I am a bit shell shocked as came back from scanning my bitch earlier to-day only to find there is just one puppy.She is 5 weeks and the lady doing the
scanning is VERY experienced.  The scan was clear as a bell and after the immediate seeing a puppy I was so excited only to be dashed within the following
moments. I have been very fortunate over the years and never experienced this and now all my head is filled with is the potential seriousness of a single puppy.

We've had a couple of singleton puppies - the first was one of two but due to my inexperience, one was lost during the birth.   The second, a bitch and much later on, was kind-of expected (I don't scan as that only tells you what's there, or not, at the time of the scan, not whether they will still be there at birth) as although that bitch expanded up to 5 weeks as normal, after that she didn't seem to be any bigger really.   She could well have reabsorbed.  The singleton pup was C.Sectioned (typical!) because being the only one, she grew big.   And that continued after she was born.   She had the entire milk bar.   The only problems we had was making sure she took from each teat as much as possible to avoid mastitis.   And once mum was not interested in being with her, I took to carrying her round with me as I felt so sad for her all alone in the big whelping box!   As a result, she was well spoilt and all through her life, we kept her, she was just that, a spoilt brat and ruled the roost big time.   The others showed her a ton of respect!!

I'd just say keep a note of her due date and don't let her go much over as the singleton pup will keep growing and the possibility of a C.Section being needed, increased.   Plus being the only one, somehow the urge to be born doesn't seem to great - so again, they tend to 'sit'.

Yes all the things banging around in my head. Is it awful to hope that when we go again there is nothing there?

Even though you've only seen one, it's very possible there are more!  Ultrasounds are not really reliable for numbers (even with good scanners) - so let's hope there are more.

I'm not sure why you'd prefer to see none rather than one :(  Singletons don't usually have any problems and there's a lot less mess than with most litters! 

Do take care around whelping though, as just one puppy sometimes doesn't trigger the hormones enough to result in a natural whelping and c-sections are more common for that reason.

Good reason I think I would rather my bitch did not have to go through ceasarian. I have never had to have one yet and would rather be in the position of trying again next time.
Nature will have its way I realise that but yes I am all over the place at the moment.

Of course I realise this could happen any time but one appears to be walking into it.

Of course I realise this could happen any time but one appears to be walking into it.

I had a singleton once and agree the milk bar can be a problem but we did find that the front teats dried up and he used the 4 at the back. He was big and we had a C-sect. He also was lonely and we spent a lot more time with him he soon was out of the box and under our feet. It's not so bad if you have other gentle dogs for him to play and learn from. He was spoilt though but made a good pet for his new owners. Sadly he died young to Cancer. I too would prefer none to a singleton.

I have no breeding experience and nothing to offer in advice Hazenaide. But I did want to say that even the most skilled of us get it wrong sometimes. I hope your scanner made a mistake. Your girl is lucky to have an owner who is so concerned about her.

I have had a toy bitch give birth to a single pup, it was extremely straight forward. However, in my large breed I personally know four different people who have had bitches pregnant with just one pup, and all four ended up with sections and a dead pup as the bitch was sectioned too late, so do please be careful. I'd keep scanning and do reverse progesterone testing.

reverse progesterone testing was suggested by the scanner

We had a singelfon this litter (also our first litter) I took mine for an xray two days before her due date by first maiting 1 to defernatly confirm just the one and 2 to see how big the pup was. My worries was either the pup Bing huge and getting stuck or her not going to Labour.
Xray confirmed just the one and my girls breeder reckoned it looked big. My vet told me once she passed her due date by second maiting if nothing bring her in for a section. She actually went that night and after speaking to a couple experanced breeders one being a vet nurse they both said they would get a section as it was out of hours if something did go wrong by time we got to a vet it would likley be to late for the pup. Called my vet for his opyion and he agreed with them. So we took her down.

Pup was a big lump and gained every time I weighed him. Mum didn't look like she had much milk but must have had enough as he was happy and fat. We did have to keep moving him to diffrent nipples and he didn't seem too fond on the back ones and if left to it he wouldn't feed on them one espicialy. That teat started to go firmer and bigger than the rest so we started making him feed on it and lucky it went back to normal and didn't happen again with us making sure the back 4 all got use.

I was warned to watch out for swimmers so we put rolled up towels under the vet bed and also put some diffrent sized teddys in the box to prevent him always lieing flat on his chest. I also only clipped the frount claws as I know when a friend had a big pup in a litter that one was slow on its feet being a week behind the rest. So I left his back claws to give him some traction. Weather it worked or not I can't say but he wasn't slow getting on his feet.  

