We are thinking about letting our cavalier king charles have one litter of puppies before we have her spayed ( in 6 months - 1 years time). This is at the advice of some dog owner friends and the vet. How would we go about getting a healthy stud dog?

Sarah

this topic has been done so many times before on this board. I'll try and give you a summary of the advice previously given. It's not an easy topic to answer briefly. Here goes:-

There is no need for your bitch to have puppies, the need for bitches to have at least one litter is an old wives tale. It will not be advantageous to her health - could be quite the opposite. Unless you know you have a good example of the breed and that you have a suitably matched stud dog - you don't know what quality pup's you will get. On the other hand, if you have bought your bitch with the idea of becoming a breeder then it is a different story and you have a lot of work ahead of you if you are going to do it properly. If you do mate her then you will have a lifelong responsibility to those puppies. You will have to ensure they go to good homes and be prepared to take any back at anytime - even when they may be old and unwell. Also be prepared for all those people who tell you that they'll have one of the pup's, they very often change their mind when it comes to it. You'll need to make sure you have a stack of money aside to cover potential vets bills if anything goes wrong -again, you only have to have a good search on this board top find loads of examples where it doesn't go to plan. Finally and most importantly, be prepared to possibly lose your bitch. It is not common but it can happen and that too is a risk you must be willing to take. If you still want to go down this road - talk to your girls breeder. S/he'll be able to advise you.

I am amazed that your vet has advised she have a litter, most vets are pushing to get bitches speyed before the have their first season. It could be worthwhile asking just why s/he was recommending this course.

Sorry if all that is not what you wanted to hear but it is the case of being prepared. If it is something you really want to do then good luck - please do the research and be prepared for anything. Do ask lots of questions here, we have a few first time mums here at the mo.

If you bought your girl for a family pet and companion, then just enjoy her as that.Personally I have dogs, I couldn't cope with whelping a bitch and all the potential pitfalls.

hth:)

Pam n the boys

You also have to be prepared that things do go wrong occasionally, my last puppies were born by C section, expensive and risky, and another poster on this board nearly lost her pregnant bitch with a twisted uterus a few days ago, one puppy has survived , when I last was in contact with her, and the bitch was still touch and go, though expected to make it. Please dont assume, that whelping will go smoothly, it usually does, but not always. There are huge responsibilities that go hand in hand with breeding a litter.

Thanks for all your advice. I read the posts about Cleo and realised how risky it can be to have pups. Our dog, Sophie is a lovely temperment and in top condition, she would make a lovely 'mum' but we would be devastated if anything happened to her. We may, in the future have another cavalier to keep Sophie company but on your advice will not let her have pups. She is 7 months at the moment, when is the best time to have her speyed? I am very worried about the actual operation because I've been told that can be very dangerous on such a small dog.

Hi Sarah

A good decision IMHO - as for getting her speyed - again there's a lot of previous posts on this subject. A common theme is to have her done after she has had her first season - prob about three months after then you know she is relatively safely between her seasons. It can be dangerous to have them done when they are about to come into season due to the increased blood levels in the area operated on.

Be prepared for it to change her coat and her activity levels - not all but some bitches can become lazy and many will increase their weight unless you watch their diet and adjust their food intake/increase their exercise accordingly.

Again, although evidence suggests speying can reduce the risks of certain illness and of course prevent unwanted puppies, if you know she will not be exposed to the unwelcome advances of a dog - you don't have to get her speyed - it is your choice. All anaesthesia carries a risk and the smaller the animal the greater the risk. I woudln;t have thought a CKCS was in great risk though - your vet will be a good person to advise on this element.

hth

Pam n the boys