:sad hello has anyone else had a bitch in whelp with edema around the vulva which looks like testicles vet is baffled in fact three vets came to see and now they are sending pictures to some other vets as none have seen this before ,I'm at my wits end so if anyone has had this please let me know

Currently 55 days from first mating

Kind regards

My 1st whelping experience, the bitch had a huge vulva, bot like testicles, but huge all the same.........apart from needing a c-section for different reasons, nothing abnormal developed with here vulva, after whelping etc, went back to a normal size & appearance

I googled the condition and it bought me to a thread on here in 2008. you may want to do a search on vulva oedema and have a read. Please make sure you read it through as one or two replies  may be a bit concerning whereas others will be reassuring

Fingers crossed it all works out it must be a very worrying time

Thank you I was searching all night zero sleep vets said never seen anything like this before I haven't either, it's the first litter from this girl and she is huge yet only saw 4 pups on the scan which is another worry :-(

http://forum.champdogs.co.uk/topic_show.pl?tid=109617   here you go , sounds like you might want to speak to the vet about watching for pre eclampsia. He may even be prepared to look at this

Hi furriefriends
Thank you so much for taking the time to help me :-) I'm waiting for the vet to call back later so I will def discuss the pre-eclampsia I'm so worried i feel like my heart is in my mouth. She has been sick a few times I have honestly never seen anything like it :-( I wish I could post a picture so you could see how bad it really is :-(

sorry I don't have any knowledge I just own dogs and have never bred  I haven't got a clue what the symptoms for pre eclampsia are in dogs but if that thread is of any use its certainly worth the vet watching and thinking about it to be on the safe side.

have pm'd you

I had a bitch who was expecting a very large litter develop a vulval oedema. It gradually swelled over the last week of pregnancy and hung down like a massive soft tube. The Vet said it was probably due to blocked lymphatic ducts caused by the immense internal pressure. The puppies were monitored and showed no fetal abnormal heart rates but we only let the bitch go one day over her due date because if she was going to whelp naturally she would have shown some signs and was not even starting to dilate. A caesarean was done and all puppies were delivered alive.

Oh this gives me so much hope :-) I pray that's it is the same - don't mind her having a c-sections as long as they are safe.
I Can't thank people enough for your comments I'm still awaiting a call from the vet . she is very stressed tonight been sick can't get comfy at all,  she is huge!  I can't see her going full term but she needs to get to at least day 56 from her second mating as I really don't think she took on the first. When I took her into the vets his description was jeez she has grown very large testicles

I found that phenomena very common in my Boxer bitches over 30 years, all whelped with no problems.
And NO my vet wouldn't have seen it as she was never called.

Just a quick up date she had her pups day 56 c section

What was the reason for the section? Keeping everything crossed for mum and pups.

If it was pre-eclampsia then you may need to watch Mum's calcium levels and maybe need to supplement with Calicum vit d supplement (like CaloCal D).

A French Bulldog by the looks of the avatar...the probable reason, not the oedema.

Frenches toolz your are right