Is she or isn't she??? That is the question?
 

Ok, this is my situation. Shelby was bred 48 days ago. Her nipples are enlarged, her personality is super mushy, she carries socks everywhere mimiking them as babies. She had a decrease in appetite a good 2 weeks, and finally developed a ravinous appetite. My problem is, I took Shelby to the vet on day 44 and they took x-rays and they said no babies??? Her tummy is nice and round, and firm and definately bigger. She weighs 4lbs. 1 oz. and the stud weighs 3lbs. Shelby's mom is 4lbs. and dad is 2lbs. Could it be the puppies are so tiny, the x-ray didn't pick them up???? This is her first time being bred, please anyone, tell me what is going on??? Thank you! :confused:

x-rays will not show up until later on in the pregnancy. I would wait til day 58. Also,it's not a good practice to breed females so small. I don't agree with it, but wish your female the best of luck. I would have her spayed.

I agree......wait a little longer. She might be having a false pregnancy.

Thank you sooooo much! I just needed to hear that, because I'm just not imagining this beautiful tummy she has developed. The vet wanted me to bring her in this Monday to spay her, and I said absolutely not, since I'm 99% sure she is expecting. Today is day #48, so I can't believe this can all happen in 2 weeks time! xo

I actually would not count out your vet's advice. Spaying her may be a good option as she is way too small to have been bred in the first place. (Although having it done weeks ago would have been preferred.) As far as the x-rays, it could be that it was too early to detect, or it could just be that she is having a false pregnancy. Time will tell...hopefully it will be the latter.

Xrays at 44 wks is too early to tell pups or not. The vet said to spay her. Did you question the vet as to why they recommended spaying her?

I do so hope you are emotionally and finacially prepared for a C section, and challenges of a spay with a first time dam.

Breeding a female of under 5lbs is not recommended, and if she is pregnant and weighs 4lbs one once now, what did she weigh prior to the breeding?

Whatever is the outcome I wish a healthy whelp, and should she not be pregnant please reconsider breeding this small bitch.

I do thank you for your concern. First of all, I would like to say I have raised 3 handsome boys and am financially stable. The vet advised that I spay Shelby since she has had 2 false pregnancy in the past, without being bred. I lost my 3 yr old gorgeous Brandi-bear this past spring due to liver shunt disease. Brandi was very abusive to Shelby towards the end of her illness, and I don't think Shelby would easily welcome another yorkie addition. Since I left the option open whether to breed Shelby or not, I decided Shelby would love and accept her own pups. I had an extensive physical taken, blood work included and she is very healthy. She is currently the same weight as before the breeding, since she did have a decrease in appetite. She probably lost, but her belly put on. I am fully prepared that if she runs into problems, I have a vet 5 mins. from my home on call. The vet was pleased that the stud is 1/4 size smaller than Shelby, and Shelby's genes are tiny as well. I do respect that she could still throw a large pup, but this is why my vet is involved. I appreciate your opinions. xo

Can you post a pic of her tummy..does she have a clear, sticky discharge.

I may sound rude here but here goes....you may be financially responsible for what may happen to your bitch and whelp if a c-section is required ect...but are you mentally prepared to lose the bitch and whelp because you bred her being a small bitch? Are you prepared for that? Also, being financially responsible to cover expenses doesn't mean you are emotionally repsonsible knowing one should NOT breed a bitch that size.

Good luck on a safe whelp.

Donna

I agree Donna. Just because one is capable of taking care of any unforseen issue that may arise financially, it does not justify taking the chance to begin with.

This is exactly why I have stopped coming to this section on a regular basis anymore. It really makes me sick to my stomach when I read about someone intentionally breeding a bitch that is too small. One may be one of a Fortune 500 Club but doesn't mean you know what your doing. And especially one that has already dealt with a Liver Shunt? And knowingly bred a 4 pound bitch? Just says irrepsonsiblity to me.

Donna

If she has had false pregnancies in the past she could be having another one. She is too small to have pups anyway. I think you should have her spayed and enjoy her as a pet

I looked on your profile and saw a pic of your sweet shelby. She's very cute but she looks wayyyyyyyy too tiny to breed. She's also way too old to have a first litter. Her well being should be considered before cuteness. I can see why you'd want another one just like her. Maybe you can contact the breeder you got her from and see if she has a pup like her for ya?

