Help i have a pregnant bitch and don't know what to do about the c section, I don't have the money to pay for it what do I do.

Not all of them need elective sections, is she from a line known to self whelp? If she needs a c section you will just have to find a way to get it. Phone around as some vets will do payment plans, failing that your looking at borrowing money from someone/somewhere or using a credit card. Don't Waite untill she is due start now looking for the money.
It's one of the things to take into consideration when breeding making sure you have funds for emergency care.

Also how far along is she? If you can't afford a c section if needed and if she isn't too far along you can look at terminating the pregnancy

Totally irresponsible to have mated your girl without having the funds to be able to afford any form of emergency vet care.
If I were you and if she's nt that far gone get the Alizin jab and stop the pregnancy, a lot lot cheaper than allowing this to go through and potentially need a c section.
Accidents happen but most responsible people act on it and do the jab!!!

I echo what Suejaw said. You can only hope she can whelp naturally. Or if not then you have a vet who will be happy for you to pay in instalments. If you do not have a good relationship with your vet or you use one of the big national vet groups they will want the money up front. Why did you mate her if funds were so low ? How do you expect to pay for food for the pups or other vet bills if pups are ill ? An out of hours c-sect can cost you anything up to £1000.  You can probably find a vet who would PTS a bitch who was struggling to whelp and whose life was in danger but not to perform expensive surgery with no possibility of being paid. You are more likely to be turned away at the door.
Go and speak to your vet now and if it is too late to terminate the pregnancy then try and sort out a plan before it becomes an emergency. Don't just leave it to chance. Maybe you can get some emergency plan sorted before it is too late and you are running round in the middle of the night with a bitch in trouble trying to find a generous vet who cares for your bitch more than you do.
Aileen

The Alizin injection can be give up to 42 days post mating. 

I'm hoping this is an accidental or unknown mating and you have just discovered this. 

A gravid spay could be performed, should cost somewhere between normal spay and a planned C section.

I hope you do not have to have a C-section and all goes well. It is something I have not yet had to encounter, Hopefully not for you either but I assume
it is a breed where it is usual to encounter this and you have only just realised that.

Matt you haven't advised us if you are having to have a c - section? If one has not been advised then I hope all goes well naturally. If you are on a low income RSPCA  may be an option re vets bills. Or the dogs trust if you turn your dog over to them they can look after and re home pups and mum. Then you will be yes left without a pet but free from finances you cannot afford?

> Help i have a pregnant bitch and don't know what to do about the c section, I don't have the money to pay for it what do I do.

What at this point, makes you think a C.Section is needed?   A vet wouldn't start this until the bitch has gone into labour, and at the point where clearly she can't self-whelp!   Elective C.Sections for bitches?   Hum.  At the very least, I'd need her to be x-rayed to see the size of the puppies and whether she is going to be able to self-whelp.

Secondly IF your vet knows you, they should also know that you 'll have puppies to sell eventually, and might be prepared to accept a smaller payment in lieu of you clearing your debt once you have sold a puppy!   Otherwise quite frankly YOU presumably put the bitch in whelp, so you should be aware of the possibility of her running into problems and needing professional help to get these puppies out.

Ditto if it comes to borrowing from a friend/relative to pay the vet if they won't give you credit.  Give them an IOU stating you will honour your debt once you have funds in from the sale of the puppies.   Hoping they do all survive of course!

Add -  For sure, IF this pregnancy is in the early stages, a gravid spay would be a sensible option because with or without the need for surgery, doing a litter is EXPENSIVE - food, registration, heating and lighting costs, whelping box (if you don't already have one), YOUR TIME and so on.

> doing a litter is EXPENSIVE - food, registration, heating and lighting costs, whelping box (if you don't already have one), YOUR TIME and so on.

I would not contemplate a litter without £3000 to hand, as on average with, pre breeding hereditary health screening (minimum hip scoring and eye testing, + breed specific DNA tests) for the bitch, stud fee, travel, and all related expenses with a pedigree litter, a litter without vet intervention costs me around £2000.

It's ok I've sold one of the pups for the money upfront so I've got it was just really after advice not a telling off

LOL... I hope you have at least one live puppy then !! I wouldn't spend the money yet though....

