My bitch was mated 34 and 37 days ago. Showing no symptoms. The stud owner scanned 2 days ago said she could see at least 3 but wasn't sure and to come back in a week. I felt her inexperienced and seemingly completely uncertain  so today I went to a different scanner who has said definitely not pregnant. What now!?

I never really get why people go to scanners.

- Even the nicest scanner who comes to your house, is potentially going to involve physical restraint and stress for the bitch. And going to a strange place is even more stressful and involves being in a place where other dogs have recently been. It's just potential exposure to disease and stress.

- Scanning only tells you that a bitch is pregnant at the time she is scanned. Not that she will remain pregnant or deliver live pups. Many pups die in utero and are absorbed without anyone being the wiser - or during birth. Being pregnant is no guarantee of live whelps.

- Scanning is only as reliable as the person doing it. Anyone can buy an ultrasound machine and sell their services as a scanner. Vets are not really used to scanning pregnant dogs. They usually scan for diseases.

- Puppies can hide high up in the ribs, especially if it's a small litter, and can be missed on a scan. Being scanned negative is no guarantee a bitch isn't pregnant.

- Even if you scan and get a negative, you'd be very foolish to put all your whelping gear away and not be at the ready at the whelping date anyway. So what are you achieving by scanning?

I could go on but I think that's most of the reasons. Breed a bitch. Be ready for her to whelp at her due date. Whether she looks pregnant or not. Feed her more only the last 3 weeks, but not if she doesn't look noticeably pregnant. That's it.

The main reason people scan is just impatience. They just want to 'know' and post ultrasound photos everywhere. Just wait, your answer will come out (or not) in a few weeks.

>The main reason people scan is just impatience. They just want to 'know' and post ultrasound photos everywhere. Just wait, your answer will come out (or not) in a few weeks.

There's a bit more to it than that! Unless the breeder has independent means and doesn't need to go to work, it's important to know if you have to book some time off work in order to look after the litter, and most people have to give at least a month's notice to take some leave.
Also, in normal years you'd need to know for show entries; they have be done so far in advance that you would either have to miss the show for no reason, or miss the show and have lost a substantial entry fee.

I have to totally agree with what 1- 4 says about this.   I have never bothered with scanning (I feel it can be too stressful for a lot of bitches to be poked around at a time when they should be living a calm peaceful life) but I suppose I've been lucky not to need to know.  I had my bitches mated and sat back and waited.    By 7 weeks it's usually possible to see or feel puppies.    Even if I was given an empty result, I'd still be looking at the time of her due date - and would have the whelping box up etc.

As mine would go into secondary inertia, I waited and if nothing significant happened by 2 - 3 days over from the first mating, involved my vet.  If what was going on, or not going on, wasn't obvious, then they'd usuallyi x-ray which is far more accurate than scanning.

It's up to you but your current situation confirms my choice not to bother with scanning.

Oh and I only ever had one of my girls miss in the few litters we did over the years, and later discovered that the dog in question, brought up to Canada from the States, had missed to all the bitches he'd served.   Very disappointing for all concerned.   And very obvious why he became 'available', sadly.

Depends how good your scanner is - I do alot and am very confident but many vets are not as they don't do much. Sheep scanners are often very good due to skills from the high volume of scanning they do

Quite JG, and importantly in numerically small breeds you can let down your puppy people, and get them onto another breeders list in a timely fashion, rather than waiting another month and perhaps missing out on a puppy.

>importantly in numerically small breeds you can let down your puppy people, and get them onto another breeders list in a timely fashion

Very true; in breeds where there are about 10 litters in a good year it's very important to know whether puppy enquirers can wait on your list or will need to try elsewhere.

>There's a bit more to it than that! Unless the breeder has independent means and doesn't need to go to work, it's important to know if you have to book some time off work in order to look after the litter, and most people have to give at least a month's notice to take some leave.

But would you really take a scanner's word that there are no pups, not take time off work, not arrange your life to rear a litter, not prep your whelping box or at least make sure you had all supplies in the house - all on the basis that the scanner is right?

Having seen how many scanners miss pups and say there are none when there are, I personally could just never do that and would be ready for pups whatever a scanner said. Which defeats the point of using one really...

>I never really get why people go to scanners.

>- Even the nicest scanner who comes to your house, is potentially going to involve physical restraint and stress for the bitch. And going to a strange place is even more stressful and involves being in a place where other dogs have recently been. It's just potential exposure to disease and stress.

Tell that to my bitch who made a huge fuss of the scanner lady and then leapt onto the sofa and rolled upside down to have her tummy tickled. Easiest dog to scan ever! And yes, I need to know so that I can buy in any of the things I might need like replacement milk, liquid glucose, new vetbed if it's needed, I'd need to book the time off work, and so on and so on. My scanner has always been spot on with numbers too, not just a yes/no.

> Tell that to my bitch who made a huge fuss of the scanner lady and then leapt onto the sofa and rolled upside down to have her tummy tickled. Easiest dog to scan ever! <img class="fsm fsm_lol" src="/images/epx.png" title="lol" alt="" />

My scanning lady had to scan mine on her back as she fell asleep on her!!

>But would you really take a scanner's word that there are no pups, not take time off work, not arrange your life to rear a litter, not prep your whelping box or at least make sure you had all supplies in the house - all on the basis that the scanner is right?

Absolutely I would, because I've never known them to be wrong. Maybe I'm just lucky with my contacts. I'd save my holiday allowance for the next season which I'd hope would be more successful.

Scanning has never been remotely stressful for any of my dogs - they love all the cuddles and attention that are involved! In fact if a bitch got badly stressed by such non-invasive. painless procedures I'd ask myself if she was temperamentally suitable to breed from.

Mine are very accommodating with being scanned and the lady I use has never been wrong and is usually spot on or 1 out for numbers too and can tell you from the size what day she will whelp too.

I need to know so I can book time off work and get all the bits in needed for a litter.

> if a bitch got badly stressed by such non-invasive. painless procedures I'd ask myself if she was temperamentally suitable to breed from.

Quite, it's not much different to being gone over by a judge or a basic Vet exam.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. I think being squirted with ultrasound gel and then have something pressing down firmly on your abdomen whilst being forced to remain still for many minutes, is very different to being gone over by a judge or a basic vet exam.

And not all breeds are expected to be as accepting of a stranger putting ultrasound gel on them, restraining them and pressing down on their abdomen.

I'm not sure I'd want a guarding breed which was fine with a stranger coming into their house and doing that to them. It always amazes me how people judge what is 'normal' for their breed as 'normal' and therefore desirable for all breeds. Not all breeds are happy-go-lucky people-loving breeds and that doesn't mean they are therefore somehow not suited to breeding or questionable temperamentally - quite the opposite.

> I think being squirted with ultrasound gel and then have something pressing down firmly on your abdomen whilst being forced to remain still for many minutes, is very different to being gone over by a judge or a basic vet exam.

Not really; the bitch is standing up and the sensor is rubbed over her tummy while she's being cuddled; it doesn't matter if she fidgets a bit. No 'pressing down' involved at all.

Many people class my breed as a guarding breed and never had an issues and wouldn't expect mine to either. It happens as JG describes it. As it happens mine tend to give kisses to the person scanning lol

> the bitch is standing up and the sensor is rubbed over her tummy while she's being cuddled

Yes, that's always been the experience at Vets. I think the cold gel had an effect on her bladder and the scanner tickled her as she 'wee'd' on him from one end
and licked him from the other. A rather wet Vet & very embarassing.