Not sure is Shy is preggers... (2 weeks-ish)
 

Hello all,

Shy is 5.4lbs and almost 3 years old. My roommate's male Yorkie got to her this past cycle, while I was away in desert training. Around halfway through the month I was away, I happened to get signal from my buddy saying they locked a few times.

Her belly doesn't really seem much larger (if at all), but, I have noticed she is a little bit warmer than normal (unless that's in my head). Also, I've noticed she sleeps/lounges around more. She doesn't really like jumping up on the chair anymore either. Oh! She doesn't seem to have as much of an appetite anymore either. I mean, she never would devour her food, unless it was mixed with wet food. I've always given her Blue Buffalo/Wilderness, Bil-Jac, or Royal Canin, or a mix of two during switches.

Questions:
With her symptoms, do you think she's knocked up? I know I'll need an xray or ultrasound when/if she gets further along. Plus, now, it'd help definitively prove pups in her. I'd like to avoid the $100 for it right now though.

And would it be good to boil some boneless, skinless chicken breast along with some rice? I've heard it should be a supplement to her regular food. I purchased some chicken an hour ago and kind of want to make it for her, mash up some of her food, and mix it all together.

Thanks for any help!

-James

:cry8:

Chances are she probably is, if its just been a couple of weeks you could consider spaying her now unless this is something you think you are prepared for. Raising a litter of pups can get very expensive.

Chicken and rice are fine for a short period of time, but not long term, especially for a likely pregnant dog.

Start reading, contact your vet, and ideally find a mentor experienced with Yorkie deliveries. The risk of losing your girl and the puppies is very high, especially if you have never done it before.

Thanks folks! I made the boiled chicken and rice, smashed up her food and mixed them all together. She has always been pickey, so she ate mostly the chicken and picked out what she could of her food lol!

I actually wanted her to get preggers. I'm done with long-term deployment workups for now. Plus, my roommate will be here and I have friends that are willing to help. There's a ton of info on YT for me, that I've been reading already. Today I'm getting a heating mat and a few other supplies, just in case. I know I'm all tough with my motorcycle, but, between YT and I Shy means a lot to me. So, I just need to make sure she's eating enough. I've primarily got my food from Petsmart, but, I was reading a post here about some that I've never heard of. Artemis looks great and I've read a lot of excellent reviews...

Anyways, she's doing great today. She has a bit more energy and got a good shower today. I think the likes the feeling of the side-burn trimmer I use to trim her belly hair lol

Here's a vid (if it posts right) of her eating last night.
https://plus.google.com/112534905494...ts/4SFZcNZWb6q

I'll update this thread as we progress.

Thanks a million!

Hi and WELCOME to YT :). Glad you found us.

I'll echo what Maximo said above, in terms of emphasizing just how literally whelping can be life or death. I don't want to scare you too much, but then again - I kind of do, bc SOooooo many people truly don't realize that their dog can die during birth, as can the puppies. Even though birth is 'natural', so too are the innumerable things that can go wrong.

So please, continue to learn as much as you possibly can - most especially danger signs, what to do if you have an emergency (do you know your vet's ER policy with regards to a birth in trouble?), after hours ER. Watch every video you can, ask advice, FIND A MENTOR, read read read, and prepare prepare prepare.

We have a ton of info here at YT as well as links to other educational options. We have seasoned breeders here who could help you and will ask you the tough questions to make sure you're prepared.

Please keep us posted and good luck!

PS. what are your plans for the puppies?

Thanks for the welcome! I'll definitely find someone that's bread Yorkies. I won't say I'm not nervous, any caring dog parent should be. Neither am I an expert. Shy has Banfield. The policies you asked about are excellent info to have. That just shows I need to read more. I've been doing a lot of reading and I'm doing whatever I need to.

If/when the pups are born, I plan to give one to my recently widowed mother after it's at least had it's shots completed. Although, I hate separating pups from the mom... Anyways, as it stands right now, I like to see Shy happy. It's been a long time to get her to be not scared of everything. I see it as something she'd love to have. I dunno, maybe it's dumb, but, I think she needs the pups too.

I have to run to do some errands. I'm off until Wednesday afternoon, so I'll be including her supplies in my errands.

Thanks!

I am guessing you did not do any health testing or available genetic testing? If you didn't and you don't know the lines of these dogs then you need to be prepared to take full financial responsibility for any puppies born because some can be born with genetic illness (that might not pop up until 2 years of age) and some of the puppies could even be born with illnesses they suffer and then don't make it. Your dog might also need a c-section which is a couple thousand dollars. Also breeding is a lot harder then you think and you very well could lose your dog as well as any puppies she has especially if you do not know every single sign of distress because you could miss it and very easily lose your dog. If you really really love your dog you should keep her as a pet and not risk her life and get an emergency spay.