Got money now thanks for advice

I hope for your sake that if a c-sect is required that you do get a puppy to honor this agreement and that you don't loose the pups. Sadly sometimes things go horribly wrong. You could end up paying for not only the op but having to return the money to the gullible person who paid up front for a puppy that is not yet born or is the wrong sex, or has a cleft palate, or is born with a deformity..... or dies, or is ill and needs veterinary care, I could go on, but no doubt  it will make no difference to you at all.
Aileen

"wanted advice not a telling off"

Then maybe you should have expressed yourself more clearly in the original post.
There's great advice available here, but you did come across as irresponsible in the OP, and people have the best interests of the mum and pups at heart over and above their owner.

Wow!!! I hope that you have a puppy suitable for this owner then.
No responsible breeder would ever take full payment for a puppy prior to them ever being born, you scream to me as someone wanting to make a quick buck off the breed and I hope all goes well for the mum and pups but really wish you some bad luck too so you know how hard it is but that would be mean and I don't because I want the best for your girl and her pups.
I've got a litter of 8 weeks here and did everything right and spent a lot of money and a lot of things have gone wrong because that's life and it's been bloody hard work, I spent many hours crying because I was struggling with NO sleep!!

Tell me what health tests have you done on yor girl because the breed do need them and have various levels of health testing

I did my first litter in 10 years and ended up with 5 puppies (high priced breed). I had to do my accounts to demonstrate to the HMRC that no profit had been made after my husband's ex wife decided to report us for tax evasion (malice intention). Anyway, it cost me more (AFTER puppy income) to have bred my own pup than it would if I had gone out to IMPORT a puppy from Europe. It will take us a good couple of years to recoup enough funds to do another litter. This was with an incredibly cheap emergency c section too!

> and people have the best interests of the mum and pups at heart over and above their owner.

Never a truer word.  .

I agree with Barbara about saving at least £3,000 prior to mating a bitch.

I have a breed that isn't easy to breed.  I advise newcomers to the breed that they really need money in the bank.  But do they listen?  No of course not.  They believe that it couldn't happen to them.  And my greatest worry here is that the OP won't recognise a bitches difficulties.  Or that the signs are recognised but ignored.  (If they leave her long enough the problem will resolve itself.)  It's always the bitch who is my greatest worry. 

And yes, sometimes the experts come across as "telling off" the OP.  They want an expert reply and don't want any criticism.  You have to be fair and say that it is difficult when someone doesn't want the bitch to suffer.

To give you an up to date cost for a c-section, my bitch required an emergency c-section 5 weeks ago at the out of hours vet and it was £1700. I couldn't agree more with other comments made about it being irresponsible to breed your bitch without having the necessary funds in place...not only in case things go wrong, but just as importantly to ensure that you can afford to do things right...by your bitch, her pups and your prospective owners.

And as for selling a puppy upfront for the full amount I am astounded that you are prepared to even contemplate taking money upfront!

I can only assume that you are not an experienced breeder and I hope your bitch copes well with her pregnancy and the whelping and rearing of her puppies. It's a shame you have expressed the fact that you only wanted 'advice and not a telling off' as this forum provides a wealth of advice and support for all of us and you may well find yourself needing to ask for both!

I think we have been "trolled"

Surely anyone who needs money thinks of all these things first (credit cards, payday loans, payment plans, borrow from a friend).

He's just come along and pressed all the right buttons to make responsible breeders angry.

> I think we have been "trolled"

Genuine enquiry I think you will find and thank you to those whom offered advice. There may be others that find themselves in a similar situation and are worried and want an answer to the same question, but have been afraid to ask. Please remember that your answers could help more than just the person whom posts.

You could well be right, I never thought of that. It would be such a shame if it stopped people giving their invaluable advice to genuine cases. So many people have been helped by this site and heaven knows how many dogs and pups are still here because of it. There are some funny folk out there.

> No responsible breeder would ever take full payment for a puppy prior to them ever being born,

Amen to that.   And just lately (in my main breed) I've noticed breeders advertising an EXPECTED litter which to me, is tempting fate and not something I ever did.   I'd take a note of people phoning/emailing (much as when I was breeding, it was more usual to phone!) in my 'little book' and once I had puppies on the ground, call them to let them know.  Some had gone elsewhere (even to another breed!) but many hadn't.