If she's not so friendly towards other dogs, she might not even be friendly to her own offspring when past the puppy stage.

Kimberly, I was not going to post again, but something keeps on drawing me back to post.

While I'm not sure,this seems to be your first litter of pups. Raising human children is akin but not truly like whelping a litter. The puppies are very very tiny when born.

I would like to suggest that maybe the breeder who supplied the stud, be asked to help you in this whelp. Yorky Mom's do need help, and should not be allowed to cut the umblicial cord on their own. There is just so much to know, making sure all the placentas come out. Recognizing labour distress.

At this point if you are confident she is indeed pregnant, you should have all your whelping supplies on hand. I also recommend that you stock your freezer with prepared dinners etc, so you and your family can be fed easily over the extremely busy first week.

Put your vet's number on speed dial. Make sure you keep your car gassed up in case of emergencies.

If I have read your posts on the two threads you have here, your vet has expressed twice to spay your girl. She has reportedly already had two false pregnancies, yet you say this is her first time being bred. You do really need to weigh heavily in your mind your vet's recommendations.

I hope for the best outcome here, for your girl. Please read up on all the stickies in the breeding section,if you have not already done so.

Kimberly== I've bred dogs over 30 years::'It's not so much the size of the dog ,As it is the knowledge of the breeder;

:confused:

I beg to differ. Breeding extremely small girls is not something that should be condoned, no matter how experienced the breeder may be. Nor does it make it "safe." :thumbdown
That's very dangerous information to just toss around. Granted, it's not the people are actually ARE knowledgeable taking it for fact that's worrisome, it's the people just entering the breeding world who may take note of it.

Although it never ceases to amaze me the lengths people will go to try to justify breeding tiny females. :(

It never ceases to amaze me how people continue to say "we all have to start somewhere" "I'm learning as I go", this at the expense of the female and pups.

How anyone can intentially breed an undersized female in the first place I can't even phanthom. But, to think that because she is bred to a smaller male everything is fine; well to me it is a case of animal abuse.

My vet "advised" me in the first place to breed Shelby to get her hormones in order. She had 2 false pregnancies in the past without being bred. I bred Shelby and this is definately not a false. Today she is 50 days, and my husband was able to hear a little pitter-patter with the stethescope. My stud's owner has all the equipment necessary for welping. I realize the pups will be tiny, Shelby was an adorable cotton-ball when we brought her home! I am a stay at home Yorkie mom, with grown boys. These babies will have my undivided attention, as will Shelby. What happens with all the mice, bunnies and gerbils??? Who worries about them??? I appreciate your concerns, I will not be posting further comments as I have a beautiful little girl to love and care for. Take care, Kim xo

Just wanted to clarify something. The vet took x-rays, at day 44 and said there are no puppies, so decided since Shelby had 2 false pregnancies with past heats (without being bred), and that she didn't see anything on the x-ray, she immediately told me it was a false again (even though she was bred on 9th & 11th day of heat). She told me to bring her in the following Monday to spay her to prevent further false pregnancies.
I refused, looked up information sites for yorkies, and its here, that I learned day #44 is too early to see on x-rays. For this reason I did not bring my little Shelby in for a spay. xo

ditto that!

Things like this make me sick. I'm sorry and will probably be banned, but to come here and ask for advice, and then when it's given and it's not what you want to hear, you up and decide that you no longer want help or care about what anyone else says that is trying to help you. I almost lost my 7lb girl when I bred her. We are just trying to help you avoid going through the same thing or even worse. Even though you are a stay at home mom, and you have money, blah blah blah, it's your "baby" we are concerned about. Stop looking at as if we are attacking you, but really look at what we are saying. Many breeders here have been through this before. And trust me, you don't want to go through a c-section either. I would have her spayed immediately and just enjoy her for who she is.... your "baby".

And on a side note: I highly doubt that your vet told you to breed this little girl. He more than likely said to spay this little girl and you heard "breed" because her line would be broken.

Your vet advised you incorrectly. With 2 false pregnacies, and with her sized she should have been spayed, that would have surely straightened out the hormones.

Another misconception of the pups being tiny at whelp. The dam controls the pups while in utero. She could very well produce 5 & 6 ounce pups. Size at whelp does not inform you what they will be at growth. The other thing your vet failed to tell you was with a girl this small, she can be very prolific and concieve 5 or 6 pups. Which could lead to premature delivery. Or your girl could whelp 1 or 2 naturually and loose elasticity during the whelping process, and require a c-section anyway.

