, we're here for you and your new lil one.

Its funny that you say Tinker, because my mom suggested Tinker Tot.... I kinda like it! And thank you all for answering my questions! I feel alot better that I have decided a course of action! I will be interviewing vets tomorrow, I took the week off work to make sure she adjusts well. I love being a massage therapist! Working your own hours really makes having pets easier! How do I post a picture of my babies on here?

There's an instruction section. Yorkie Talk How To Guides. But, you can PM (Private Message) Nancy1999 and she'll walk you through it...I think she's offline right now....but, she's the forum guru.

Can't wait to see a picture of your Tinker.

Hi I am so glad you took this little girl in. Im sure she is happy too.
I had a vet once that would ok a small breed having pups. he would always say as long as they was healthy and we kept an eye on things all should be ok. Well I changed vets, i do feel its a higher risk for these smaller ones to have pups. many small ones have done ok , but many have died too.
if you spay her. make sure you take her to a vet that is use to these smaller breeds. Isofluorane is the anesthetic of choice. Don't use Halothane or any of the barbiturates.M any toy dogs have died needlessly because of UNINFORMED VETS WHO ARE DECADES BEHIND IN USE OF ANESTHETICS FOR TOY DOGS. If your vet thinks Isoflurane is too expensive and refuses to use it, then FIND ANOTHER VET THAT will use it.

Speak up! It could mean saving the life of your little dog.

With this lady who gave you this Prego momma who's knows if maybe she didnt want to bother with this one cause just maybe she was breed with a bigger dog. you never know what the true reasons may be.

I pray all goes well for this baby. I cant wait to see pictures of her. and thanks again for giving her a loving home.

Just wanted to show you all my darling baby! We are still interviewing Vets but I feel confidant in my decision to spay! Oh, and we decided to name her "Aiko" which is Japanese for "Blessed Gift"

What a living doll.

What a sweetie...she is precious!!! :wub:

She is adorable! I'm so happy she has you to take care of her.

Aiko is adorable! :) I just wanted to add that last week I took my little 3 pounder in for an invasive neutering for retained testicles. He is stitched up his entire belly. He did very well. I picked him up later that day and took him home and, apart from being more sleepy than usual, he is fine. He hasn't bothered the stitches at all.

I was just as worried as you are since he is so tiny - but he handled it like a trooper. Good luck with your little one.

So far we have been to 2 more vets that do not want to spay her during pregnancy. They are both saying she is fine, and I guess she is almost 3.5 lbs now. I have been fattening her up! Does anyone have a vet they trust close to Dallas, TX? My sister lives there and I am willing to travel if it means the safe recovery of my little baby! I dont see how they think she should be free whelping a litter being she is so small!

Send a pm to Manolos Mom. There are a few YT members who use the same vet in the Dallas area and from what I understand, he's excellent. Here's a link to her http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/member.php?u=26142