My bitch was mated 5 weeks ago and I still dont know for definate if she has taken. I used a very experienced stud dog (he has sired 50 litters) and the stud owners were very helpful making sure he did his job correctly!! They had 4/5 "slip matings" but no tie. I was told that a tie is not always necessary and that some bitch owners do not like their dogs to tie anyway. More or less straight after the mating my bitch changed in personality. She wants to be with me all the time and would not go on her normal walking route, she mainly wanted to be in the house. She also appears ravenous at feeding time and crys for the food as I am dishing it out. She has had a white/opaque discharge since about 2 weeks after the mating although this doesnt seem as obvious now. I was told to expect this but not until after the 35th day? Her teats do seem a little larger and her belly is definately fatter, but I dont know if that is because I have'nt excercised her as much as normal. I have been advised not to take her for a scan because of the risk of absorbing. When will it become obvious that she is/is'nt pregnant and that this is not a phantom?? I find the waiting very frustrating and dont know if I should be treating her as though she is pregnant i..e extra food and raspberry leaf capsules. I have bought the "book of the bitch" and have been reading up but would appreciate some experienced advise. My breeder says just to wait, it could still be a phantom.

ive had all mine scanned-not one of them absorbed-some blame the scan -but they wouldnt of ever known they where pregnant and had absorbed for sure, if you know what i mean, after 5-6 weeks they can xray as the skeleton of the pups will show.

I have a very good vet who can palpate a bitch and give a reasonably accurate (he's never said lower than finally arrived) number of pups. Otherwise I only assume she's pregnant when I see her belly move like a pan of boiling porridge. But I give raspberry leaf tablets from the date of mating anyway.

Mind you, when my bitch has 'missed', her behaviour hasn't changed. When she's 'taken' she's become a lot more careful of herself.......so you may well be lucky.
:)

Just like dizzy I have all my bitches scanned and never has any litters reabsorbed. I would certainly go for the xray that way at least you will know one way or the other and if successful you will have time to be prepared

Margaret

FIFTY LITTERS????:( :(

My thoughts also Sam.

Although I don't personally know the stud owners, this is what they told me. My breeder advised me to use them and he knows them well from the show circle. I trust him, so I have no reason to doubt. Do you think 50 litters is unreasonable??

Did you not read your Dog World supplement recently when a top stud of a popular breed has (Quote) "served 400 bitches". So 50 looks a paltry amount!

I thought that was a staggering amount. A very influential well used dog in my breed, if it is an import say, might sire 15 or 20 litters in it's lifetime.

Most dogs do not sire more than a few litters, even if they are Champions.

Brainless-

From reading other posts I see you have Elkhounds (lovely breed by the way :-) ) Just wondering, if a dog in your breed, which I know is numerically small, had been used on say 20 litters, does that not limit the gene pool? And is it common practice?

Just wondering not being picky, just intrested in the genetics of things!
Vikki

Yes it does, and we find we are having to bring in new blood on a regular basis, about every second generaion

The dog that I know who has had 20 litters had these over the space of 8 years, but he is now in quite a lot of pedigrees.

About 14 litters were bred last year, and I thnk they were sired by about 7 dogs. Annual registrations are around 100 to 150.

Looks like we are expecting puppies about the same time. My bitch is just 5 weeks since being mated and I am pretty certain she is in whelp. By the way she is acting and being, and your bitch seems to be acting the same way. Ravenous and taking care of herself ie. acting differently when on a walk. The milky/opaque discharge is also a good indication. Mine has been losing it for about 10 days now. Also the enlargements of teats is a good sign
I haven't bothered with a scan this time as I felt it a waste of time and effort, as last time she was scanned it didn't show anything and I was told there was nothing there.Then a week later I thought she was in whelp, due to her size and appetite etc. And she was. she had 2 puppies. So scanning isn't always accurate.
Don't you feel mean, I do, not always giving into them when they are appearing hungry and you don't want them getting fat. I've tried giving mine carrots but she won't eat them whole and yet grated in her dinner she loves them!! I was told that carrots are a good source for helping her milk supply, now and when she has her babies. Another thing that I was advised to give and isn't fattening, is cottage cheese. again both now and after whelping.
What breed is your bitch. Mines a Tibetan Terrier. she due to whelp around Aug. Bank Holiday weekend all being well.
Hope my reply has been of some help.
All the best Anne

