hi i am getting really concerned for my youngest bitch. she is only just gone a year and i think she may be pregnant. she is showing some signs, but my male was kenelled while she was in season. My 3 yr old is pregnant. my question is if she is pregnant how will this affect her (i dont wnt to register the pups or anything) i just want her to be safe. will she be ok if she is pregnant or will she be badly affected. i know she is too young to be pregnant and it wasnt meant to happen - i dont even know when it could of happened.

it may just be a phantom...

How long was the dog kennelled for? Some bitches can conceive as late as 21 days into the season, though hopefully it is a phantom. If you want to make sure you could take her and have a blood test/scan to see when she would probably be about 5 1/2 weeks pregnant - if she is pregnant she probably conceived around 14 days after her season started, so you can work out how far gone (approx) she might be. If it is a phantom you can give her a homeoapthic remedy to help her get over it , its also a good idea with phantoms to cut right down on protein in her diet - no meat, low protein biscuit for at least a week combined with regular exersise. If its a phantom she may rip up things when she is close to thinking she is whelping so it might be a good idea for her to sleep in the kitchen. My first experience of a phantom was to get up one moring to find both armchairs, the sofa and curtains ripped to shreds, with her lying contendedly on the remnants guarding her fave toys which she thought were her babies !! :-)

I agree with the others who have mentioned that she could be going through a phantom pregnancy. With your older bitch being definitely pregnant, this one probably was brought into season by the older one resulting in some messed up hormones. If you had her locked away from your male from the tenth (10th) day to at least the sixteenth (16th) day of her season there is a good chance she is not pregnant but as one person mentioned some bitches can be fertile right up to day 21. It is better that a bitch not be bred until the age of 2 so genetic tests can be completed(ie. hips usually can't be done old method of x-ray until 2 years of age but a pin-hip can be done at 1 1/2 years). You don't want to pass genetic faults on to the pups.

Was there anytime that she was running loose that the male could have had access to her when you could not observe what was going on? When bitches come into season and you do not want a mating you must take extra special care that the male or female are always securely confined to avoid unwanted litters. I never was in your specific situation as I always sent my bitch out to a stud located at a different kennel. It is a bit of a challenge when you have a stud on your property.

I don't know a lot about this but have heard that their is a blood test that will determine if your bitch is pregnant. Personally I would rather use this method than either an x-ray or ultrasound. My vet perfers not to use either of these diagnostic tests unless an emergency necessitates their use.

If your young bitch is healthy and strong there probably is no reason why she couldn't whelp this litter if she is pregnant but then you are faced with all the expenses and responsilibilities to raising, placing and registering these puppies. It is a big job and becomes even bigger if the pregnancy results in a large litter. Right now I am helping my girlfriend who breeds Standard Poodles with a litter of 10 of which one has been a hand fed first by tube feeding and now by bottle with the introduction of solid food. It can be quite a job. There are mothers sometimes who need to be watched as they kind of forget themselves when they lay down so you have to be alert that babies are not smothered. Lots to do but also it has lots of rewards. Young dogs can do this mothering thing but you just have to be aware of what might happen.

Margaret :) Canada

Just to clarify, that if the poster is in the UK, then Hips can be x-rayed for the KC/BVA/ISDS Hip screening scheme from 12 months of age, though in most breeds it is recommedned not to breed until two years of age.

hi thanx for your reply firstly my dog was kenneled from day 3 of her season for 4 and a half wks just to make sure i live in the country so there are no dogs around and she was always with me any way there has been no dogs around her. im not worried about any expenses only her health as i cant register the pups any way ( although i wldnt cause i dont want people to think its ok to breed at a year) and because shes so young shes not been hip or eye scored - but she wasnt meant to get pregnant. but my oldest is at the vet on tuesday so i will take my youngest with me to get the test. thanx for your help