Beautiful Bella due end of March
 

Hi everyone!

My husband and I went to the vet yesterday because our Bella who is 2 years was showing pregnancy symptoms (gaining weight, swollen nipples, morning sickness). This was an UNPLANNED pregnancy. Previously we were highly considering breeding her with our male Yorkie, however, Bella isn't the most healthy dog and so we have been separating them until we came to our final decision (we didn't want to breed her anyways until she was at least two years old). However, while my mother and father were watching the two dogs while my husband and I were out of town, our male ended up breeding with her then.

We went into the vet yesterday with a lot of questions and we did get quite a few answers. However, my biggest worry is that Bella doesn't make it through the pregnancy. Champ, our male dog, is about 5.5-6lbs and Bella is 4.5lbs (now at 7lbs). Bella also has had a few hypoglycemic instances, but not so severe where she would go into seizure mode (I was usually able to catch it right away and prevent it from getting worse). Bella is an extremely picky eater, so I get worried that she doesn't eat enough. However, since being pregnant this past week she has been eating quite a bit (thank goodness!!).

The vet told us to put her on Puppy Food right away especially since she has had tenancies of hypoglycemia. We put her on the Innova puppy food (I read on here that that was one of the best puppy foods) and she LOVES it. However, I don't like to JUST feed my dogs dry food. So my question was what would the best wet dog food be for pregnant yorkies?

Also, I read about whelping pudding and that is something that my husband and I are extremely considering. However, the vet didn't know what whelping pudding was when I asked :(. She did say though that the more puppies Bella has the more chance that she wont need to get the c-section because of the puppies being smaller. Whereas if she only had 1-2 puppies they would be larger because all of the calcium nutrients would be going to those two puppies. Is this true?

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. I want this to be as less stressful for Bella and as easy as possible for Bella. I also want her to make it through it and anything I can do to make that happen, I will. Money isn't a worry we just want our baby bella to be healthy and ready.

THANK YOU!!

What to do!
 

My 4.5-5lb Yorkie female is expecting end of march and I want to be fully prepared!! I am giving her innova as puppy food. Are there any other foods to give a pregnant female Yorkie?? I was reading scrambled eggs, rice, chicken?

I went to the vet yesterday and the vet said she is doing fine and we will find out how many pups she has in two weeks. The doctor says she thinks she sees 3, but it is hard to tell at this time. She bred with my 6lb male Yorkie and it was unexpected x.x. They were staying at my parents house while my husband and I were gone and Bella went into heat. She is two years old and we were possibly thinking about breeding her because we have friends who want Yorkies. However, we were unsure because Bella is so small and we are worried she wont make the pregnancy. So we want to make her as HEALTHY as possible. Money is not an issue- so if we need to spend a bunch of money on healthy dog food or something that is OK. Bella is our baby and we want to make sure we can do what we can to make the pregnancy as easy as it can be and less stressful for her. Any tips would be GREATLY GREATLY appreciated.

We will be having my husbands mother help with the whelping process, as she is a breeder herself for Boxer puppies, but her help will be greatly appreciated.

I was also reading that whelping pudding is good to give pregnant Yorkies as well before AND after? THank you!!

I also want to note that Bella DOES have hypoglycemic tendancies (she did when she was younger). So, any foods that can help with that for pregnant Yorkies will also be greatly appreciated. We are very worried and we want her to be as healthy as possible going into this. So far she has been doing very well though.. Eating great, still being SOMEWHAT active.

Another thing is she does breath louder than she use to... is this normal?? Maybe I am just being paranoid but I want to make sure everything is going well. I did tell the vet about her breathing and she didn't seem to worried about it, but thought I would ask.

LAST thing (for now ha ha). The vet did say the less Yorkies Bella carries, the most likely for a c-section. So she said if Bella carries 1-2 puppies we need to plan for one. However, if Bella carries 3-5 then we wont need to. Is this true?

She is a small one, so do watch her and be prepared for possible problems. I have heard of many smaller ones having problem free whelps as well. An x-ray about a week before she is due will give your vet a good idea on whether or not to expect problems due to head/pelvic ratio and also a good count on the number of pups to expect. Your vet is suggesting the smaller litter may mean a c section due to the fact that fewer pups have more room to grow and therefore may have a better chance to get to large to pass through the birth canal. Breathing louder could be because she is heavy with pups; I've noticed that a little in my girls before as well. Sounds like you've got a good connection with your vet, that's important and having a mentor there to help with the whelp is good also. I give my girls whelping pudding, it is great to give your mama AFTER she has her pups. Extra calcium is a no-no during pregnancy.
Good luck to you and your girl!

