Is it really worth having a scan done? The stud I used for my bitch thought them a waste of money. My vet thinks that my bitch is pregnant (its too late to feel for the pups and she says that the heartbeat method os not reliable) and says its up to me whether I get a scan done (the practice don't have a scanner). I also think that she is pregnant. So what to do? If pregant she is approx 5 weeks gone.

I can understand how you feel, but i always think 2 scans are a good idea my bitches have there first 4-5 weeks on. It can give you an idea off how many puppies there are so say on her scan there are 5 puppies and in whelp she has only had 4 you know that there is more to come. Also after whelping just to make sure all is clear. Some vets will let you stay and is something you would not want to miss!!!! good luck

I have mentioned this before, but I have a couple of friends that have had their girls scanned only to be told that they were not pregnant.  One went on to lose the whole litter, only 2 pups I might add, but the other went on to have 14 puppies!!!  A scan is only as good as the person doing it and if the pups are high up in the ribcage you won't be able to see them anyway.  I prefer to save my money.  You will know for definate in a week or so.

hi i think scans are a wast of time as well they are not acurate (sorry cant spell) if ur bitch is you should be able to tell by at least 6 weeks they eather are or they arnt why do people rush to find out what did people do befor them
fiona

But what if, like in our case, something goes dreadfully wrong around 5 weeks and nothing shows up until it's too late for the bitch.........my girls litter died at 5 weeks and we didn't know until 7 weeks, by then infection had just started - no obvious signs, no discharge etc. just a blood test showed a high level of white blood cells and luckily a strong course of anti-biotics prevented her being spayed.  My vet said if we would have left it another few days, we could have lost her too.

So I say scans are worth having, they're not reliable for counting pups, just for confirming pregnancy and viable pups!

For me there are two main reasons for scanning.  I can let people on my waiting list know if there is a chance of a puppy, or if not in whelp get them onto aniohter breeders waiting list in a timely fashion, so it is a service to my puppy enquirers.

The second important reason in a breed that puts on weight easily and looses it not so easily is that I can keep their food intake down until I know they are in whelp for sure.  when pregnancy is confirmed I up the quality of the food, but do not increase volume until the sixth week, slowly building up to about half as much again as normal. 

A third reason for thiose with show dogs is of course that you are not wasting money on speculative entering of shows, and if she isn't in whelp won't miss entries closing for show, which can close up to two months ahead.

I have never relied on a scan to determine number of pups, but have used it post partum to check if there were any more to come.

To me scanning is an excellent idea, it saved Emma's life. Emma was pregnant and i had her scanned at six weeks, just at the same time she was mummifying her pups, not re-absorbing, it also showed a pyo just starting. I know this is not what you wanted to hear, but if I had not scanned and no treatment was given to Emma until the time the pups would have been due she may have died. Yes I lost all the pups, but I still thankfully have Emma. Her first two litters were perfect so there was no indication that anything could or would go wrong. I will always scan in future.

Kay

its good for some things im not totally against it like if you are seeing that your bitch seems to be acting strange you can see what is happening and do something about it but if its something ba happens to them like an infection
fiona

I'm confused - what do you mean by mummyfying and what is a pyo?

Mimmification is what happens to puppies that die in the womb late in pregnancy past the stage when they are just cels that absorb into the bitches body.  the pups sort of shrivel up and are dessicated like Egyptian Mummies.

Pyo is an abreviation for Pyometra, a serious life thereatening infectiopn of the womb.  an infection sets in and pus builds up and causes septoceamia.  There are two types opern and closed.  The open is not quite as serious as some of the -pus drains away therough the open cervix and the owner is alertyed to something going on by the smell and the bitches licking.  In a closed Pyometra sometimes nothing is noticed in a stoic bitch until she is very seriously ill.

Had scan done on Friday - there are 9 in there, possibly 14! No, I'm not relying accurate numbers. I'm just happy that they are in there and I can get on with my preparations for the litter. All seems to be well and the scanner lady thought that I should go with my first date (8th September) as the pups seem to be well developed. Wish me luck!

I definitely wouldn't rely on numbers, we were told 8 or 9, but our girl sadly lost her litter and there were only 5, we scan purely to check on health of the litter.

Congratulations and good luck, I think you're going to need it with that many pups :-)