Hi
Just wanted to run something by you all.
My girl is in whelp but only one pup in there, now my vet wants to do a C section...
She has had 3 pups in last litter but i am unsure if i should let her try have it herself or go straight into a c section.
It is a major op for her that i would rather not put her through but dont want to risk anything.

What have you experienced in this   ??????????

Any info appreciated..
TY

If your breed has a high incidence of C sections then maybe, but otherwise you should wait and see if she goes on her own to at least her due date and if all is well maybe a day more *(does your breed tend to go early or to time?).

Also your vet may be wrong and she may have more.  I certainly wouldn't go for an elective C section unless the bitch failed to go into labour.  Countless singletons have been whelped without intervention.

I am assuming she had no problems going into labour and delivering with the last small litter?

Hi
She had her last 3 pups all okay she went on day 61 last time.
Not a lot of C sections she is a SS pastoral, not sure if i can say what breed...
I want to let her try at least to have it normally..
TY

Considering vets and the DAC are so anti C section, and would prefer that no bitch was allowed a litter after one (Teh KC won't regsiter pups after 2 C sections) I am surprised yoru vet is so gung-ho with wanting an elective one.

Are any of the vets on staff breeders themselves, that is the kind of vet I'd want to be seeing her before decididng what to do if she goes over.

I was told following a scan that one of my girls was carrying a singleton and a c section was suggested due to the possibility of inertia.

I decided to wait and see how things progressed.

She self whelped six pups very easily 2 days before her c section was booked for.

I now always wait.

I am hoping to speak to the other vet who breeds labs, she was great with my other girl.
Off down to see them begining of next week..

Well it looked like just 1 in there unless any others were hiding way up high....
Thank you all.

>Well it looked like just 1 in there unless any others were hiding way up high....

Would an x-ray nearer the due date give you a more accurate indication of numbers/size, then it may make the decision easier?

My vet scans singletons regularly so he can see if they have moved along the horns ready to give birth. This may be an option for you as long as your bitch is happy and keeps still while being scanned. I was worried about one of mine starting late and so I went for a couple of scans to we could plot movement :)

I had a singleton 14 years ago. The vet had to give her oxytocin to get her moving but she helped ok by herself in the end. I also have a singleton here (not bred by me). Her breeder came down to find mum had whelped overnight with no problems. So I would wait and see how things progress.

Knowing how inaccurate vets can be re scans and numbers I would wait till 10days before she is due and get an Xray, this will allow the counting of skulls/spines and the comparison of the the former with the bitches pelvis to see if it will pass through if there is only one pup.

You are then informed and prepared if firstly labour never starts or it doesn't progress, I certainly wouldn't jump in for an elective c/section, this messes with the hormones and milk production so should only be done as a last resort.

Hope all goes naturally for her.

I have a breed that has small litters anyway 1-3 pups.  So I've had a few singletons.  And my breed is known for sections.

Yet I have never had a bitch that didn't have a natural whelping with a singleton.  I would always give my girls the chance to give birth and not put them through an arranged section that may well not be needed.

And I am someone who is off to the hospital like a shot if my dogs need it. 

I say let her try.   :-)

My girl had a singleton.  I kept the thought of a c-section in the back of my mind just in case but she had no issues.

I fould her contractions weaker but pup came out in the same amount of time as other girl carrying more.  At first I didn't think she was getting anywhere as could just see the head for ages, all of a sudden pup was out.  Took 20 mins over all and just over half hour from waters breaking.   I did use Caulophalum 30c (sp)  which i would recommend as a must.  I'm sure it helped in this case.

Good luck

I have had a singleton - I let her go 48hrs over her due time then as nothing had happened I sectioned her.  I have known of people who sectioned slightly early against the due date and the pups basically died as soon as they came out :-(

I'd ALWAYS leave them to their due date, but not more than two days over unless there were definite signs of impending labour!

I was sure one of my bitches had a singleton.  She had whelped 6 pups previously fine.  But, I panicked.  When she had been panting for about 6 hours and it was getting on for midnight, I rang the vet and he did a caesar.  Maybe she would have whelped the pup naturally but I was worried she wouldn't and I just had to do everything I could to save the pup for her.  I once had a dead singleton and never again want to see a bitch go through the heartbreak that she did.

This was before vets had scanning equipment.