Knocked Up?

Question

I have a friend named Val Taylor. She has a female Beagle named Shiloh. My family and hers, pets included, went on a camping trip up north. We were visiting a neighbors house and they have a male English Bulldog. Well, we got back from camping and a few days later she took Shiloh to the vet for a check up only to find out she was pregnant. Val has no expierence with breeding dogs. She does not know how to go about this. Any POSITIVE advice would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

there isn't much to do, Get a box ready with soft rags, so she has a place to give birth. Place the box in a quiet area. When the time comes, she will deliver the pups by herself. They will open their eyes in about 14 days. She will nurse them for 6 to 8 weeks,
then you can start weaning then on puppy food and water. At this time the pups will start to get out of box and start to run around. Good luck with the puppies

Answer 2

Christina-
Is this the story behind your other questions? This would explain why you said it was happening no matter what any objections or risks were! The people here who've said a spay/abort operation is the safest option are really right. This surgery can be pricey though ($200 range), so be prepared. This particular mix will be a big health risk for her. Were there any other males who might have had access to her? You should probably think worst case scenario, though. If you do a spay/abort, I would schedule it as soon as possible to help reduce the risk to her. How old is she? If she's just young, that is also a risk in her carrying the pups to term. She'll be healthier and no more worries about puppies or in-heat dog mess.

If you choose to go ahead with the pregnancy, get an idea on a due date from your vet (let him know when she had access to the male and he can figure it for you). Get him on speed dial for the C-section she'll need. Pregnancy is 63 days in dogs. Often their temperature will drop as they go into labor from 102.3 normal to sometimes into the 97-98 range. That's the time to EMERGENCY call your vet! She's going into labor. You'll need to prepare a nest area ahead of time and a way to keep the pups warm. A crate, playpen, or even a plastic kiddie pool all work. Towels and blankets are good in the puppy box. I use a dog heating pad for warmth. Consult your vet on how best to feed her both before and after whelping- she'll need lots of extra nutrition. If you google breeding dogs you should come up with lots more detailed info-- look for people who seem to be professional breeders, check for details like the dogs' AKC show records and such to be sure you're getting better quality information. Some show breeders are as much/ more knowledgeable than some vets on this issue!!! There's too much info to pack it in here, but you're welcome to email me privately if you need more advice. She can be spayed after the pups are weaned and her milk dries up.

Answer 3

Christinaa, if your "friend's" dog, or your own, accidentally got pregnant, you or your "friend" (I'm dropping the friend now) should take her to the vet. Once the skeletons begin to form, the vet will be able to do an x-ray to see how many puppies there are and if they are likely to be able to deliver naturally. It is very likely that Shiloh, or whatever your dog's name actually is, will need a c-section. If this pregnancy really was accidental, you and your parents should seriously discuss the option of having her spayed and terminating the pregnancy. Take into account the vet's recommendations regarding the size of the puppies compared to the mother. If you continue the pregnancy, Shiloh will need to be seen by the vet frequently to check on the pups' progress (and to keep an eye on their size). If thye are too big, a scheduled c-section, prior to her beginning labor, will give everyone the best chance of surviving. In addition to vet care, she will also need extra food and a whelping box--your vet can make recommendations.

Incidentally, if you are deliberately cross-breeding dogs of two different sizes--which is generally a bad idea--the female *has* to be the larger one. Seriously, Christina, if you do this, you are likely to kill your dog. I know you don't want to hear that, but it's very likely to happen.

And don't give me, "Telling me not to do it only makes me want to do it." That's a little girl answer. A lot of people with more experience in this kind of thing than you are telling you this is a bad idea. Kicking your feet and throwing a temper tantrum is not going to change the facts.

Answer 4

honey, really this dog needs to be spayed and the pregnancy terminated. There is a good chance your friend VAL is gonna kill her female because of one , lack of experience and 2 money will play a part especially on a c-section.

This is not a good situation your friend Val is in. the other thing is, when she was in heat, why would she take her dog around a male?
there is sooo much into breeding dogs, not just letting a dog mate, have rags ready and mom will nurse like someone said, it is not like that, you have to be prepared for ANY types of emergencys, you need to be ready, the thing is, she doesn't know what to look for, and she won't know if her dog is in destress which will cause her to lose puppies and possibly the female. contact your vet in the morning and ask them what they think, and advise them of the breed, find out cost for c section and spaying and terminating the pregnancy. If your vet feels it ok go to your vet and find out the information she will need to have these pups.

Good luck..

Answer 5

I guess Val has learned her lesson - unaltered animals get and cause pregnancies.

While abortion of any kind does bother me morally, (it's just sad to terminate any life), there are sooooooo many animals in this world that don't have homes and she is now contributing to the problem. Her dog should have been spayed from the very beginning. The neighbors also need to be talked to. They need to know that their dog was responsible for getting another dog pregnant and they need to keep control of that dog at ALL times or get him neutered.

Val should contact her vet about spaying the dog immediately. The pregnancy would be terminated and the dog would never encounter this problem again, no matter what intact male she came across.

I am sorry.

Answer 6

In addition to the great advice others have given regarding spaying this pregnant girl.. I offer a thought....

Does she have the $$ to do a C-section?

Because the notion of a Beagle attempting to birth Bulldog heads sounds like a basic recipe for disaster to me.

It may be less costly and less dangerous to this poor beagle girl to spay her now rather than risk a c-section or attempting to free-whelp and having to do an emergency c-section. Not to mention the fact that the owner has no experience whelping pups let alone a near probable problem litter.

Answer 7

What advice are you looking for?? The dog is pregnant....she is knocked up.

Dogs are naturally good being pregnant. They know what to do even if they have never had puppies. She will know how to give birth, she will know how to nurse. It will be no problem...Shiloh will know what to do. If your friend has questions, she can always ask her vet.

My advice is she should have had Shiloh spayed in the first place. There are way too many animals without homes to be bringing more into the world.
The biggest problem she may have is finding homes for them....start asking now....don't take them to a shelter, they may be put to sleep.

Answer 8

I'm curious as to why she's decided to lie about this... for anyone who's interested, have a look at her previous question.
She asks
"How To Breed?
I have a female beagle and I am breeding her with an English Bulldog. Their both healthy. I don't want to hear about the unwanted dogs and the risks and everything. I am breeding them don't try and change my mind. All I want to know is what I have to do to succussfully breed the two of them."

My advice: desex your poor animal then find it a decent home.

Answer 9

She should be cautious during the actual delivery of the pups since the father is an English Bulldog. A lot of bulldogs have c-sections due to their large heads. If it looks like she's having difficulty during delivery take the dog to a vet asap.

Answer 10

Let nature run its course and tell your friend to give the dog lots of protien so the embryos develop well. Because the father's a bulldog and bulldogs often need C-section when giving birth (due to their big heads) your friend needs to prepare for this when Shiloh is in labor. But because the puppies are going to be mixed it may not be neccessary. Gently excercise the dog, never let her become overweight but do not make her run around. Everything should be fine otherwise, but just watch for major health problems. Also, Shiloh will probably stop eating about a day before labor, just to let you know. But instinct kicks in and she will know how to do everything.

Answer 11

Just shows irresponsible people have no business owning dogs. B1tches can be spayed while pregnant and the puppies aborted - sounds like this will be the kindest and best for all concerned. And the bulldog owners need to get it castrated too.