Welcome to YT.

Ann and Kristin have made some very valid points. Experienced well known breeders sometimes have issues that is hard for them to deal with. I highly recommend you find a breeder that will help you through this. I will tell you now, just you and a couple of your friends will not be able to deal with this without any help- You can research on YT all you want, but that doesn't mean you will be ready when she comes into labor.

If you don’t want to spend the $100 for an ultra sound how are you going to pay for an emergency c section? Are you going to “avoid” the puppies vet checkups, vaccinations, medicine if needed?

You should really look into taking her and getting her spayed- As wrong as it sounds.

Breeding is not something to take lightly.

You need to find a breeder mentor there is so much to whelping and raising a litter there is no way to learn everything reading on here. you need someone with experience

Hi and welcome to YT. Shy is adorable and certainly liked her dinner, cute video. I hope all goes well with her pregnancy. I hope you can find a mentor to help with all the pregnancy details. From what I have learned on YT pregnancy is small dogs can involve scary risks...I'm so glad Buster is a boy. Best wishes to you and Shy.

Thanks Buster and Chachi.
I'm looking into the options now. It's nice to see not everyone is judgmental and assuming I'm incompetent. I understand that there are risks. I'm not 100% set on letting her keep them either. Would either of you know how I go about contacting a mentor? I didn't notice a sticky about listed mentors here. Or should I just read breaders' posts and determine which is best?

We werent judging you- some of us asked you legit questions.. So when are you going to get the ultra sound?

I will say I was judgmental but how can you not be when dealing with a dog that has no voice. A dog is 100% fine never being a mom its not something they need and it is very unsafe when you don't have a reputable breeder in your town who can come over and help you whelp. By having puppies you are putting her life at risk. It is also VERY expensive to have a littler of pups you might have to do an emergency spay which is a couple thousand dollars, docking the pups tails and having there dew claws removed taking care of multiple pups for 12 weeks it adds up fast. What if you have a puppy that wont nurse and has to be bottle fed very hour?

Oh, to me, some questions seem condescending. If that isn't the case then I will determine how far along she is and go to 21-25 days. I'm assuming she's +/-17 days along. That gives her just under another week, for US to be able to detect additional heartbeats.

Why did you want her to have puppies?

I took a peek at your older posts and in one of them you said Shy was 4 mo in Feb 2012. So wouldn't that make her only 1.5 yrs now? A LOT of too young females have troubles whelping, some even freak out and kill their pups. Not all make good moms either, and esp you say she is/was scared of everything, this would probably make her scared as well. If I had a fearful dog I would never think of breeding her bc temperament gets passed along as well, not to mention, just keep her happy and spoiled as a pet only.

As for your other questions, I agree with the others. Having a litter is very expensive and adds up quickly. You cannot skimp on things like ultrasounds and vet visits. Some other people want the pups gone as soon as they can as well to not incur more expenses, but that does a huge disservice to the pups' learning to leave their mom before 12 weeks of age, esp for small breed dogs.

If she is a fearful dog I would be worried about her being terrified while whelping it just doesn't seem like a kind thing to do to a fearful dog.

I know.

However, I'm not going to get into an ethic debate. I came here to ask questions and for help. If I were being a true braggart then I wouldn't have bothered. I'm not by any means an expert, but, I also didn't need an expert and I'm sure a well-respected breeder telling me I shouldn't do something. Actually, something quite the opposite. Nowadays people seem to only promote others "on their level". Pointing out risks and hazards are great. Providing all the routes and possibilities of anything is always a great characteristic of a good expert. I can only assume you were not offering to be my mentor though, as you were not trying to promote my joy in the possibility of my loving Shy being gifted with pregnancy.

I'm sorry for the rant, but, human nature is to rebut someone who instantly criticizes them. If I were trying to convince on of my junior service-members to not purchase a vehicle or to wait and find another place to do so, then I'd give them all the options. If they really wanted it their way, I'd tell them it's their choice and try to help them make the best decision. Granted, this is not a vehicle so the metaphor isn't exact. Either way, thanks for posing the questions. Admittedly you were being judgmental, but, I choose to believe your heart was in the right place.

To all who are being so helpful, thank you.

Being the reason of her getting " knocked up" is because he wants her to be happy" is not a vaild reason- to be honest it is one of the worst ideas used for people who want to breed.

Maybe he should've tried to make her happy by working on her fears, making her more of a non fearful dog that is comfortable with herself. That would've made her happy!

Thanks Capt,

Yeah, I was thinking of how old she is... She's 2 years almost, not under 3. That's the possible pappy. I hadn't thought of how skiddish she is/was. That is something that makes a lot of sense. I wouldn't mind the needed money spending, but, I've been looking into the pup care. I've been reading all sorts of sites and YT and there is a lot of time devotion. With my own personal time I don't mind little sleep, but, work takes time away from her and the pups. I certainly would love to take a month of leave and care for them as well. However, a month doesn't seem to be enough...