Thanks Anne I will certainly try cottage cheese!!!!. Sounds good without causing her to get too fat. My bitch is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and this is her first litter. The stud dog that we used is not a top champion but I was advised by my breeder to use him because he is from the same lines as my bitch. He has retired from showing now, but the owners told me that he had won 1 C.C. & B.O.B and 4 R.C.C. I dont know what this means, can anyone enlighten me?? I did find info on him on the net and also piccies of one of his litters his name is "Lancstaff Noblese Nidaros". I was also shown lots of other piccies of previous litters that he had sired. My bitch is due to whelp (hopefully) around the Aug bank holiday the same as yours. We have paid a stud fee but have been told that if this is not successful then the next time will be free. I think this seems to be the norm.:)

Hi Sharon, before you decided to mate your bitch to this particular dog, did you have her eyes tested? Are her parents tested CLEAR of Hereditary Chataracts?

Yes, she has had her eyes tested and also the parents have been tested and are all clear. The stud owners insisted on this before the mating. What breed do you have? :)

Hi Sharon. I have Corgis and a much loved whippet who is wonderful at keeping the Corgis fit!!!

Are you certain that the dog you used is tested CLEAR?

Hi again. Yes I am sure that the dog we used is tested clear. I was shown the eye certificate. I just have to wait now till I see her belly move like boiling porridge and then I'll know for sure that she is in whelp:) Getting everything prepared now though.

Yes the dog she used is CLEAR and so are both of his parents.
Checked the KC/BVA list. :-)
Why were you so uncertain?????

Hi, obviously by your log in name you are a a staffie owner ??? Do you know of the stud dog that I have used?? I did not know that I would be opening such a can of worms here but thanks for your support. You are from the North East, whereabouts?? We are based in Leeds. I must admit that I do find this site very informative. I am gonna need all the suport I can get over the next few weeks.

Hi Sharon
Yes I own staffies and Dogue de Bordeaux.
My staffie bitch is also 5 weeks gone so our litters will be due around the same time.
I do not know know the dog you have used but have heard his name.
Where and who did you get your bitch from?
We are in North Lincolnshire close to the Humber Bridge.
You are most welcome to contact me at any time with any queries throughout the pregnancy :-)
I have just had my bitch scanned as even though we knew she was pregnant she has been peeing more than usual and sometimes a little blood in it. I thought myself it was a touch of cystitius(sp) but wanted the vet to check all well with the pups and confirm what I thought was wrong was correct. He did and she is now on a 10 day course of Synulux. I never mind Synulux through pregnancy as it keep infections down.

Hi, I got my bitch from Sheffield. The guy we bought her from is with the Northern Counties Staffie Club and I was put on to him via the club secretary. He has been very helpful. She is two years old now and he has advised us with the mating and so on. She will be 6 weeks on Monday, but I still have doubts as to whether it is a true pregnancy. The vet said they could scan her but I might as well wait now. Should I be seeing signs of movement?? Also, would her belly be showing by now?? She does seem to be hung low and when she lays on her back, her belly seems to go to one side. There also seems to be a lot of noise coming from inside, maybe just wind. The discharge seems very little now, is this normal?? I would appreciate any advise. How did you know that your girl was pregnant before she was scanned?? Was it just experience??

The best way to be certain is a scan, and even they can be wrong :-)
Even with a phantom pregnancy a bitch will gain weight and produce milk. Also around the due date she will even nest with a phantom!!!!
Have her nipples changed and has the hair around them receded?
It probably is experience how I knew but I have been wrong in the past too :-)
The noises you can hear will be wind.
When she gets to around 7 weeks plus you may be able to feel slight movements getting stronger as the days progress. In saying that though if a very small litter then you may not feel any movement depending on how much fat/water your bitch is carrying.
The reason we like to have a scan is as if only one puppy your bitch may not go into labour herself.
Do you know all the signs of labour?
The best thing to do is during the week before she is due start taking her temp. am and pm and record it. Before the onset of labour you should see a significant "drop" in her temp. Labour usually begins about 24 hours after temp. drop. If it does not after about 30 hours then get your vet to check her just to be on the safeside.