Welcome to YT :)! I'm really glad you found us and I want/hope you get some answers and support.

I'm not a breeder, so I'll leave the expertise issues to those wonderful folks. However, I do know a lot about dog health issues (ie, in as far as a layperson goes, that is) and have seen breeding stories here at YT for 8 years now. Also, my bach degree is in Nursing, so my background is in healthcare. Anyway, that's where my opinion(s) come from on these matters....just fyi :).

I'm *VERY* scared for you. I'm very, very, very (is it obvious yet? :)) scared that you are on your way to losing your girl to a pregnancy. Are you okay / prepared for this, if this happens? I just really, truly want you to ask yourself this question...and really feel this question. I don't want you lose her, bc she sounds so precious :(. This was an accidental pregnancy, and there is nothing wrong with having her spayed ASAP and keeping her safe from having to go thru an already dangerous pregnancy (dangerous given her health already). You'd be doing the right thing in making this very tough decision. I'm not saying it's 'wrong' to proceed with the pregnancy -- but holy heck, if it were me...I wouldn't consider going through with it for even 1 second...I would not risk my precious baby's life.

There are incredibly skilled breeders here who have health tested and IDEAL dogs who they may breed...and even in those very ideal conditions, death and tragedy happens...we've seen it here so many time, sadly.

Please think this over very hard...I know you already have and still are....but I can't stress enough how much you're risking here.

Again, welcome to YT, and I hope you get to know a few of us here - there are some wonderful folks here :love:.

It looks like you accidentally started 2 threads about this subject - so I'm merging the 2 together :).

First of all I pray all goes well with you little girl. There are risks in letting her have a litter of pups but there are also risks with spaying and with c-sections. Ideally it would have been best if she has been spayed as soon she had gone out of heat. I don't know if you work or not but I can tell you that the mom will need a lot of loving care and attention before and after she has pups. She will need to be monitored very closely. It will be essential that you make sure she eats well, especially after she has her pups.

As far as canned food goes, I feed mine Pedigree Healthy Digestion and Pedigree Lamb and Rice Puppy food. The Healthy Digestion is great for adults and puppies. I do not recommend the whelping pudding prior to her having puppies.

Please keep us updated and please don't be afraid to ask questions. There is some very good information on YT in some of the older threads posted in the 'Breeding' section. Hopefully you have a good vet that is knowledgeable about small dogs.

bump, OP how is Bella doing today? Just because the vet hadn't heard of whelping pudding doesn't mean you shouldn't use it. Yorkie breeders who have had years and years of experience use it. I'm glad to see your DH's mom will assist you but as you know boxers are not yorkies, and I've read so, SO many times where the poster loses a puppy or two...or the mother. A 4.5 lb female giving birth is a big risk. She may be too small to pass the pups naturally. Be ready for an emergency C-Section. I really do not want you to lose your sweet girl.

I would think about the suggestion Wylie's Mom posted. If you truly love Bella and want her to be healthy, having her spayed now may be the best thing for everyone. What kind of health problems does Bella have? Assuming you haven't done any kind of genetic testing done, the puppies may be born with congenital diseases that will end up costing their future owners lots of money and heartbreak. Good luck virtualgirl, I hope you come back and keep us updated here, there are so many experienced breeders here on YT and their advice is invaluable!!!

I also hope you did not feel attacked in my post, I promise I just want the best for you and Bella! :love: I'm praying for her.

Thank you all for the feedback! It is MUCH appreciated. I am feeling a little upset because I went through my options with my vet and she made it seem like she would be fine through the pregnancy and that we wouldn't need to spay her. She said there would be risks in spaying her and also c-section. She said we would be OK if we watched her carefully and fed her well too. I am wondering if I should go to another vet to get a second opinion. Because believe me, the LAST thing I want is to lose her. I have literally been praying everyday for her to be healthy and for things to run smoothly for her. I will need to give this deep thought these next couple days and make a decision.

As for her health situation right now. She has been doing very well. Extra lovey dovey and eating really well. She is still pretty active, obviously not AS active as normal though.

I did get her tested for any diseases (liver shunts, etc) and she was OK in all of those areas. The only health problem she has was multiple accounts of hypoglycemia. However, she was younger and she never went into seizure.

What do you think about bringing Bella to the vet as she goes into labor? That way if anything does happen she will be right at the vet? The only worry I have here is Bella does like being in her cozy home and it would be a lot less stressful for her. Ahh I am just so worried and disappointed that my vet didn't seem to think it could turn out bad. She kept saying that things will be fine as long as I feed her puppy food ASAP and keep her in a less stressful environment..

