Hello I’m new to this forum and also a first time breeder looking for some advice.

I bred my bitch with a proven stud on day 11 and day 14 by IA. She continued with her season after and all seemed well with her. Noticeable changes in her since then include a 1.5kg weight gain more prominent mamory glands generally needy affectionate behaviour. Also she used to jump the safety gate across her bed but has stopped.

We had her scanned by the lady who did the IA last night which would be day 31 from first mate and 29 from second. She said from scan she would say she wasn’t pregnant. Obviously I’m disappointed as I really thought she was showing signs! Her bladder was full and to be honest the machine didn’t look very “high tech”. She showed me her intestines but I’m not all that good at figuring out what’s what!

Could she be wrong?
Could pups be hiding or too small to detect especially with having full bladder?
Has anyone experienced a similar scenario and gone on to have a litter?

Ultrasounds can be wrong, but by day 31 you'd expect to see something...

Why did you do an AI?  Research and statistics shows that best success (litter size and successful pregnancy) comes from natural breedings...

If the bladder was full a good scanner will ask you to go and get your girl to relieve  herself and then scan again.

Which is why I never bothered with scanning

By around 7 weeks, you should see puppies moving around, especially if mum is lying on her side.   And that's always been enough for me.  But I was lucky not to have to plan to take a holiday (from work) and we stopped showing if we were 'with pup' so we didn't risk bringing infection home.

If there were no signs after a thorough search with the ultrasound scanner at around the 30-day mark it's unlikely that she's pregnant. It'd be worth repeating the scan in a week just to make sure. You won't be making any changes to her day-to-day routine yet anyway, so you have time. Alternatively you can get a blood sample tested to confirm (or not) pregnancy.

Hello

I bred my bulldog on the 12th and 13th Nov. Day 28 we had her scanned and 5 puppies were seen, he advised to re scan in a few days, he was unavailable so took her for another scan with someone else on day 32 he scanned 3 puppies but only in one horn. My minds been doing over time so I arranged another scan today with a local lady it took her 30 mins but eventually seen two. Shes been to the vet day 29 to be checked over he advised she’s perfectly healthy and will check her over again on the 6th Jan. is this normal to have three different scans and all three say different ? I understand the scans are not

As scanning is mostly only reliable at the time of the scan, why bother?   Especially if the bitch is at all stressed with being pushed and poked around.  X-rays are way more accurate and can be done when she's reached her due date, if nothing happens - to confirm she is empty, or not!!

This view from somebody who has never bothered with scans!!

I think I'm looking for advise from someone who does bother with scans, thanks for you input and taking your time time to respond

It very much depends on the skill of the scanner, I like sheep scanners, that's pretty much their whole job, so they're very good at it and generally much more accurate than the vets... and usually a lot cheaper too. Our local sheep scanner charges a tenner.

At least you know she is in whelp, that's the important thing, I would try not to worry about the different results.

Have she had the CHV vaccine though just in case?

I agree with MamaBas.  What's going to come out, is going to come out.  What's the point of scanning?  It will (to some degree or other) stress the bitch whilst pregnant and research shows the bitch's cortisol levels affect puppies in utero, who also experience the stress...

Patience!

Scanning can be very stressful for the bitch, and to do it several times is imo putting the pregancy at risk. Bitches are able to re absorb their puppies up until 5-6 weeks and will do so if they feel they get very stressed.  I certainly wouldnt do it again. If at 7 1/2  weeks or so she doesnt look pregnant, scan again, so you are warned that there are maybe only one or two pups ( possible potential whelping problems) or maybe there will be no pups. Good luck, and I wouldnt take her to the vet for unnecessary tests now.  The birth canal is somewhat open and its so easy to pick up infections. If you do take her, take a clean piece of vet bed for her to sit on in the surgery, then wash it at 60C.

Was your girl progesterone tested to show she was ovulating?  if not she could still be 5 days (or more) behind mating dates.   If you're girl isn't stressed by scanning then no harm in having her scanned again in a weeks time.

I know when my girl was scanned at day 32, no pups were picked up,  a week later scan showed 2 healthy pups, so obviously mated too early......she whelped naturally day 70 from first mating