I bitch i know has been mated recently ,(this week) i normally give my girls abs prior to mating just to be on the safe side my question is , is it to late to give them once mated
your thoughts plse

My vet won't give them, he said there is no point in giving them if you don't know what you are treating.....I guess in one sense he's right, also you really shouldn't need ab's the bitches own immune system should be strong enough to cope

I have never given them. I agree with the vet if it's not broke, don't mend it. Never had a problem yet. However I understand if others choose to give ABX but it is not for me as things stand at the moment....always have an open mind though!
Aileen

After I lost a litter earlier this year I followed the vet's and also my mentors advice and the bitch was given antibiotics for a week at the time of mating and then again during the final week of pregnancy. I will do this for every bitch now to play safe as nothing was worth losing an entire litter.

thanks apparently she has lost a litter before so i think its worth it just in case as well as the herpes jab

Im due to mate my bitch over the weekend and we haven't gone down the antibiotic route, but we have had both dogs swab tested for any infections.  I will worm her too beforehand. 

In a perfectly healthy bitch, I would say no, there is no need for antibiotics but certainly in a bitch that misses due to infection etc they can make or break a pregnancy. Given before mating and carried through to a week after mating. Swabs taken on previous misses can usually detect what bacteria is there and the appropriate antibiotics can be given at the next try.