Dog lovers-we could be pregnant!

[Only-me]

We have 2 mini schnauzers Lola and Paddy...
Looks like we could be expecting a litter at the end of Jan (if its not a phantom).
18 months ago we bred them and she whelped 8 but they all died sadly.. We took her to the vets and it was a locum vet that was newly qualified, she kneaded her abdomen forcefully and said she wasn't sure of pregnancy.. A few hours later she started in labour!!! It was heartbreaking .. The vet hospital at Derby were amazing at the time of birth as i did several journeys in the early hours.
They did a post mortem and concluded just premature..but recommended her to have a live litter..
This time I haven't visited the vet but today can see signs she probably is ... So I am treating her as such. Unless its false - will know within 2 wks as should feel them kicking!

Just a waiting game now... Hope she will be okay this time. Just wanted to share my pending news...

Wish me luck .... Both are getting spayed after, only one litter for us

Thanks for reading x

 

[Balance Andover]

I love Schnauzers (as you can see by my profile pic) if she is expecting I'm sure everything will be fine, please post puppy pics if she is

 

[Only-me]

I love Schnauzers (as you can see by my profile pic) if she is expecting I'm sure everything will be fine, please post puppy pics if she is

Aww how cute is your pic!
Thank you.. I'm prepared for it anyway... Just leaving it to nature should be 25th Jan :green:

 

[Only-me]

Here is mum m dad
Paddy - salt n pepper
Lola - black x

 

[pebbles]

Hi

I just wanted to wish you luck! i'm very sorry about your last litter that is quite a lot of puppies maybe that didn't help having such a large litter for a small girl ,but so sad for you.

I was really panicking when my girl had puppies in march this year as it was the first time for me & her, I have a maltese x shihtzu & she had 5 lovely boys, we mated her with a maltese, i took her for a scan & it confirmed she was pregnant but doesn't tell you how many to expect, the vet also told me not to worry she will know what to do, but she didn't (she actually looked horrified when i showed her the first pup) & i had to help by cutting the cord & sacks, once they were all born she was a brill mum though,
if you want any advice please ask, although i'm not an expert by any means,

I was actually thinking about doing it again but it is very hard work looking after them, but worth it, & they all went to loving homes.

Good luck x

 

[ballyboo]

Why would you put her through another pregnancy after what happened last time?

 

[Only-me]

Hi

I just wanted to wish you luck! i'm very sorry about your last litter that is quite a lot of puppies maybe that didn't help having such a large litter for a small girl ,but so sad for you.

I was really panicking when my girl had puppies in march this year as it was the first time for me & her, I have a maltese x shihtzu & she had 5 lovely boys, we mated her with a maltese, i took her for a scan & it confirmed she was pregnant but doesn't tell you how many to expect, the vet also told me not to worry she will know what to do, but she didn't (she actually looked horrified when i showed her the first pup) & i had to help by cutting the cord & sacks, once they were all born she was a brill mum though,
if you want any advice please ask, although i'm not an expert by any means,

I was actually thinking about doing it again but it is very hard work looking after them, but worth it, & they all went to loving homes.

Good luck x

Thank you ... Luckily she was a natural mum so hopefully she will be the same.. 8 is a lot for this breed its usually 6 but come what may! X

 

[Only-me]

Why would you put her through another pregnancy after what happened last time?

I had every intention of not going through it again, but following advice from the surgeon/vet hospital ... He suggested we allow her to have a live/surviving litter for herself.. For her wellbeing.. He believed that if not she wouldn't ever recover fully😳
Plus last time it was purely from a new vet starting her contractions.
It is not for personal reasons..

We got paddy first and he was recommended to be bred to keep his line going.. We decided to get a girl and do it ourselves naturally rather than be forced a mate elsewhere..

 

[Crystal colleen]

Why would you put her through another pregnancy after what happened last time?

I completely agree with this.It's not something I would do.To many unwanted pups and dogs in this country as it is :0(.