Hi again, thanks for your reply. Yes, her nipples have changed slightly (they seem more noticeable now, whereas before mating they were very flat,). The hair around them does appear to be receeding but not on all nipples!! Is this gradual?? She is short haired so does not have much anyway. I am aware of the signs of labour and have spoken to my vet and breeder and of course have my "Book of the Bitch" to hand as well. I have been involved in whelping before (not my dog) but have experienced birth from first stages of whelping to the birth of 13 healthy pups!!! I am still undecided about scanning but will think about this over the week-end. My bitch does not like travelling in the car and gets over excited at the vets so I do not want to cause her any undue stress. All advice gratefully accepted.

Hi SHARON, I hope your bitch has had a successful mating.

What breed are we discussing here?

Is it her first mating or has she bred previously and is the stud dog a top winning show dog ?

If it is her first mating then the owners of the stud dog should not accept a stud fee until it is proven that your bitch is in whelp. Or have attitudes changed these days?

It is quite safe to have your bitch scanned.

Keep us posted

Hi Mair jones-rees
It is usually the stud's first time when the fee doesn't get paid, not the bitches.

Alison :)

Hi

I suppose I am old fashioned BUT it has always been my policy not to accept a fee from the owner of a maiden bitch until I know she is in whelp. It is up to the owner of the stud dog to decide whether to charge on the day of mating or to wait until the bitch is clearly in whelp.

Sorry have to disagree on this one.

The only time I do not take a stud fee at the time of mating is if it is a maiden dog I am using or it is an older dog with doubts of fertility.

If you have no reason to believe your dog is not fertile, the I have been taught that the bitch owner is paying for the use of the dog. There can be numerous reasons why a maiden bitch and in fact any bitch does not produce puppies (the owner has got the dates wrong, the bitch conceives but reabsorbs, etc. etc.) all of these are out of the stud dog owners control.

Agree with you there Lady Dazzle. If it is a proven stud dog then he is providing the goods :-)
We always offer a free mating on next season if the bitch does not conceive. After that then the dog has provided the service for which payment has been received.

Hi Staffie. By "providing the goods" do you mean your stud dog is providing quality puppies for the betterment of the breed or for producing puppies, whether they be quality puppies or simply a litter of puppies to sell on?

Oh dear me Cochen you really do seem to be very doubting of people :-(
I do not have to justify myself to you, but for the record my stud dogs are used for the betterment of the breed "derrr obviously!"
What was your previous problem with the eye testing? or can you see an eye problem better than the person that carried out the examination?????
Guess your dogs better your breed so much the queen would like a couple! Corgis that is :D
Don't judge people till you know them.

I don't take a stud fee for my dog until the puppies arrive (yes, he is fully tested and a Ch.). I know people say you're paying for the mating, but I'd be very disappointed if I paid £££'s and had no pups, be it the dog or bitch's fault.

I am hoping that someone can give me some advice. I have a maiden bitch who was covered from days 12 - 16, since taking her home her temperament has changed and she is very clingy, her teats are enlarged and although she doesn't look pregnant she is quite saggy underdeath. She was scanned at 6 weeks and the vet could only find 1 puppy but we could see all 4 chambers of the heart and everything seemed ok. She has now gone almost 10 weeks from the last date of covering. I had her to the vet when she had gone 2 days over her date and she was xray'd and scanned and the vet could find nothing but told me that he couldn't be 100% sure that there were no puppies. For the last 2 days she has had a clear milky discharge but is not showing any signs of labour. Her teats are still enlarged and she is still extremely clingy. Can this be a phantom? and could the puppy that was scanned at 6 weeks have been reabsorbed?

Glad to learn that someone works as I do. Again it is up to the individual to decide whether to charge stud fee on the day or not. I prefer to wait till I know the bitch is in whelp and often wait till the litter has been born and all is well. Anything can happen between mating and whelping, there arent many millionaires in the dog game ( maybe in AMERICA ) in the UK where I am based and as a stud dog owner my duty is to use my dogs ONLY on bitches who will add to the betterment of the breed and to encourage and advise novice breeders..not to make money out of my stud dog.

what does reabsorb mean?