He does mouth and bite too hard more than my girl did, not surprising as he had no litter mates to learn that stuff from and mum kept wouldn't tell him off untill he was much older but now she has given up I think unless he realy pushes it. He is a bit of a spoilt brat if im honest lol

I've had a singleton and yes she did need a C-section, but the puppy was fine, no problem suckling from all the teats, and she's lying on my lap fast asleep as a healthy 7 year old. :-) (Her mother is snoring further along the sofa)

I've had loads of singletons (my breed only has 1-3 pups.)  Half were whelped naturally by the bitch, and half needed sections.  I know it's personal choice, but once a bitch has a section I don't mate her again.  I would hate to put them through a second section.

My first litter was a singleton. On day 63 from mating I took to driving my girl around, walking her and keeping her moving. I also didn't up her food as I would have done should there have been a litter of size. She whelped naturally and the pup was the same size as subsequent pups have been at birth.

As soon as she was born, mum picked up her ball and went outside to play! The maternal instincts did not kick in at all. She looked at it and at me as if to say 'you wanted it, deal with it!'

The little pup spent the night down my bra and I forced my girl to lie and allow her to feed. Maternal instincts kicked in the following morning and she took over from me.

Puppy was fully  housetrainedby six weeks, passed her KC puppy foundation at 13 weeks (we had to get special permission as she was becoming food aggressive but she started puppy socialisation early. The vet basically advised that she had immunity from mum and the risk was low so as long as puppy school were aware, it was fine.

She was a spoilt little madam but is a very well balanced young lady now.

My girl is a large breed and whelped naturally. It can happen :)

Thank you everyone and reassuring to hear a natural birth. I have had her to the vets tonight though because she had a discharge. Quite thick but a beigy colour.
My vet has advised me to leave well alone. I am taking her for another scan next week so we will know more then.

Have u bred from her before and what is her normal size litter?if not what was her mums litter size? Y do u suppose she only had had one pup? If she normally produces a big litter and is a big breed I am curious to know theories on what makes an unusually small litter?

Her first litter.
Her Mum had 10 then 5, her Grandmother 12 then 14 the 14 included her Mum ( there were 15 but we lost one), her Great Grandmother 11 then 7!
The only difference is that whereas the former were similar in looks, she does take more from her Father's side ( which I wanted) - she had a first at Crufts
this year and I would love to at least emulate one like her????
I have never found myself with just one before ( from the scan) she had a normal season and was mated 15 and 17 days, similar to her relatives but maybe just not the right time for her. I did not test as does that before without success, do have a draminski ovulater and as before went by my instinct. Clearly failed.
Going for a 2nd scan next week to try and get an idea whether the first scan was right.

Possible you mated to late and need to try her earlier.

2nd scan to-day after 2 weeks and still one puppy. This time we could see puppy clearly. Skeleton and heart beating.
My worry is if I got date badly wrong I can't get head around when she might be due.
In touch with my vet ( he saw her last week about a discharge she had and will let you know what the next few weeks brings.

I just wondered if anyone who has experienced a single puppy from a standard whelping breed normally, medium to large, not giant,
whether you would expect to actually see puppy movement. Originally I thought the litter was due aroud the 22nd/23rd. Now I am thinking I got it completely wrong,
not sure when to assume birth.
Am keeping closely in contact with my vet just in case but to-night she has  a really gurgling stomach and cannot see any puppy movement but perhaps not surprising.

Hi this is my first time on here... my dog had pups,last Sunday morning on my sofa!!!!!. And it has been a very exhausting stressful time. She only had two one large one tiny. The mum was very different with the tiny one kept picking it up and carrying it everywhere and sadly it died Monday night. Me and my kids were devastated.. the mum then started nursing a toy pig and digging lots and had hardly ate... she wasn't happy bless her!!!!. Things seem to be settling down now....but my problem now is to get her and puppy into whelping box.... she would have the puppy on the floor by sofa .I've finally got her in herr bed with fleece blanket which she digs At till it's scrunched up in  corner.and will only have puppy on bottom of bed. And obvs as a singletons  I worry about it gettings cold....
As she has  been so stressed I've left her where she seems happy. But think puppy willneedtobe inbox safer for when he starts moving about.
Any help would be great thank you

We have an appointment today at vets. Can feel movement but not leaving it too late.
Is is normal for a bitch with one puppy to act as though she is completely normal at this time.
No slowing down or anything.

My girl acted totally normally until the last morning when she started looking a bit worried so we had a C section.

Mine rarely slow down with a full litter LOL

Any advice would be appreciated.
The due date by first mating is 23rd not 22nd - sorry head all over the place.
The vet wants to do an elected caesarean because of Christmas but this is not sitting well in my heart.
I have not had an xray yet. Would you do that first before making a decision.

I'd ask for reverse Progesterone which should show the drop in levels that show pups should be born

What Barbara says.  You can't tell how old a pup is going by the dates of mating alone, since semen lives 5, occasionally 7 days....and you don't know if she ovulated then or for the 2nd mating. 