 

[Only-me]

I completely agree with this.It's not something I would do.To many unwanted pups and dogs in this country as it is :0(.

These are not unwanted.... And homed to 'vetted' people... Friends and family mainly. Would keep any if needed without a doubt.
I understand your opinion though 😯

 

[jcpark]

I agree that I wouldn't put a bitch through this again, and I question the vet's advice about putting her through another litter and that she wouldn't recover unless she did! Pregnancy puts a huge strain on dogs (far more than us humans) and they have no desires to have a litter - chances are you bitch would have gone back to normal surprisingly quickly. Very few vets have any experience regarding breeding apart from when things go wrong as you found out by the vet that palpated her forcefully. Personally, I don't allow a vet to palpate and get a scan at between 4 and 5 weeks. How far gone is your girl - could you get a scan now? I would recommend it because if she's had difficulties before, you really do need to know whether she's pregnant or not. I know you have been told it was the palpation and that could be the case, but it's not for sure and if she does have problems whelping I would want to know she is pregnant for sure.

I would also recommend you find and experienced breeder as a mentor, as I said, vets, unless they specialise in breeding or are breeders themselves, know very little about the actual process, and I wouldn't rely on their advice.

I'm assuming both your dogs have annual clear BVA eye tests and are hip scored?

 

[Crystal colleen]

I don't mean you wouldn't want them what I mean is a lot of pups get given to people regardless of home checking and the end up in rescue centres for all kind of reasons.Just because someone seems nice and has a half decent home dosnt mean they will remain there forever.

I just think there is plenty of pups and dogs in rescue centres that need rehoming that's all.

Just my opinion.If I wanted another dog or pup I would rescue one .

 

[ballyboo]

I had every intention of not going through it again, but following advice from the surgeon/vet hospital ... He suggested we allow her to have a live/surviving litter for herself.. For her wellbeing.. He believed that if not she wouldn't ever recover fully😳
Plus last time it was purely from a new vet starting her contractions.
It is not for personal reasons..

We got paddy first and he was recommended to be bred to keep his line going.. We decided to get a girl and do it ourselves naturally rather than be forced a mate elsewhere..

Your vet is talking a load of rubbish about it being for her own wellbeing, vets have next to no breeding experience and it bugs the hell out of me when they advise this, it's wrong on so many levels! It's a common misconception that animals enjoy being parents - that's simply not true, they don't mate for pleasure and when they mate they don't understand what the end result will be (puppies) and you will find that mum will be fed up of the pups by the time they are 5/6 weeks and wont enjoy being near them at all.

People put human emotions onto a dog, totally unnecessary as there are literally thousands of dogs out there at the moment and I think it's irresponsible to breed if you don't have a championship winning show dog. Only the very best specimens of any breed of dog should be bred from in my opinion and I only hope that everything goes well for your girl.
I have known many bitches die during labour or c-sections, especially if they have had previous complications. Another thing to consider is health tests - Every breed has a set of health tests that should be carried out before mating to ensure the puppies have the very best start in life. I would check out the kc website for further information, there is a section about breeding and it might open your eyes about things to consider.

In the dog world you would be classed as a backyard breeder, have a look on the champdogs forum and you will see what I mean

 

[ballyboo]

Further reading - a quick google search came up with this

http://www.schnauzerclub.co.uk/health.shtml

 

[Only-me]

I agree that I wouldn't put a bitch through this again, and I question the vet's advice. Very few vets have any experience regarding breeding apart from when things go wrong as you found out by the vet that palpated her forcefully. Personally, I don't allow a vet to palpate and get a scan at between 4 and 5 weeks. How far gone is your girl - could you get a scan now? I would recommend it because if she's had difficulties before, you really do need to know whether she's pregnant or not. I know you have been told it was the palpation and that could be the case, but it's not for sure and if she does have problems whelping I would want to know she is pregnant for sure.

I would also recommend you find and experienced breeder as a mentor, as I said, vets, unless they specialise in breeding or are breeders themselves, know very little about the actual process, and I wouldn't rely on their advice.

