Hi guys

I just got back off holiday three weeks ago and ask the kennel to put my two shih tzus in seperate kennels as I knew she was suppozed to be comming into season (end Oxt) and just wanted to be certain.  Since getting home they have been kept seperate and havent seen each other at all and still no sign of her season.  However Three weeks after picking them up from the kennels I bathed her last night and noticed her stomach was hard and her teats where larger than nrmal.  I telephoned the kennel where they stayed to ask them if they had noticed her comming into season and the owner said no.  I asked was there any way she might have been next to another dog and she said yes she put our tw dogs intogether for three days as she was short kenneled!  I am fumming.  I cant get to the vets for a few days and wondered if there was anything I could do?  If she is pregnant is there a good book someone can recommend as I have never been in this situation before.  Please we were all suppozed to be going up nrth for christmas and new year however if she is then I will have to stay at home and look after the pups.  Plus I am realy scared, as I have heared horrific stories about shih tzus with having short faces and not being able to burst the bag etc.  Please I cant even ask the breeder as I rescued these dogs from someone.

please help if you can

How irresponsible of the kennels after you were being so responsible! :( The very best book to get is called "Book of the bitch". Some pet shops have it, like Pets At Home for instance, often the larger chains stock it, and you can also order it from http://www.amazon.co.uk

If your dogs are rescues with no paperwork you should really not let your bitch have a litter as they could be closely related & have genetic health problems in their pedigrees

You should take your bitch to the vet asap & get her checked out & given the ccanine equivalent of the morning after injection or better still get her spayed then this situation will not happen in the future. If the kennels went against your explicit instructions then they should at the very least pay for the vet's consultation fee & the injection(if you opt for it)or the equilvalent amount towards her spaying. They have been neligent & broken their contract with you for the care of your dogs

Sorry if this isn't the reply you expected, but I'm involved in rescue & there are already too many dogs needing home without more unregistered puppies from untested parents being added to them

>You should take your bitch to the vet asap & get her checked out & given the ccanine equivalent of the morning >after injection or better still get her spayed

Guessing at the time involved here I'd think they're much too late for the injection as I'd guess it is 4-5 weeks since it happened. (?) OP said they came back 3 weeks ago?

There is a jab that will terminate the preganancy that can be give up to 42 days after mating, it causes an abortion.  I think spaying may be the more palatable option for a pet bitch that is not neded for breeding.

I agree with Moonmaiden. Take her to the vet to be spayed and send the bill to the kennel. It's their fault, after all.

As I only have dogs I've no idea of the time scale if the morning after jab other than it can be given later than the morning after

If it is too late then spaying & taking  the foetuses away is the only responsible action

I'm not 100% on this and I'm sure someone who may have had it done will correct me, but I am sure that the 'morning after injection' for dogs can be done upto something like 45 days after conception. Obviously get her down to the vets immediately for a scan or his opinion, and I agree entirely with everyone else the kennels in question should definitely pay for any further action.

Thanks for your help guys.  They are both pedegree dogs with papers, I rescued them from an ex neighbour who was ont looking after them properly so at least they wont be unregistered.  I was horrified to here about the kennel putting the into the same one together.  The reason we havent had them spayed is because we wanted one litter eventually but I certainely would not choose to have them so close to christmas for a start.  I agree with you entilery that tere is far to many dgs out there which get breed for the wrong reasons and need loving homes.  Is it not too late for the morning after injection wth it being a few weeks?

As  Brainless has also confirmed my thoughts on the injection, your bitch should be ok to have that done!

How old is your girl by the way? If she is under a year and this is her first season, I would most definitely not let the pregnancy continue.

It's totally up to you, but personally, considering how much time has passed, I would let her have the litter.  They will be registered and, yes there are too many dogs in the world, and yes, it's not ideal.  But it wasn't your fault, so don't beat yourself up about it.

After having worked in a vet's surgery and seen abortions this late along, personally I wouldn't have it done.  They will be little pups by now, not amorphous blobs.  But it's up to you.

As you have the paperwork, you can still contact her breeder, who if reputable will, I'm sure, be willing to help.  The breeders name will be recorded on the KC paperwork. A problem you may encounter is that you can't register them without witnessing the mating, so you will need to DNA test them.

Technically speaking you shouldn't register them until they've been DNA tested, because on the litter registration form the owner of the stud dog has to sign that the mating took place on a certain date. You have no idea when that was, or if it was even your dog who did the mating.

Have they been transferred into your name? If not, again you won't be able to register them.

If you do decide to pursue any claim against the kennels i.e. vets bills for the pregnancy you would need to ensure that you have proof of the date of conception.  Unless the kennels have admitted liability in writing in some way (i.e. did you get a refund for the days that your dogs were sharing rather than having separate kennels?) I can see this would develop into your word against their word.  It would too easy for them to say that the dogs were not together and couldn't have tied at their kennel and that the tie must have happened either before or after your holiday.