If I were you, I might get a second opinion from a vet who is recommended by respected, reputable Yorkshire Terrier breeder. Since becoming a member here, I have learned that many vets have told members here that breeding very small bitches, etc., is acceptable, whereas the expert, reputable breeders of longstanding with an excellent reputation in breeding the Yorkie say that breeding a female smaller than 5 lbs. is definitely far too risky to consider, even if the stud is smaller than the female. What if the stud in this case had an 8 lb. father and 9 lb. mother and most of the pups are quite big? Not all vets have a lot of experience with pregnancy/whelping of very small dogs. And you need one with a great deal of experience and wisdom in that area.

Since your dog's life could very well be at risk either way, a second opinion by a vet highly experienced in working with reputable Yorkshire Terrier breeders caring for their precious breeding females is maybe the best way to go at this point. If you don't know of such a vet, you might contact the most highly respected Yorkie show breeders in your area for a vet reference or maybe some here will have suggestions.

I will certainly be praying for your little girl and hoping that she is going to come through this experience safely either way you choose for her to go.

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Experienced breeders, breeding healthy, strong, cream of the crop dogs, where everything is a controlled situation, pre natal care of both dam and sire, correct diets for the breeding pair, NO MEDICATIONS GIVEN IN CLOSE PROXIMATION BEFORE PREGNANCY OR DURING PREGNANCY THAT CAN CAUSE DEFORMED PUPPIES, post natal care with continuation of correct diet, ....all this carefully orchestrated management of a breeding pair in order to give you the very best chance for healthy puppies, is STILL a crap shoot. We do the absaolute best we can do, based on years of knowledge, experience, etc...but we are NOT God. He still has the final say.... When you have none of the preparations and precautions carefully managed and monitored, it becomes Russian Roulette. You MAY get lucky and come thru completely unscathed, with a healthy litter, free from genetic defects, as well as birth defects, and a momma that not only survives delivery, but lives following the birth of the babies........but the alternative situation is tragic....you loose your momma, you loose your litter....ESPECIALLY when you start out with an unhealthy momma....that Russian Roulette I compared it to ??.....put 3 bullets in the chamber instead of just one, spin the chamber and see how you come out. You just have to ask yourself, "is it worth it???"
That is the question every single responsible, ethical, experienced breeder asks themselves before they put a breeding pair together...."IS THIS THE LITTER THAT IS WORTH MY DAMS LIFE?"

You've been given some great advice and some very clear, honest warnings.
If you decide to continue the pregnancy, keep a very close eye on her day and night as the pregnancy progresses. Hypoglycemia and Hypocalcemia are a real concern both before and after whelp. It is possible to wake up in the morning with her totally unresponsive.
Watch for heavy panting, unsteady on her feet, or a temperature that is outside the normal pregnancy ranges.
Ask Questions and Read all you can, there are some great articles here, and elsewhere. An experienced breeder in your area might be able to mentor you as well.
Since you mentioned she wasn't healthy, and if she gets through this OK, I would have her spayed after whelp and your male neutered to prevent another oops.
Welcome to Yorkie Talk, Keep us informed and Good Luck!

Just checking in to see how Bella is doing?

I was wondering too. How is she doing?

Hopefully, the OP will return and let us know what decision she made for the welfare of her little lady. If she chose to let her have the puppies, I hope she will return and update us on the outcome, good or bad.

Hi Everyone!

After a lot of talk and meeting with multiple vets we did decide to go through with the pregnancy. I appreciate ALL of your feedback and you definitely helped me prepare (as you will read on). I said prayers for Bella and her puppies every single night until her labor.

Last night at 3am I awoke to Bella in her whelping area whining as if she were in pain. I woke up and my husband woke up as well and I told him Bella was having contractions. We got all prepared with are whelping tools and put more towels down (which we actually needed more than what we put down later on). Bella did SO well she ended up free whelping the first four. By that time I was worried because I know Bella's personality and she started getting exhausted when she was going into the 5th puppy contractions. She looked as though she was going to just PASS out. Up until this point I had the vet on the phone throughout the night with questions. But, we decided it was time to take her in to the emergency vet to be safe, along with the four other puppies :(.

Bella ended up free whelping the 5th one at the emergency vet. However, the 6th puppy was completely sideways and the doctor said there wasn't a way for Bella to naturally birth the 6th puppy. They also said it didn't look like the 6th puppy had a heartbeat, but they needed to go in and get her out. We then decided quickly we needed to do an emergency C-Section. I broke down at this point VERY worried for Bella because of her exhaustion of the first 5. They said it would be cheaper to have a doctor with not much training to do the surgery or use one of the top surgeons in the area to do it. Of course with Bella's life, money isn't a worry. The surgeon calmed me down and said she will be fine.