I didn't even take a deposit!

Well call me old fashioned, but I wouldn't go into breeding if I didn't have the money to do so. Nada. Nope. Irresponsible. If that isn't stressed then anyone will do it for a potential quick buck.

IF a c-section is required, and this breeder spends that deposit money on it - then all the pups die. There will be a another post asking "how can I get money to pay back a puppy buyers deposit." I wonder if this puppy buyer signed a contract on paying? I wonder what it said?

Matty, I see you have now got the money for a c-section, but I would strongly recommend you applying for a credit card...there may be other expenses, problems with pups....and worse case scenario no pups making it, leaving you owing the pre-paid puppy people. At least you can then give them something back I guess, and then borrow the rest of the money from someone/where else.

Here's hoping all works out well.

>Well call me old fashioned, but I wouldn't go into breeding if I didn't have the money to do so. Nada. Nope. Irresponsible. If that isn't stressed then anyone will do it for a potential quick buck.

Totally agree. However, my point is that it is wrong to assume such posts are made by 'Trolls' and that those 'trolls' are trying to get a rise out of everyone. The minute the word 'troll' is introduced into a thread, then the thread goes down hill fast and that is what I am trying to avoid. Don't forget that not all 'troll' posts are bad or out to cause mischief. Sometimes a 'troll' will ask a question that is very valid but no one else has the brass neck to ask. Better to assume that all posts are genuine and try and help - and if you really feel that a post is not genuine, then do not reply Now, back to the subject ..

I'm shocked at how unprepared people are. I was at the vets last week and a couple came in with a dog needing an emergency c section. I don't know how much it was going to cost but they said they couldn't afford it (this was normal surgery hours). What shocked me even more was then as they were about to leave they asked 'is she going to be in overnight and if so what do we do about the puppies we have at home?' I've never bred but surely it is common sense to have such plans in place. I also then thought are the new pups home alone....

And just lately (in my main breed) I've noticed breeders advertising an EXPECTED litter which to me, is tempting fate and not something I ever did.   I'd take a note of people phoning/emailing (much as when I was breeding, it was more usual to phone!) in my 'little book' and once I had puppies on the ground, call them to let them know.  Some had gone elsewhere (even to another breed!) but many hadn't.


Gosh your breed must be easy to sell! I always start advertising on my website and possibly in annuals/yearbooks AT LEAST one year before I do a mating. Otherwise I'd stand no chance of getting the right buyers. I also find the best buyers are more often than not those that contact you a year or more in advance, taking their time.

I am lucky (as it stands now) am in a breed where if you are known it is usually easy to sell pups. Only once did I advertise in advance and I lost the entire litter at about the 6 week stage. Never again have I announced a forthcoming litter even after a positive scan. Good experienced buyers usually join my list and wait or are in the right place at the right time so to speak.

> What shocked me even more was then as they were about to leave they asked 'is she going to be in overnight and if so what do we do about the puppies we have at home?' I've never bred but surely it is common sense to have such plans in place. I also then thought are the new pups home alone....<img title="eek" class="fsm fsm_eek" alt="" src="/images/epx.png" />

I had a bitch whelp 7 pups on her own but the last pup just wouldn't come..she had to have an emergency c section for the remaining 2 live pups. We left the 7 at home for 30 mins.. safe under the heat lamp whilst the bitch went in for the few hours for the section The case you mention could probably the same thing??

> I always start advertising on my website and possibly in annuals/yearbooks AT LEAST one year before I do a mating. Otherwise I'd stand no chance of getting the right buyers. I also find the best buyers are more often than not those that contact you a year or more in advance, taking their time.

Ditto

> Gosh your breed must be easy to sell!

Have you ever seen a baby Basset?      Fact is only once have I had to advertise puppies for sale, which I did with the Kennel Club (lists) and was horrified to find myself listed with KNOWN puppy farmers.  Never again.   Word of mouth meant I had a good number of phonecalls, whether I had puppies on the ground, or not.   As said, I'd take names and phone when I had puppies, well established puppies!, available.  Ten to one quite a number had given up waiting and gone elsewhere (no loss as far as I'm concerned - they clearly didn't necessarily want my bloodlines!), or even bought a completely different breed.

Perhaps but they didn't seem to have a clue about what was going on or what to do.