can anyone with experience of breeding please help this may sound a weird question but has anybody experienced their bitch to get really bad wind whilst they are pregnant and could you tell me if this is not only normal if it is an actual true pregnancy or a false pregnancy as we have not had it confirmed yet she would be about 4-41/2 weeks by now and should she be showing other symptoms at this stage as she does posess a few.

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hi !!.....you need to find out!!! its probably too late to palpate but you can run a blood test .......they can have a pyometra.i had one with an open pyo that looked pregnant.never stopped eating either..thank god for lutilyse and baytril

hi i had my cocker scanned at four weeks and even though they may not be very useful when it comes to finding out how many puppies there are, at least we know she is definately pregnant. other signs that my bitch was pregnant were the swollen stomach increased appetite but cockers are pretty greedy anyway! and she seemed to be quite placid. she also did have a bit of wind but i think that was just a coincidence because she no longer has it. hope that helps you a bit and you manage to find out soon!
Liz

Hi, unless she appears unwell I wouldn't worry about the wind. I prefer to scan at 6-7 weeks if I'm going to, as then the risk of re absorbtion is past and you will get much more of an idea how many puppies there are,. Though scans are notoriously innacurate - you usually get a better result at this stage. Pyometra is quite rare and I would not bother putting her through a vet visit/blood test unless she is unwell or has a profuse green or brown discharge. Its normal to have a clear to white minor discharge during pregnancy and also to occasionally vomit small amounts of frothy bile now and again. If she is pregnant with a reasonable size litter then you will be able to see her tummy getting bigger by 5-6 weeks anyway. I prefer not to put them through unnecessary tests/scans personally but I know many people who do test as a matter of course. I certainly wouldn't test a bitch who hates car journeys/vet visits, routinely.

hi! just going off on a tangent here is the risk of reabsorption high in dogs? its just iv never really thought about it before so id appreciate any info :)
Liz

hi liz...i've heard people say that....my concern is a closed pyo which could be dectected on an ultra sound...but a blood test is fast and cheap and risk free

hi everyone thanks for all the helpfull infomation youve been great i decided to contact the vet as her belly appears to be extending now so i know its either a true pregnancy or a phantom however most vets were reluctent to scan untill 6 weeks and reading your replys i can see why she is nearly five weeks now so its only one more week to go and she is booked in for next wednesday for the scan so fingers crossed she was mated so i think the chances of it being a pyo are very unlikely but will keep a v close eye on her could you please give me a little more infomation on reabsorbtion as this is one subject i dont no anything about for instance how soon after this has happened can you tell it has taken place and does it happen often.Also if there are anythings i should refrain from doing appart from the obvious. thanks again LD1

From what I have read, reabsorbption occurs for many different reasons, stress, trauma, infection, malformed or genetically abnormal pups, or overcrowding in some cases

It apparently most likely to happen between 3 and 4 weeks gestation, although can generally happen at anytime up to 6 or 7 weeks.

Nobody knows how common or uncommon it is, due to the fact that it is difficult to tell if a litter is there prior to the time when reabsorption is most likely to occur, so it will to all intents and purpose appear that the bitch had a phantom pregnancy.

Hope this has helped.

I wouldnt worry too much, as stated above the more stress you put on a bitch the more likely she is to reabsorb. Just treat her as normal up to a point but keep an extra eye on her for nasty symptoms.

Good luck!

thanks once again for everyones replys

Hi, I really would wait until the bitch is past 43 days before you scan especially as now it seems she is pregnant. I have had bitches re-absorb after scanning at 4 1/2 weeks, they were definately pregnant and then after a second scan at 6 1/2 weeks there were no puppies. I was trying to do the right thing by scanning early, but twice I had the same result - re absorbtion. After it happened again, with a different bitch, (that's twice running) I now would never scan before 43 days - if at all in what appears to be a normal healthy pregnancy. Both bitches were mated on their next seasons, were not scanned and produced healthy normal sized litters. Re absorbtion cannot occur beyond 43 days after conception. Good luck whatever you decide. I know I am an old cynic but scans are a good earner for the vet - especially when they recommend two per pregnancy!!

