My 9 year old dog (cockapoo) is pregnant.Is she too old?

Question

I fear that my dog is too old to give birth and survive.

Answer 1

That is on the high end of pregnancy age. She could survive but the puppies have a low survival rate. It all has to do with how healthy she is and feed her a good quality puppy food so she will have good calcium and nutrition for the puppies to grow. Get her spayed after the puppies are weaned.

Answer 2

First of all, 9 years for a cockapoo is certainly past prime. But she may do just fine with her litter. If she has never had a litter before it is interesting that she did get pregnant at this age. That does speak for the health of her endocrine system in general (but it's not all green lights yet). If she has had one or two litters before, then it would be a little less amazing that she is pregnant at this time because generally females lose it if they don't use it (in canine theriogenology).

Have the vet check her out and find out how far along she might be. A cardio check, for example, to be sure she doesn't have an arrythmia which could kill her in the process of labor. If she has inflammation in her joints or thyroid issues, these need to addressed during her pregnancy, since the whole deal will be very stressful even on a healthy female.

Learn about what to do to predict when she may be coming into whelp, such as nesting behavior, panting, and dropping body temperature. When this starts to happen, on arrangement with your vet, you must decide if the birth will take place via Caesarian. Older bitches sometimes have inertia... that is their labor doesn't progress to the point where they are pushing the puppies out. If the puppies are in her too long when labor should have started, she needs to have a c-section. (the female and her babies could all die)

This sort of stuff only happens in the middle of the night on a weekend so it seems, so the c-section at an emergency vet will cost a pretty penny. SO... make an arrangement to see if your vet can be on call if you need to come in. Or maybe pre arrange to bring your girl in for the surgery when the time is about right.

For what its worth... not all dogs are the same age at 9 years. Some dogs in different breeds, with excellent breeding, and great care are much healthier and youthful than some dogs at equivalent ages. Some larger ones age more than twice as fast as small dogs. Some small dogs actually age faster than some larger ones. Are the teeth good? How much inflammation does the dog have? (CRP levels) Does the dog do a lot of exercise? How good is the nutrition? Does the dog have allergies? Is the dog a nervous type or calm? ...many things to consider.

Answer 3

She is at high risk for a variety of reasons. Older animals don't deal as well with delivery as younger ones. You also have to consider that a lot of small dogs can't deliver normally anyways and often require expensive cesarean sections. IF you choose to allow her to face these delivery risks she will need to see a vet regularly throughout her pregnancy.

Also, please be aware of the increased health risks she now faces. Animals that breed live 5-8 years LESS than animals that never do. Statistically each litter takes about a year off of their life span. Any pregnancy increases the risks of masticular, ovarian and uturan cancers. In older dogs these risks are increased even more.

Beyond the risks to your dog, there is the additional increase in the pet population. While a lot of people seem to believe a cockapoo is a purebred dog, it isn't. A cockapoo is a mixed breed, aka. Mutt, of a cocker spaniel and a poodle. 7 animals are born for every human being. There simply are not enough homes for all of those animals! According to statistics, most families have 4 people and 1 or 2 pets. To provide homes for all of these animals born, a family of 4 would need to have 28 pets. This would cause additional health and financial problems for both the pets and the family. Without homes for all of these animals, the only result is the euthenasia of unwanted animals. Most counties put at least 15,000 animals to sleep EACH YEAR! There are no homes, and no money to support these animals.

Suppose for a moment that your dog has 6 puppies. You find homes for all 6 puppies. Now go visit your local animal shelter. Pick 6 animals. Is it the basset hound with the doe eyes? The lab that tried to play through the cage door? Maybe it's the Rottie that licked your hand? Is it the bull dog who barked at you so excitedly? Maybe it's the older Irish setter who laid on the floor, looking up at you with eyes that have no hope left? Is it that cute little shepard pup trotting around with his rubber bone?

Those 6 animals will die!

The 6 families that came and bought (or took for free) you 6 puppies will never go to the shelter to rescue those dogs. Yes, your 6 puppies have homes. At least they do while they are puppies. There are a lot of people who want puppies, but don't want a dog. Some of those people REALLY don't want a dog. When your cute puppies stop being puppies they find themselves in the same cages the other 6 dogs once occupied, waiting their own turn.

The best recommendation is to spay and neuter your pets. Your dog will need a private vet rather than a low-cost charity spay/neuter clinic due to her age. She does face additional risks from anesthesia due to her age, just as she faces risks from delivery. A private vet will have the equipment on hand to revive her if something goes wrong. It is better to face THIS risk than the risk of delivery, or worse the dual risks of delivery now, and then spay later when she is even older.

Please make an appointment with your vet ASAP. A dog's gestation is 63 days.

Answer 4

aBsolutely - the old saying of you can't teach an old dog new tricks is totally bogus - Any dog can learn. The older they are, the longer it might take as they can be very set in their ways. However, they can learn. I started a training a 10.5 year old dog, she got her first obedience title on her 12th birthday! Teach the dog a good, reliable recall, and also not to run out of the door. Have the dog sit, and walk towards to the door. As soon as the dog moves out of the sit/stay, tell her "no" and put her back. Never let the dog walk through the door before you. She sits, you walk through, then call her or give her some type of release word such as OK that tells her she can go through the door. Do this every time, and she will begin to think she cannot go out the door unless you tell her to. This can help with her running out. As for the running away - do you have a fenced yard? If not, walk the property line, with her on leash. Allow her to roam at the end of the leash, however, whenever she gets within 3 feet of the property line, tell her "no" and refocus her on you and the rest of the yard. Don't let her get within 3 feet of the line. Again, you are creating an invisible barrier that she will see as not being able to cross. Yes, this is not fool proof - a fence is best. Also, teach her a reliable recall. With her on leash, allow her to get distracted then call her to you. Literally pull her in, if needed, until she is close enough that you can touch her. Make it a happy time when she is coming in - make her glad she is coming to you. Do this frequently, and never allow her to not come when you call her. She will learn that no matter what she is doing, she needs to respond to your commands.

Answer 5

She should have been spayed a long time ago. I raise Chihuahuas and I have them spayed between 6-7 years old. She may do okay at 9 years. I would keep a very close eye on her and have her checked by the vet as things progress. Hope she and pups do okay.

Answer 6

I'm sure your puppy friend will be fine if you don't take long winded advice from people who should probably be spayed them selves. sorry, but it just had to be said. allot of words does not mean you know anything, it just means you have allot to say. good luck and I've been there and my cockapoo lived to be 17 years old after 3 litters.

Answer 7

Yes, typically that is too old for a dog to have puppies. I advise you to take her to the vet immediately to get all of the advice you can get concerning her pregnancy. They will tell you what you need to do to make it as safe as possible.

Answer 8

they will be fine my friends dog is 10 yr old and just had a litter of puppies and her and the puppies are doing great just get her fixed after this litter so she dont have any more


congrats on the soon to be new puppies

Answer 9

If possible try to make it so she gives birth at the vet's office. That will increase the survival chances for both her and the puppies.

Answer 10

yeah but if she is in good health she should be ok to give birth. usually at the age 5 is the cut off age for breeding. but if you still aren't sure take her to the vet and they will look her over to make sure she is ok also want to say congradulation on your new arrivals.