You aren't breeding bunnies, mice or gerbils....you have taken the life of your girl and her pups in your hands.

So sad that you decided to take your vet's ill advice and of course the stud owner would chime in....it's money in her pocket.

So sad...
I hope that you dont loose your girl because of this.

Breeding a dog with "hormone issues" would be the opposite of helpful...:rolleyes:

It's sad when one doesn't take the life of an animal to the level of concern one would with human life. I take animal life as I would with human life. I guess some of us are so different in the way we see things all in the name of money. Greed is an awful thing.
I get so angry when someone breeds every season and until they are beyond 7 years old. It really sickens me to know that people do this to these creatures of God. Even people that say they are reputable do this and it infurates me to no end!
All I can do is pray for those who treat these defenseless creatures for money and just pray they get theirs in the end and they will

Donna

oh Donna, I agree.. you have to see my waiting list, but I did not breed my silky girl at all this year, I wanted to give her the first heat after the first babies off, then her second heat, I had a previous engament right at the time of her BEST time to breed and I don't trust anybody with my matings, so no puppies this year.. is NOT about money is all about good breeding and loving your dogs..
best of luck to the OP with her girl..
hugs,
Carmen in nj

I would hope, but I truly don't know, that there are breeders just as passionate about successful and healthy whelping. Obviously Dogs are not mice and bunnies, it appears like you have an attitude well it is just the natural thing to do, so what is the big deal, dogs automatically know what to do to whelp successfully. If you've done any studying the mortality rate of wild animal births is quite high.

And another thing you mentioned in an earlier post, that you have raised three boys. That doesn't qualify you as a breeder of dogs. And let us take this analogy one step further; would you as a first time pregnant mom, feel okay with trusting the birth of your baby, to a midwife type of person with no experience, no training other than what she has read up on in text books, at home, with a doctor "maybe" on call.

As you have stated you have left this thread, my comments are directed to others who may stumble upon this thread.

And on a side note: I highly doubt that your vet told you to breed this little girl. He more than likely said to spay this little girl and you heard "breed" because her line would be broken.

A vet may have told her because I have two Yorkies, one very breedable (right size, good health, conformation, good bloodlines, mother, grandmother whelped easily, etc., etc. ) and other Yorkie (as much as I love her and she is healthy) I would not breed (too small 4#11oz), poor conformation, etc etc and I had a vet (not their regular vet, a fill-in) suggest I breed her too because of her "extra sweet" disposition and how cute she is (personally I think she looks "scruffy"). Her hips are clearly very narrow (just by looking) - I suppose she might very well deliver pups okay, but it's not a chance I'm taking...not too mention, it certainly wouldn't contribute to the breed...sweet disposition or not!
I remember thinking thank God I got a brain...which makes me wonder a person that just wanted to breed their dog and got information like that from a vet (no less) might have bred their dog, ignoring the obvious (in my opinion). And (not that the vet knew this) but I had a met someone and after talking discovered she had my dog's brother (from the same litter) and that dog weighs something like 8 plus pounds, so clearly there are some "big" genes in there. (thinking mine was probably the runt or something)
Just thinking about being told that by a vet ticks me off. All I'm saying vets, like a GP may know a little about a lot of different things, but it doesn't mean they know that much about "little" dogs (Yorkies, etc). I do think it's important to know the breed you intend to breed inside and out and after learning all you can (objectively) then make your decision.

Would the world be a better place if there were a lot of "sweet" Carly's running around? Probably. Am I willing to risk her life for that? No.
Sorry, world get your own "sweet" Yorkie!!! lol
Kendra

When in one post she says the vet "advised" her to breed, yet in another she says the vet told her to bring the dog in to be spayed, you have to conclude that there is something missing from the story. Also, I don't think any vet who had more than a rudimentary knowledge of breeding would be "pleased" that she bred her undersized female with a smaller male; relieved maybe, but not pleased.

Hopefully, things will go well this time. But it really is a shame that someone who claims to be so interested in keeping her sweet girl healthy would only start researching the signs of whelping with less than 2 weeks to go rather than finding a good mentor before she started the process. Of course, a good mentor would have told her not to breed such a small girl, so maybe that's why she didn't find one.

Sad, huh?