Sorry another question. 

My breed can be skittish and hyper and I have been told by a couple of people that scanning could be too stressful for her.  One or two people have said that the stress element can cause re-absorption.  Can you please give me any examples good or bad of your experiences.  I have only a couple of days to make up my mind.

Scanning in itself is unlikely to cause resorption (after all, pregnant women have scans without problems), and sheep (animals not used to being handled) are also scanned without problem. The advent of scanning has confirmed that resorption does indeed take place - it had long been suspected by not proven.

Basically, only use scanning as a method of confirming pregnancy - don't rely on it to give you accurate numbers.

Thanks Jeangenie

I know scanning itself doesn't cause re absorption I have a number of children to prove it.  From what I hear the shaving and clippering that goes on before scanning is what causes the upset and then the bitch is fretful for the scan. 

Being a novice scanner, always relied on feeling the bumps myself, I am interested in getting lots of opinions. 

If it isn't to cheeky to ask, you need not reply, do you scan and are you personally happy with the results.

I've had a bitch scanned twice, but she'd missed both times. :( She wasn't bothered by standing on the table while it was done though.

Many thanks Jeangenie

The scan showed that there were no pups at that time then.  That is useful in itself just in case I am dealing with a phantom here.

Yes, it showed she was empty. I was really disappointed, but it meant that I could work at avoiding a phantom without getting my hopes up at the symptoms.

If you use an experienced scanning person (as opposed to a Vet!) they can get good, quick results without clipping, often with the bitch standing, which doesn't distress the bitch at all because the owner is whispering sweet nothings in her ear and the scanner is tickling her tummy! :)

Hi Val

Ron has just told me that the lady sheep scanner isnt going to shave her, wonderful news, so that bit of worry is out of the equation.  Many thanks

Then I wouldn't worry at all if I were you.  Sheep scanners (apart from me!! :) ) are the best.  Just whisper in her ear and she won't even know it's being done.

There is usually no need to have the tummy clipped if enough lubricant is used.  I have a  breed with wooly tummies :D

Must admit I book a scan withmy ver, but if he is sure when he palpates that the bitch is in whelp then I forgo it, as he 8is very good at palpation.

As JG says only rely on it to confirm pregnancy not numbers.

Thanks Brainless.  I think I can feel some little marbles but its been a long time since I had a litter, could be intestine just don't know.  Really wanting to know if there are many or few as it is her first litter and a small one with large pups could require careful handling.

I had to pin my little collie girl down on the vets table while she was shaved and scanned, she was a bit upset by it all. The scan showed 2 pups and she had 4. From everything I've read on here since the sheep scanner certainly sounds better :)

The last time I had a bitch scanned she simply had a bit of fur clipped off her stoamch, and she just stood on the floor all the time, for a couple of minutes, and that was it. It was no more stressful than being judged at a show really. :)

Marianne

Many thanks Goldmali

Personal experiences are exactly what I am after. 

hi there, i had my bitch scanned 4 wk ago & was total stress free for my bitch, i even shaved the hair of her tummy at home the previous day before scan
the vet is always so gentle, she went in with a wagging tail & was still wagging during scan,
hope this is of some help
shirley 

Good idea, I had thought about taking some of the hair off myself, she is a long haired breed in full coat.

Hi echo, I had my girls scaned, vet said about 4, she got very big in the last 2 weeks and like you I worried she had 4 very big puppies, but no she had 10 small-normal size ones.

HTH Lynn

That made me giggle, but isn't it typical of modern science just when you think you've got things covered another surprise jumps up to bite you in the bum. 

Thanks for your input goldengirl

echo, my vet scans without any clipping or stress whatsoever.

Thanks for that Sam

When I had my last bitch scanned she needed just the tinest bit of shaving it was very quiet and did not stress her at all, I guess it may also depend on the breed. Yes, scans are good at confirming pregnancy, but absolutely rubbish at obtaining the correct number, you can usually double and sometimes triple what my vet has always said. I kept waiting for them to get more acurate, (so that I knew when to go to bed) but another 1,2,3,4, more pups always popped out.

Again, sheep scanners are usually right, give or take one each way.  Most Vets ......... well I'd agree with you!

Many thanks everyone.  I think we are decided, we will have the sheep scanner as we first planned.  I will let you know what happens.  Wish me luck!

Hi Everyone,

I don't want to sound a misery but I won't get my dog scanned by a vet again unless it really is an emergency! 

I took my Lab to the vet during the summer for a scan  and having read all the posts on the forum didn't think that it was necessary to have her tummy shaved or to be made to lie on her side.  I questioned the need to have her on her side and was told "Well we don't have to scan her".  We got her onto the table and it took three of us to hold her!  My husband held her back end, the nurse held her back legs and I was holding her head.  She was really stressed out and didn't like it at all.  Up until this point we had never had a problem going to the vets, now she hates it.  Anyway, the vet shaved her tum, and proceeded to scan her but could find no pups.  We were told to take her back in two weeks just to make sure.  Once we got home we realised that the vet had actually scratched her tummy with the clippers and that must have hurt! 

Two weeks later we went back and this time I told the vet politely that she was not to be scanned on her side.. her reply... oh well it doesn't make much difference if you do it standing, sitting or lying? The vets attitude was very cold towards us and I was not happy but at least I knew my dog wasn't being put under as much stress as before.  Again no pups were found.

In total we had 3 scans as she went onto to have symptoms as if she could have been carrying one pup that wasn't noticeable on the scan.  I made sure I had a different vet and that they were forewarned about my dog getting stressed out by them and this time the new vet couldn't have been nicer to me or my dog.  I still don't think I will risk putting her through so much distress unless there really is doubt about her carrying any pups.

Ideally I would use a sheep scanner but the local scanner doesn't do dogs, so if anyone knows of a good sheep scanner in the far north of scotland that is willing would you let me know?

Cheers
A

was she not pregnant then crustyroll? when i had my bitch scanned (she had missed) they shaved her belly and she started to lick the area and ended up with an infected dermatitis on her tum which was sore and red for weeks. good job she didnt have pups as she would have been too sore to feed them! next time we had 8 pups i didnt bother scanning

Thanks for the input, that was what I was worried about but thankfully the sheep scanner doesn't require that she is shaved and she can be done standing. 

My friends bitch, same breed as mine, looked pregnant before her scan but was traumatised when the vet took her away out of site of the owners to shave and scan.  The bitch was away for 20 minutes and when she came back the vet said she wouldn't keep still and he found it hard to see anything although he thought he saw one.  He told them to come back in a week.  A different vet took her away again, this time for 5 minutes, and came back saying she wasn't in whelp.  I cant help feeling that this bad experience may have made her reabsorb. 

Incidentally this is also the vet who wanted to hip score a 6 month old pup under full anesthetic and was going to send the results off for her - something tells me she should change vets.