2 hours later the surgeon came out and said Bella is doing fine and the 6th puppy was revived. She came out with no heartbeat, but were able to revive her. My husband and I are calling her the Miracle puppy. At this point I was SOOOO relieved, but still sickened that Bella and the puppies had to go through with this (at myself mostly).

After Bella awoke we went in the recovery room and Bella was awake. She was extremely happy to see us and we were thrilled to see her and the puppies were doing OK. We weren't able to bring Bella and the puppies home then, but we picked her up a couple hours later.

The vet informed us that miracle puppy was not nursing :( and she is only 66gs so very very tiny. My husband and I have been up every other hour making sure miracle puppy and all of the other puppies are nursing. But we are very worried for miracle puppy's health. She is eating from the formula but not from the nipple :(. Any ideas on this would be GREATLY GREATLY appreciated.

As for Bella, she is doing FANTASTIC. She wanted to play, however, we wouldn't let her because we don't want her to get run down. I fed her cottage cheese and an egg today. The doctor said her calcium levels were really good (thank goodness). But, all is going very well. She had SIX puppies!! 2 Females and 4 males.

We got her fixed as well during surgery. I am so thankful that everything went well and I have definitely learned my lesson to NOT risk it. Even though Bella's situation went well and she is doing well now and the puppies, the thought of losing Bella was terrifying.

THANK YOU EVERYONE! :)

Bella's puppies :).

I am so happy that everything has so far turned out ok! I hope miracle baby makes it through...I will be praying for you!

I hope you continue to be a part of yorkietalk...not only from what you will learn (I think i learn something new very single day!!) But also I think you can be a teacher for others in situations like yours, letting them know the ups and downs, the scares and what you would or wouldn't do differently!

Thank you so much for updating us and please keep the pictures coming!!!!

I am just now seeing this thread and to say you got very good advice here, so happy that all turned out good for you and Bella..congrats on your babies

I agree wholeheartedly! I have only been on YT for a few months, but I am learning so much, and I know by your posts that you are, too, and I know I love to see people put into use the knowledge they have gained here. Congrats on the new babies and I'm very glad Bella is doing well. That is a HUGE litter for such a tiny girl! Praying that miracle puppy does well! Keep the updates coming:)

I just read this thread... I was really worried and was agreeing with many that you should have spay. But.... I see you were very pro active in the care of your little one and you had a happy ending!! That is beyond wonderful.. so very very happy for you!

I hope you stay with us on yt... it is a great place to be !

Sorry it took me so long to respond. It took me a couple of days to recoop. Miracle Puppy did not make it :(. After feeding her formula and making sure she was milking once every hour all day/all night she passed Monday at 4am :(. The vet warned us that there was a high possibility she wouldn't make it, but my husband and I wanted to try what we could to keep her alive.

We buried her in our back yard and are putting a stone there for her with flowers. It was very very hard for the both of us.

On a lighter note the other 5 puppies are doing really well, gaining weight and are very healthy. I haven't had any issues, but since little Angel passed, we still get up every couple hours to make sure everything is OK.

So sorry on your little angel! May she RIP. Hope Bella and the others continue to do well!

I've been following your thread & I'm so sorry to hear about Miracle Puppy. You did the best you could. Now her brothers & sisters have a little angel to watch over them as they grow up. Good luck with the 5. I hope they continue to do well. And congratulations to your little Mommy Bella.

Congratulations on Bella's babies! I am so glad everything turned out okay with her whelp/c-section and wish the best for all of them as they continue to grow.

It is always hard to lose a pup, and though we don't always understand why.....nature takes it's course; Angel was just much to small & weak to make it with or without help. You did all you could for her.

Congrats again........enjoy those babies!

How is the litter doing this week? What a roller coaster of a thread!

End of May now.....wondering how babies and momma are doing............

They are doing FANTASTIC. I will post pictures up soon :). They are almost 9 weeks old and so very very healthy. The momma is doing really well too. She is eating healthy and everything is going so well.

We have decided to keep one of the puppies and we are very happy about that :). They are all so adorable and I am so attached to each of them. It will be a very happy and sad day when they leave.

But, we have been so far interviewing people to buy our pups and delivering them to make sure they are in good hands. We also decided to not let them go until 10 weeks as they are not ready yet.

Thank you so much for everything you have all helped immensely.

I'm glad you were on top of things for Bella! Kudos for spaying her too!
One more suggestion.. you might want to consider keeping the babies until they are 12 weeks old. It gives them just a little more of a head start, you won't have to worry so much about hypoglycemia with the new family, and mom will continue to teach them manners and socialization skills.