That's a fantastic perspective you brought up. Thank you!

I take your nonconstructive comment and tip my hat.

GUYS!!! He has some valid points here. I truly understand and agree with all points here but when some of the senior members attack those who have questions it doesn't help. He is in the situation that he is in based on a choice he has made that you may not agree with. Well since we can not change his mind on the decision the only viable thing to do now is help support him in all aspects of the process. You/I may not like it but now it is time to help him in order to prevent any wrongs that could come up.

Once again you can't change the past. Lets be supportive for the future, aye?

Well if this is something you wanted to do.. How come you didn't research it before the tie happened?

You are saying you don't need an expert? I don't understand how you think this is a gift.. Do you know the health background of the dog she tied with... Has your girl ever been tested!? Do you know her background?

You are taking this as it is going to be sunshine and happiness.. You are highly mistaken.

You apparently are not known of the dangers of breeding a small yorkie female. I would say she is about 4.5 pounds- maybe 5 but in the picture she looks closer to 4. I guess if you were one to freak out about things you would have research breeding before the tie happened. Hold on let me bow to you because you had a planned tie and decided to come on and ask questions. After the fact. Being a member on Yt for a while I've read horrible stories on this subject- it is very said to see. So many things can happen and all for what..?? You wanted Shy to be happy and have some babies.

Very sad. I wish you the best of luck. I pray you have a spay and neuter contract with the puppies, I hope you don't make Shy go through this again. I pray Shy makes it through this and her and her puppies live a long healthy life. Hopefully one day you maybe can work with Shy to make her a non fearful dog.

Well I hope someone steps in and becomes his mentor and we bring this back to the pups for Shy's sake. :) Good luck and welcome to Yorkie Talk. :D There are many personalities around here you'll find - the one thing we have in common is we love the dogs and care about their wellbeing first and foremost.

Just read the whole thread and clearly you are an intelligent well versed individual. Your earlier posts lack any substantial knowledge of what you are dealing with and your more recent posts indicate to me that you are researching and educating yourself and I commend you for that. I'm pretty sure you are a quick study and that your tenacity in educating yourself will lead you to make proper decisions regarding this pup! Keep us posted I am definitely interested in what you decide to do.

I commend you for coming on here and asking for help and doing the research. There are lots of people who wouldn't bother even doing the research or asking around.

I ask that you please call your vet and add up all of the possible complications and expenses....c-section, tail and dewclaw docking,pregnancy checks, ultrasounds and first shots...those are only some of the things that come to mind. One of the ladies here recently stated in another post, that her puppies came down with parvo and it cost her $30,000 to save the litter. Breeding is very expensive...and there's not much, if any financial reward, unless you are cutting corners and not doing it right. I am not saying you are doing it for financial reasons and it doesn't sound like you are...but it just seems to be a huge "myth" that a lot of people think they are going to get rich off their puppies...when really, a lot of times, you spend more than you make.

The reason I am bringing up all of the vet costs is because my SO is former military...recently got out...and there is no way we could have afforded all the vet bills from a pregnancy. I don't know what you do or your financial situation, but I can just tell you our experience.

In fact, recently, my 10 year old yorkie got sick and I've spent well over $2000 on vet bills in the past few months just trying to diagnose what is happening, and we still don't know....I was just at the vets AGAIN yesterday...and I am the one that's paid ALL of the vet bills and ALL of the pet care because he is going to school on the GI bill, and the little money he is making right now, barely covers bills.

PS....I also hope you aren't getting deployed anytime soon...because having puppies would be a huge responsibility to put on someone else. My SO said that usually gave him about 3 month notice...and the whole pregnancy and puppyhood(until 12 weeks of age and they are ready to go to new homes) is about a 5-6 month commitment. Just another thing to think about!! If you are planning on leaving, I'd have whoever is going to take care of the dog start reading up/learning too if you find out you aren't going to be there throughout.

He has been a member here since 2/2012. He has had plenty of time, and the resources available here at YT to do research on what goes in to breeding BEFORE he and his roommate got the bright idea to stick two dogs together.

That, IMO, makes what he is doing exceedingly irresponsible. You can't learn what you need to know about safely whelping on a website or by watching YouTube videos. You need a hands-on mentor who will be there with you during the whelp, and preferably had you assist with a whelping before your own dog does. There are so many things that can go wrong, before during and after a whelp, and it takes an experienced eye to know how to intervene or when an emergency vet is needed to prevent the loss of either a pup or the dam.

The OP describes himself as being in the medical field. Hopefully he will realize that his training doesn't cover this. I would also hope he would realize that it's both offensive and trivializing to refer to breeding as "preggers" and "knocked up".