Hello just wondering if anyone uses a fetal Doppler ? My girl has been scanned twice and both time saw at least four pups two says I listened to two heart beats with a fetal Doppler today I can't hear any ?? Could it be I was lucky to hear them a few days ago or would you be concerned

Thanks in advance

I think its sometimes hit and miss.  My girl didn't get very big this time even though she had 8 puppies and I struggled to feel them and hear heartbeats right up until she whelped.  Some days after going over her whole tummy I'd hear it and then 30 seconds later it was as if it moved away.

A scan will only confirm, or not, a pregnancy at the time of the scan.  As I've said before, I prefer to get a couple (if needed) of good matings and wait.   Planning for a litter.   If at the end of the pregnancy nothing happens, then after 2 days, or less depending on what's going on with mum at the time, I'll see my vet who will examine, and probably x-ray which is far more accurate than scanning.   If puppies are seen on x-ray and she's over by a couple of days, then I'll agree to a shot being given to get things moving.

I have never used a fetal Doppler.

I'll see my vet who will examine, and probably x-ray which is far more accurate than scanning.   If puppies are seen on x-ray and she's over by a couple of days, then I'll agree to a shot being given to get things moving.

An x-ray will cost 5 or 6 times as much as a scan, and require at least sedation, whereas scanning only involves the bitch standing on the floor. Also I hope you'd not accept oxytocin being given without having confirmed that labour had started as you could end up with a ruptured uterus.

By the way my latest two scans, as you said at the time that it only showed pups at that stage -both were spot on again. "At least 3" and "at least 2" turned into 4 and 3.

An x-ray will cost 5 or 6 times as much as a scan, and require at least sedation, whereas scanning only involves the bitch standing on the floor. Also I hope you'd not accept oxytocin being given without having confirmed that labour had started as you could end up with a ruptured uterus.

Again I didn't go for x-ray until the end of the pregnancy, and if my vet needed to know whether the bitch was in fact empty, or not.   If that involved sedation, then that's what happened.   Actually with a patient who will tolerate this, as mine did, and I was right there, wearing a lead apron, which was more likely to be done in Canada than in the UK, sedation/knocking out wasn't needed.   Vets out there tended to be far more hands-on with their clients than has been my experience back in the UK.   And for sure, I'm quite aware of the dangers of administering oxytocin.   Mine tended to go to secondary inertia - so yes, labour most certainly would have started.    In fact one of my Canadian vets gave me a couple of shots to administer myself at home as we lived out of town by some distance but in fact after giving her the first with no result, I wasn't comfortable about giving the second, so took her back.   At that point, they went ahead with a C.Section.  Again, what's 'right' or not right, depends on what WORKS for each of us, at the time.

Hi thank you for all taking the time to reply, sorry I haven't been on here as having a bit if a nightmare :sad  update Lola started losing her plug on Thursday (she is huge) so took her to the vet, they took her temperature which was 37.7 vet was a bit concerned so she did an internal but the cervix were still closed, we went on to babe another scan and some very strong heartbeats but she is now on no exercise no walks basically in bed rest but every movement I paranoid she is about to whelp which is far to early, she still having a lot if mucus her foo foo looks like it has mens bits attached it's so huge. Any advise would be great as I haven't left her side not that it will help her as if they come now it's far to early

Presumably she is now on day 52?  If it's any help, I had a bitch go into labour on day 54 last month, pups born after midnight so officially day 55 even though it was nowhere near a full 55 days as first was born around 2 am (counting days from first mating). Pups all lived, almost 5 weeks old now and doing great. Big pups and big litter for breed so they just could not hold on any longer. So just a few more days and it can all work out fine, keeping fingers crossed for you.

Hi Goldimail , thank you so much for taking time to respond :-) your reply makes me feel a little better, this is such a stress she not leaving her bed at the moment, no milk in yet , still loosing mucus and her foo foo is huge