Can anyone help with information about when a scan can first tell that a bitch is pregnant.  I have never had a bitch scanned as I can feel the fetuses at about 3 weeks.  However, someone who used my dog went to their vet with the mated bitch about an unrelated problem.  The vet said he needed to know if the bitch was pregnant, scanned her (£48) and said she wasn't pregnant.  But the bitch is only 19/20 days post mating.  Surely this is too early to be definite about this? He is adamant though, and wants to give the bitch an injection which he says could be harmful if she is pregnant.  She is going to wait on my reply before she agrees to it.  (I have to say this is one completely besotted owner and the problem is so trivial that most of us wouldn't have gone to the vet with it)

Any information from people with experience will be gratefully received!

Hi

I would say that was too early to tell just yet.  If it's only days 19/20 post mating, then she could be a few days less.  I would wait if possible, before taking any sort of medication, unless of course it's life threatening which it sounds like it's not :-)

I would say definitely wait...........when one of my girls was scanned, it was day 25 post mating, they couldn't see anything either, went back a week later and saw 7 pups!

Thanks Sharon, that is really encouraging.  The problem is only a swollen spot where a thorn had gone into her.  The vet still wants to give anti-histamine and anti-inflammatory injections, but the owner says it has nearly gone now.

I have been looking on the internet and found sites where it says pregnancy diagnosis can be definite at 20 days post mating, so I was quite down about it (mind you I think that was the sites selling the scanners!).

A lot depends on the expertise of the operator.  Mosdt like to see them at 30 days post mating.  I did have one scanned at day 25 by a vet who specialises in scanning for diagnosing all sorts of things (Cancer etc)not just preganancy.  I was almost certain she couldn't be, as this was my picky bitch who would not eat well throughout her season and usually a few weeks after that.  She was very thin and he thought she would have 5 or moer pups (ended up with 9).

Since that time my own vet is very good at palpating so have usually had them in at day 28 for him to feel, and only used the scanner if he was uncertain.

Unfortunately he is on holiday and by Monday it will be a bit late to reliably palpate so will have to rely on his fledgling scanning skills on day 31.

His stand in did feel yesterday, as she is quite good with small breeds.  She rather thought she was in whelp (hope she is right) but wanted me to go back and have her scanned as she wasn't as sure as she would like to be, as this is the largest bitch she has ever tried to palpate.

I have been looking into this recently as my bitch maybe pregnant.

I have been told by my vet and also others that 28 days is the very earliest.

Thanks Jay, this is very encouraging as the owner is convinced that her teats are larger and she is much wider across the ribs, even though she has for the first time in her life become picky over her food.  I shall ring her tonight and tell her not to get too downhearted yet.

I normally have mine scanned at around 28 days but due to an injury to my bitch that might have been pregnant she was scanned at about 21 days and my vet (who is not the one I usually have to scan) did actually find some whelps but she did say that even if she had not found any she could still have been pregnant
Sue

Thank you Sue.