well next wednesday she will be 33 days along so i cant see any harm in waiting another week so that she is safley at the 43 day mark as she is fit healthy and active so there is absolutely no cause for concern apart from the wind she had that thankfully has now passed LOL.....
i did find it quite hard to find a vet the would do it before the 6 week mark anyway so they to are obviously noy to keen before that date i suppose unless is really necesarry. thanks for your reply it was a great help as im sure your aware that many peoples thoughts on how early you should get your bitch scanned is a toughone and i cant help but worry.
once again thanks very much.

Hi, kelly mccoy, it is only risk free if the bitch is 100% happy about it and does not absorb afterwards - just a small trauma can cause it - a blood test at the vets could easily be enough for some bitches. To be honest the last place I want to go to with a pregnant bitch is to a veterinary surgery where the place IS full of sick animals unles I HAVE to!! . A bitch with Pyometra, open or closed would appear unwell, depressed, drinking loads and possibly vomiting/shaking, in which case there is no doubt, you would have to go to the vet.

Ditto.

Pam

I really can't understand why you do so many scans and x-rays and so frequently to confirm pregnancy. Our vets here in Canada have really backed off doing them. The chances of the rays causing problems with the pups is such an uncertain science. The window of safe and unsafe usage has been studied. That is why our vets are erring on the side of less usage. What has happened to old fashioned patience? My Wire Fox Terrier was able to be palpated at 5 weeks to determine her pregnancy. I am a strong advocate of doing things "AU NATURAL" as much as possible. I also give no supplements except Red Raspberry Leaves Capsules which aid in the whelping.

Unless you have a breed like English Bulldogs that many routinely require C-Sections to deliver their pups, I try to keep the bitch in her regular routine right up until she's ready to whelp. After the vet appt. mentioned above we usually don't go back unless some emergency happens. Temperatures are taken every 8 or 12 hours starting on the 59th or 60th day. I record them in a book so I can see the drop. For Chelsey the drop was significant at 97 degrees. This would be a 1 - 2 degree drop from the previous reading 12 hours before. She then start delivering her pups in the next 24 - 48 hours.

Chelsey's first litter was born by C-Section due to a lack of torsion in the abdomen to start contractions. She had no problem with the second litter.

Feed your bitch and increase as her appetite warrants it. Make sure she drinks lots of water.

KEEP YOURSELF CALM!

Hope this will help new breeders. Any other questions you can contact me personally.
Cheers

Margaret :) Canada

I think you just need to be patient. My Wire Fox Terrier never showed true pregnancy signs until well into the 5 - 5 1/2 weeks when the pups are the size of small walnuts on palpitation. I definitely would NOT do an x-ray or scan. Our vets here in Canada are stepping back from doing these as research is showing possible connections between doing them and damage to the fetuses. Let nature take its course.

The foul smellling wind is quite normal. A friend has a Std Poodle bitch who has the foulest backend when she is pregnant but nothing is wrong with her. Her pregnancy has progressed normally. She is due to whelp today or tomorrow. This is a bitch who is extremely hard to catch in the right part of her cycle to get her pregnant.

I also DO NOT GIVE ANY SUPPLEMENTS. Red Raspberry Leaves Capsules help in aiding delivery is all I use. Just feed a good diet with lots of water available.

Hope this helps.

Margaret :) Canada

I've never scanned or x-rayed my dogs I've always letter nature take its own course. Dilita my old SWD always had really bad wind when she was pregnant, I was relieved when it started because I knew then that she was:d

so in your experience bwd wind has been a sign how long did you find it lasting as my bitch has already stopped.

My girl used to get it at around 4 weeks and it lasted for a couple of weeks and when I say it was bad, boy it was bad!!! Like humans all dogs are different, she's the only one of my Spanish who has suffered with this problem.

I hope all goes wel with your girl.

tell me about it my other dog would actually leave the room when she let one off..LOL..glad it seems to have subsided sooner rather than later i must admit.