I don't breed and have no plans to but one of my neighbours has mated her bitch and is booked in at the vets next week for a scan.  she thinks the vets do it like human scans but I told her I thought the dog may need sedated.  I'm not sure where I got that info from as I never read the breeding posts on here but can anyone tell me what it involves (particularly as it costs £75).  Is it worth it?

I certainly would not pay £75 and prefer a vet that is reliable at palpation.

Whenever I have had mine scanned they have simply stood on the table and had their tummies smeared with gel, some will clip some belly hair to get a better view, but if being shown this is best avoided.

No, it's exactly like people, sometimes (depending on how hairy a breed you have) they will shave a small patch of fur, but others don't, just some gel and the probe gently resting on the tummy, no sedation at all.

That's good news.  I had her in a right panic as I was sure that there was some sedation.  Who knows where I got that from.  Thanks.

£75.00 is a bit expensive for a scan. I just forget how much mine were but not any where near that. I think they were certainly under fifty.

It doesn't involve sedating. All they do, (well with my hairy lot) is shave a little window on the dogs tum. Gel it up, turn the lights out and put the scanner on the spot. Move it around a bit and lo and behold the pictures come up on the screen. My dogs are done on the floor, standing up with the vet on his knees. I have no problems with them and the dogs don't mind a bit.

As other posters have said, hair shaved (or not, depending on how much fluff there is) and gel ... just like human scan. No sedation at all. A scan last year cost me £30.  £75 seems excessive!

maybe it depends on the area you live in?i know my vet charges £36. for a scan i definatly wouldnt be paying 70 odd for it at all.

My vet charges over £70, so it doesn't shock me.  I'm amazed at how low some vet prices are.  I obviously live in the wrong area.

Most of the vets at my practise shave with my small breed stood on a table.  Although my last girl was having a long labour, and before we tried oxytocin, the on call vet let me hold my bitch in my arms while she gelled her belly, without shaving.  We saw both pups so went ahead.  Oxytocin did the trick and we didn't need a section.  :-)

Ours charges £35 + vat, she's not a vet, she doesn't sedate or shave, (hairy) and she uses vegetable oil, only takes a couple of minutes and she will say straight away if she's in whelp, :-)

I had a bitch scanned at our new vet quite recently (to check she WASN'T pregnant, we had a mismating due to the so and so flirty minx *breaking* a door, and used Alizin) and I was amazed when the vet asked for the bitch to be put ON THE TABLE and laid on her side. I mean we're talking a great big Malinois here!! The table wasn't even long enough! Bitch wasn't impressed, accepted it but not happy, sp had I WANTED and expected her to be pregnant I'd never have put her through that extra stress. All my other scans have been done with bitch stood on the floor, even the little ones. So I know not to go to this vet again for a scan!

> vet asked for the bitch to be put ON THE TABLE and laid on her side

     I don't think any of mine - even the Collies, would like being put on a strange table, and MADE to lie on their sides (it's not as if they're at home, having a tummy tickle!)

Until the one that I held - which, as I said, was a girl that wasn't getting going fast enough, I have always had them stand.

With big dogs, my favourite vet just gets down on the floor with them.  :-)

My bitch was scanned (for pregnancy) standing on the table, and my boy was scanned (for bladder stones) lying on his side, unsedated. A trusting dog will co-operate with whatever its owner wants.

Exactly JG, a trusting dog will co-operate, but why add the extra stress when it is PREGNANCY scanning? It's so unnecessary.