hi all im just wondering how long is a reasonable length of time to wait after a c section? ive got 2 cavs...nina (maiden 2half) ive just bred her to a lovely blen boy last week and she did beautifully, and poppy 3half had first litter last xmas but unfortunatly ended in section as she was sooo tired.....i decided i DO want to breed her as shes a born mother and she is a nice example of breed standerd although not shown. anyway she is due a season and if it wasnt for the section i would be considering breeding her this time..........do any other posters have experiences?

I have no experience of owning a bitch who had a C section, but if I did have one who had needed one in the past there is no way in the world I would consider breeding her again.

Most people would not consider breeding again from a bitch who has had to have this. There are many different reasons for having a C section, but you may be producing a line of bitches who cannot reproduce naturally, which is not good for them or the breed.

I would never breed again from bitch who had to have a C section for her sake as you run a known risk of a futher C section with the next litter & all the danger that holds for the bitch's health

If the c section is because the bitch had only 1 or 2 very large pups, surely this is not a reason not to breed the bitch again?

I have spoken to a very experienced Cavalier Breeder recently(he is french & is one of their top breeders)

He has a champion bitch that had similar problems with a large litter & he will not be breeding from her again it was her first & only litter he is not a person who breeds loads of puppies & he puts his bitches welfare first

C sections are a major operation & in my mind the bitches welfare must come first

The french gentlemen's bitch is a really super cavalier but he is not prepared to put her at further risk & sorry to upset you no you should not breed from her again-she is not a puppy machine

hi yes actually you have upset and offended me.......my bitches welfare is first and formost in my mind which is why she had the section in the first place....i am fully aware of the fact that shes not a puppy machine and i would thank you not to patronise me. you obviously have no experience or even background knowledge about the issue i raised and i dont recall asking anyones opinion about whether i should breed or not,that is an issue between my vet and myself. i have absoloutly no interest in your french friend and since your advise comes 3rd hand and with no proper point other than its an anon french persons opinion i will give it the attention it deserves!!
yes we all have an opinion and until you actually know what your talking about i suggest you keep yours to yourself

Well I'm still of the same opinion, but then I have yet to have a bitch need a c section because I have been lucky ?

I have only bred from bitches which conform to the breed standard & have been good examples of the breed & sucessful in breed & obedience(GSDs)

The bitch I intend to breed from is from long lived healthy lines & has her eye heart & hip tests done(hips excellent)

She is to bred to a lovely dog who is 8 years old & still has heart etc clear tests. If she should need a c section she will not be bred from again, although there is no c section history in her bloodlines-yes I did research to that depth before buying her

I am breeding a litter as I will be keeping at least two if not more of the puppies & have others(in excess of what she will have)waiting & no she is not a pet quality bitch being bred for money before you patronise me for breeding

As to knowing what i am talking about my best friend had a bitch who a c section(one large dead puppy) & on the advice of her vet mated her again-result dead puppies & dead bitch-enough said she was devastated at being the cause of her bitch dying, if she had gone with her instincts she would still have her bitch-her bitch died during the c section

You are basing your opinion on one bitch. I know of two bitches in my breed that have died in the late stages of whelp, but I would not say never mate a bitch because of that knowledge. Every case is different, think the vet is the one to ask, they know the bitch and the chances of a problem.

She is the only bitch I have known personally that has died during a c section but I know of other breeders who have lost bitches during a first let alone second c section however those who are "serious"(by serious I do not mean those who breed for the good of the breed but those who breed, because they feel their bitches must have puppies)breeders obviously have a different opinion. I just cannot see why bitches have to have more than one litter unless they are producers of top quality offspring. To breed just because the bitch is a "good"mother is not good enough for me, but that s just my opinion, which is obviously the minority

Hi,
I had a bullmastiff bitch who whelped half her first litter then got inertia and had to have a section. The vet was fantastic and did the ceasar on the side, rather than down the middle of the tummy. Obviously this can only be done by really experienced vets, as from what I can gather really isn't the norm. (unless you guys know otherwise?) this was much better as it alleiviated any pressure bought on by pups nails padding for dinner, and it was easier to keep the wound dry & clean with minimum disruption to the dam. We waited another 18 months before mating her again, to ensure all tissue was properly healed, we discussed with the vet what could happen if the need for another section appeared. He assured us it would be ok, the op would be done not going in where the original scar was, either on the other side or down the belly. She did need a section from the start as this time the pups were enormous and getting stuck behind a massive dog she couldnt pass. Needless to say she was never bred from again, and to be honest I regret putting her through the ordeal, it really takes alot out of them, as well as nursing duties.

I have a bitch who had a C section for her last olitter. she had previously had two litters without problems. Now if this had been her first litter I would have tried again, but if another C section had resulted I would have called it quits.

In my opinion only, with nothing really scientific to go on just gut instinct. I would mate her on the mthird season after the litter. In normal circumstances it would have been the second season after the litter at the earliest to breed again, so you would be giving her an extra season to fully recover.

~The reason for her C section were entirely understandable as suych a large litter is not usual. :D

hi yur imput is appriciated however as one of you said thier are many different reasons for c sections to be needed in my case it wasnt primary inertia (one of the only causes that would rule out further litters completely) poppy had a large difficult litter of 9, one pup was breech and we felt it kinder to get it over with quickly, she had 4 pups naturally and 5 by c section. granted the risks of c section are higher this time but i knew that....and will be prepared for it. i believe that 2 or three litters by c section whilst undesirable is acceptable, in some breeds the bulldog for instance delivery by c section is around 80 percent. anyway back to the question i DID ask whats an appropriate time scale?
emma edit to say yes i agree that breeding a line unable to give birth naturally is a huge nono but not the case here :)

Hi , i would leave it until her next season then you know for sure that she is in full working order again and fit, and hopefuly she will whelp naturally.

I would say the same as corsa girl. good luck too.

Yes i would also say the same as corso as when us humans have a c section advisingly or a while ago they used to say try and leave 2 yrs as the wound needed to heal to prevent the scar bursting again.

I agree as it is similar with humans, it takes 18 months for a deep muscle scar like that too heal properly, I think you said it has been 12 months, I would leave it until her next veason after this one, also ask your vet as he knows her and could give you a clearer picture of if the car is healed properly internally, good luck though and just ignore the people who always have a go they are just trolls and dont realise that surely it is better to give advice than constantly contradict everything people say.

clare