my bitch is now 31 days post mating. she has a huge appertite [she's usually very picky] her teats have enlarged and the hair around them is thinning. her vulva has not gone back to pre mating stage.but  she is not being sick or losing any white discharge, which i was told were sure signs of being in whelp.i would be interested what signs other breeders have seen in their bitches.

Wait and see. There's nothing you can do to influence the outcome! But I understand exactly how nerve-racking the wait is!

My bitch is 43 days.  She has had a scan which has confirmed pregnancy.  She has no vulval discharge at all and her vulva is only very slightly larger than pre-mating.  She has had terrible morning sickness and reluctance to eat.  Her abdomen increased about a week ago and is now increasing rapidly!  She seems very tired and is so in my face that she wants to sit on my knee.  I think that she will have the pups on my knee :-)

my friends bitches never get moring sickness and she has been breeding staffs for over 10 years but they do get phamptom pregnancies somtimes which show all the same signs as being pregnant inc labour have you thought about having her scanned, i don't know if you can at this late stage. I won't worry though she is proably just late some dogs do go over there dates just like we do 

Have I missed something????

Probably just late? The bitch is only 31 days preg lol,

I can usually tell if my Basset bitches are in whelp as they have a week of being very picky with their food, and this is around their 10th day after mating, and all but one of my bitches have had morning, noon and even evening sickness. One of my bitches could hardly keep a thing down which conserned me but not my vet who was happy with her progress, and the poor thing did not stop till her last of 10 pups were all feeding and she then enjoyed her first meal in 9 weeks. My vet asured me that her next pregnancy may be less stressfull for her , but the same although not so bad happened again. All the text books say that dogs do not have morning sickness, but my Bassets rather lie on my couch and  watch T V and leave the text book reading to me.

Hiya

Did your Basset Hound Whelp?

CJ

Losing white discharge is not a sign of pregnancy, as my bitches have a white discharge even if they have not been mated. It its a sign of a healthy bitch, if it is discoloured then it is a sign  that something isn't right.It is an old wives tale that a white discharge is a definate sign of pregnancy.

paxo

I have always thought it normal for the bitch to have a slight clear mucoid discharge in the later stages of the pregnancy.It increases a few days prior to the whelping, the last of it being the mucous plug when the birthing is iminent.They are very much individuals just as we are, as long as your bitch is fit and well that is the most important thing, I wouldn`t worry as there is nothing you can do only wait and get more excited the nearer it gets

I've always found that a clear mucous discharge is a good indication of a bitch being in whelp - but not seeing this discharge doesn't mean she isn't!

Hi, I have two labrador retrievers.  A boy and a girl that are both about 1 1/2 years old.  We planned on breeding them but did not know when she would be ready.  One morning we woke up and found them tyed together.  They have done it 4 times since, I am assuming she is definitly pregnant.  The only thing that makes me question her pregnacy is bleeding.  4 days after her 1st mating she is still bleeding (very lightly).  She shows no signs of pain.  I also read from some different sorces and was told that bleeding is a sign of failed pregnancy.  Is it possible after 4 tyes not for her to be pregnant?  Is red discharge normal? Anyone who may know the answer to this please let me know. Thanks

I think it is probably a great shame that you have allowed these rather young dogs to mate without even troubling to find out anything about breeding. This bitch is really too young, for this breed, to be mated.  An unsupervised mating can cause serious damage to either animal not to mention the bitch getting sick of the sight of a pestering male who accompanies her through her season.  Have they had the appropriate breed test carried out with satisfactory results.  I think if you haven't you need to consider that breeders who have failed to do so have been successfully sued by puppy purchasers whose puppies have developed inherited problems.

I will consider your opinions.  Both of my dogs have had the test you mention done.  They have all their paper work.  I do agree that she is too young.  But I do know about breeding (I am not a breeder) but I read about breeding dogs all day long (therefore the reason I found this message board).  I know the steps that need to be taken.  But this being my first time, I have come acrossed question that I never read about.  Thanks for your honesty but if you cannot answer my questions I will look some where else.

It's tests and I notice you have chosen not to say their results.  If you know she is too young and have read up about breeding how did you let it happen?  Even if you did not notice she was in season, which admittedly can happen, why did you not whip her off to the vets immediately and seperate them for the rest of her season?

You mention that they have had one test. Which one, and what was the result?
:)

To be completely honest with you, unless both your dog and bitch have been eye-tested clear and hip-scored with a score of less that the breed average, I would take the bitch to the vet to have the 'morning after' injection to prevent any possible pregnancy. (If you can't prove that this has been done, and any pups have problems which would have been avoided, you are likely to find yourself well out of pocket by the time you've paid compensation and court fees.)

Then I'd buy a copy of 'The Book of the Bitch' and read it several times so that I knew about what I was doing when she was old enough to be bred from.

Hi jeh,

As you can see from the responses to your post so far, the fact that this mating has occurred is less than ideal - however the deed is now done.  Please for the safety and comfort of both of your dogs ensure that they are kept apart until your bitch is fully over her season - anything from 21-28 days after you first noticed signs (if indeed you did) of her coming into season.

It is very possible that your bitch will have become pregnant if both animals are fertile.  Some bitches will still have a slight, pinkish show post mating.  The reality is, however, that it will be literally weeks before you can test for certainty whether she is actually in whelp by which time if there are any complications evident or you have a change of heart when you become fully acquainted with the enormity of breeding a litter it will be much too late to do anything about it other than have her spayed.

HTH, Teri

my bitch is six weeks today and hasnt had no sickness,her vulva is still quite small and shes only just had some white discharge a few days ago,her teats are just starting to show more prominantly,they are all different,take her for a scan then you know for sure,hope this helps
louzola

Labradors should also have radiographs on the elbows and under no circumstances bred unles they have normal elbows..its is a very painful condition