I'm assuming both your dogs have annual clear BVA eye tests and are hip scored?

The vet is a breeder of 15 yrs but not in schnauzers...
I have experience in breeding Labradors within the family when I was at home and younger...
Scan booked for January 5th..,
She had no problems whelping at all.. They were premature some born live some not...
I spent 4 yrs with a breeder to refresh my knowledge... Never forgotten surprisingly
Yes of course all tests done, and will be on any pups that goes without saying?
Waited 18 months... After every season she hada phantom...
Wouldn't put any of us through it without serious thought and consideration.

 

[ballyboo]

I agree that I wouldn't put a bitch through this again, and I question the vet's advice about putting her through another litter and that she wouldn't recover unless she did! Pregnancy puts a huge strain on dogs (far more than us humans) and they have no desires to have a litter - chances are you bitch would have gone back to normal surprisingly quickly. Very few vets have any experience regarding breeding apart from when things go wrong as you found out by the vet that palpated her forcefully. Personally, I don't allow a vet to palpate and get a scan at between 4 and 5 weeks. How far gone is your girl - could you get a scan now? I would recommend it because if she's had difficulties before, you really do need to know whether she's pregnant or not. I know you have been told it was the palpation and that could be the case, but it's not for sure and if she does have problems whelping I would want to know she is pregnant for sure.

I would also recommend you find and experienced breeder as a mentor, as I said, vets, unless they specialise in breeding or are breeders themselves, know very little about the actual process, and I wouldn't rely on their advice.

I'm assuming both your dogs have annual clear BVA eye tests and are hip scored?

Agree with everything you have said x

 

[Only-me]

Further reading - a quick google search came up with this

http://www.schnauzerclub.co.uk/health.shtml

I am already a member of this site, thank you

 

[jcpark]

The vet is a breeder of 15 yrs but not in schnauzers...
I have experience in breeding Labradors within the family when I was at home and younger...
Scan booked for January 5th..,
She had no problems whelping at all.. They were premature some born live some not...
I spent 4 yrs with a breeder to refresh my knowledge... Never forgotten surprisingly
Yes of course all tests done, and will be on any pups that goes without saying?
Waited 18 months... After every season she hada phantom...
Wouldn't put any of us through it without serious thought and consideration.

You can't hip score until they are a year old, and I wouldn't put a pup through an eye test except collie eye anomoly which has to be done before 7 weeks of age, and I don't think that applies to minature schnauzers. Not my breed, but I think it's HC and PRA from memory.

I'm glad you've got experienced people around you, but I still question your vets advice (whether they've been breeding a long time or not). In all honesty, I wouldn't breed from a bitch that had repeated phantoms - I'd get her spayed.

Good luck anyway, hope it all goes smoothly.

 

[Only-me]

Thank you for all your thoughts I am not just deciding to breed on a whim..

You will understand I had conditions from the original breeders of my dogs.
I chose to take this on as I know about breeding..
My family are respected breeders.

My dogs have been checked out and I have contacted KC ... There are no issues with us breeding or I wouldn't go ahead.
I am well prepared and if it goes wrong and she needs surgery I am too prepared for this.

I understand concerns and you are entitled to your opinions. This is not the first time breeding just the first time with my own.

 

[Only-me]

You can't hip score until they are a year old, and I wouldn't put a pup through an eye test except collie eye anomoly which has to be done before 7 weeks of age, and I don't think that applies to minature schnauzers. Not my breed, but I think it's HC and PRA from memory.

I'm glad you've got experienced people around you, but I still question your vets advice (whether they've been breeding a long time or not). In all honesty, I wouldn't breed from a bitch that had repeated phantoms - I'd get her spayed.

Good luck anyway, hope it all goes smoothly.

Thank you
Yes its my dogs that have been hip scored before mating... Eye screening is done around 6 wks for this breed.,
She will be spayed after this pregnancy.. I know my bitch and it felt right to mate her ... This is the last time though...
I hope all goes to plan this time for her.