If you have a c-section too early, you risk the pup being premature and not surviving.  With dogs, one day can make all the difference - the gestation is shorter, the rate of development is faster and a day in a dog's pregnancy is probably a week in a human's (or something!).

The only way to know when to do a c-section, is with reverse progesterone.  Your vet sounds very selfish to me and as if they just don't want to be bothered over Xmas  :(

I just had a litter of 7 born on Sunday, yet pups were due last Tuesday based on first mating.  she was mated Tuesday to Saturday, so even to last mating was a day late.

This points to her being rather taken with her maiden suitor allowing him to mate her early, and was mated days 15 - 19.  Her previous season she would not allow the different (veteran) male near her on day 16 and only mated day 19, and missed.

She had already had a litter 2 1/2 years ago, mated days 16 - 18 and whelped 65 days from first mating.

Research has shown that bitches whelp 63+/- 1 day from ovulation, and conception occurs 2 - 4 days later.

So looks like my bitch (like her mother before her) doesn't ovulate until around day 17/18.  Most of my other bitches would appear to have ovulated around day 14/15

So opting for a C section based on first mating in her case could mean risking pups not ready to be born.

With mine we waited untill she started then after speaking with our vet, girls breeder and another breeder/vet nurse took her down as they reconed he looked big on the xray we had done that morning and this was 11pm, She was actually 2 days early going by first maiting

Had a long chat with vet this morning and we have decided not to go ahead yet as risk of being too early.
We have both gone through the pros and cons. Whether it is of any consequence I do not know but she has just started panting in the last half an hour which is very unusual for her so we are watching and waiting. Both the vet and I agreed in the end that it may be too soon for the puppy. I would have gone with the testing but the timing as all wrong because he explained it would still have gone into the post and we would not know so Christmas was the problem all round.

They will be on hand if there is a problem at least I know that if a problem does occur with delivery.
If nothing happens over Christmas then will consider again.

Will post with any news,

My vet will not begin an elective c-section until labour has started, be it night or day but he still offers a 24 hour service himself.

One boy born naturally at 11am Xmas day right in middle of cooking dinner. She ate her breakfast, went for a walk , came back and got going. Mother and baby appear to be doing well!considering we were thinking of a ceasarian on Friday such a relief.

Wow what a super outcome, so pleased for you all.

Are you going to give him a Christmas name? Noel?

We are thinking along those lines. Only ever kept one boy before from a litter of 4 boys!
Hopefully he will be a prize winner!

Oh, such super news.  Congrats.

PS Not calling him Jesus, are you?

That has been suggested by many friends and family lol
Not sure yet but Casper ( one of the 3 wise men) and Noel are on the list.
Having a problem with the milk thing to-day which I expected being only one and trying to follow all
the tips I have read and been given. She just seems more unsettled than yesterday but still feeding him
but I am having to sit with her while he feeds

For registered names: Seasons Greetings, Glad Tidings, The First Noel......

Yuletide; appropriate if breed is Germanic or hunting, was and is a festival observed by the historical Germanic peoples. Scholars have connected the celebration to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, and the pagan Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht. It later underwent Christianized reformulation resulting in the term Christmastide.

Gabriel? Gabe for short?

How lovely for you, I was wondering if you might consider fostering a puppy or several, one of my friends had a singleton (in a breed known for it) and she had 2 puppies from a different breed, large litter, and found it beneficial for both mum and pup, not sure how you would go about it if you wanted to but there is sure to be someone on FB who would know.

My friend needs New Year names for her litter. She has Party Time and Gate Crasher as possibles, as she was supposed to be going to a New Years Eve party. I suggested Happy New Year, Hogmanay, Firecracker and Catherine Wheel. 6 puppies, 3 boys and 3 girls.

Fresh Start, Bank Holiday, Auld Lang Syne, Midnight Kiss, Pop The Cork, Ring in the New, Celebration,

I know it's a bit before new year but winter solstice has a nice ring to it!

Nice!! Thanks, I'll pass those on. :-)

Don't think I would upset the apple cart now.

Ha ah they are all good - I have named mine Olaf beciuse he was born in a snow storm just a few days before Xmas !

Thanks Brainless she loves those!

We have decided on Jack as hubbie wanted Frostie but I like proper names so he can be Jack Frost! Pedigree name not decided yet.
I did wonder. Mum has been great up to now he is 10 days now but I can already see the mind wandering to greater and more exciting things.
She still feeds him but obviously not so often and of course his eyes are not open yet.
What have others done with their pup as it is too cold for us to have a pen anywhere else but we feel he is lonely when she is not with him. He is starting to get around a bit now.

With my single pup I put in some teddies in the whelping box. Mine lived a furry hot waterbottle cover, he loved it so much I had to sew it closed as he kept getting inside it.