Hello All,

Has anyone used one of these to listening for heartbeats?  I bought a stethoscope from Ebay and used it on my bitch with her last litter.  It wasn't very good at finding the pups heartbeats, all I could hear was stomach noises and odd small thumping sounds (pups moving?) There was the odd crackle and tic but nothing like others have described on here.  Her tummy was full so I should have been able to pick up something a little easier than I did.   Is there a technique to using a stethoscope?  What sort of noises should I be able to hear and possibly differentiate from mums normal sounds when listening?

Thanks in advance
A

Are you sure it was a proper stethoscope and undamaged ?  ;)

you need to experiment too with where and how you put the ear pieces in, some ways work better than others ;)

the technique for finding the heartbeats is on here  Signs of pregnancy

You might find it useful to listen to different heartbeats too, adults children, dogs, cats, etc.  just so you get an idea of how to use the 'scope :D :D

Hope this helps

Hi i have a Doppler, and i think its very good i got it on ebay bf 500 i payed £65 for it found heart beats at 5 weeks preg. warm regards debbie.

It appeared to be a proper stethoscope but I actually found it quite painful in my ears.  I think I have small ear canals as I cannot use any "in-ear" headphones, they just won't fit! Learning to do audio typing was a real nightmare but I think things have progressed since then.. 

I have listened to the dogs own heartbeats, mine, the kids, the husbands (yes he has a heart) but still didn't find it easy to pick out the sounds, even by the stage they were kicking and moving - must have been a dud steth.

cheers
A

Yes I have a Doppler but it's important to have the right 'end' on it.  A human fetal doppler works at 9-12", which is too much for a medium sized dog and therefore not suitable.  I can detect pregnancy from 21 days and be pretty accurate for numbers from 28 days but it's important to be taught the right noises to listen for as well as purchasing the right equipment, so I would recommend that you buy direct from the manufacturer.

where could i buy a 'doggy' doppler then val?

I got mine from Thames Medical, http://www.thamesmedical.com/  but it cost a lot more than £65!  I don't know what their current prices are, but I spent half a day with the man, making sure that he was selling me the right piece of equipment.

Don't forget that equipment is only as good as the operator - I'm always hearing how unreliable scanners are! :D

This is a link to dopplers on ebay but would they work as well as the ones provided by Thames?

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Fetal-Doppler-Specialists

Val, it's a pity you couldn't record the sounds of heartbeats and maybe make a sideline out of selling recordings so others would know what to look for.. !!!

Inside the probe are different crystals that work at different depths and so human Dopplers won't give accurate results for dogs.  I don't know if Thames are supplying canine Dopplers.  I did see some advertised from America last year. 

It's not just the noises that you need to identify, but it's knowing where to look, which changes greatly as the foetus develop. 

Must have been a poor stethoscope. If they get knocked they break ..

I have one and can hear perfectly. I even could tell recently that I had a week puppy a few days before my bitch whelped.

stethoscopes are quite difficult to use , it has to be very very quite in the room where you are (no sounds at all) , the bitch has to be laid very still (sleeping if possible).........but if she snores you will pick that up, also when she is breathing you probably be able to pick up her fur rubbing against the stethascope (if she is a hairy breed) and also i believe you cannot hear anything properly until 7-8 weeks , also if you have you hand on the round part of the steth you will pick up your own circulation , the best way is to place steth on tummy with you gently holding the black lead which attatches ...........if she is pregnant and she is around 7 weeks you should hear something , you can get quite an expert using a steth............i have listened to a few bitches in whelp and have predicted 85% accurate on number of puppies ...........last bitch i listened to i said 5 pups and she had 6 , its also good to have a steth to listen to any puppies (that are alive) while a bitch is whelping.  bought my steth for £12  from ebay............also you may have to turn the steth where the lead part is .....you should har a clicking sound , have a play around with it and you will know what i mean.
i also believe that the way the puppies are laid inside do affect what you can hear to.

forgot to mention ...........if your bitch has recently eating .then wait as you will be able to hear her digest, ................
you should hear fast ticking sounds ........you can even predict the sex of the puppies by the different heart beats faster slower etc........

2 yrs ago  my bitch had 6 puppies i predicted 3! .......i got confused on why this happened BUT it was because she had 5 bitches and 1 dog ........the bitches heartbeats where the same thats why i couldnt count them corectly , i knew that she was having more of 1 sex than the other but at the time i didnt know what ....now i do.