hi just took millie for her utrasound , vet could only find 2 puppies, although these look really heathy he was concerned about her carrying a small litter  , do vets get numbers wrong? i could see very clearly the babies , so surely if there was more they would be seen , have to have a rescan in 2 weeks to check numbers, if members have any advice please post.
julie

Hi Julie,

My girl was scanned on day 31 and clearly showed 3 pups on one side and 2 on the other.  She went on to have 8 :D
It's always possible that some are too small to be seen (don't know which day your girl's on) and that others are hiding behind or further up etc. 

Scans are only a guide re numbers - more to confirm that a bitch is def pregnant and give a rough indication so you know when or if to expect a multiple birth rather than a singleton.  Puppies can be absorbed between bitch being scanned and whelping date anyway. 

HTH, regards Teri :)

thanks teri, millie is on day 24,  (25 days since being put to dog)  the vet could (and me ) see very clearly 2 puppies but nothin else , perhaps  thats why he (vet) wants to rescan in 2 weeks , he did say the chances of millie absorbing both puppies  is highly unlikely but he said was is possible, know im worried sick about this singleton syndrome
julie

Hi Julie,

That reply was meant to reassure you :D  I'm losing my touch :rolleyes:
That's a very early scan - a breeder in the US who used my dog by AI got her bitch scanned at day 25 and sent me the pics - well these things are bad enough as you know normally but by the time it had been sent at warp speed through the web it was just grey grains everywhere :P   Her "reproduction specialist" counted 4 (goodness knows how he found ANY!!!) and her bitch went on to have 7.

With our girl we could clearly see the 5 puppies at day 31 but we did completely fail to see the other 3 ;)  We used the University Vet Hospital and they said that when they counted 5 + they always logged it simply as a multiple, mainly because it's still easy for some to be hiding (mental picture of them peeking out :P ) and, less commonly, because of reabsorbtion.  So PLEASE, don't worry.   In any event, a single puppy isn't the end of the world by any means - I've known a few over the years and have had lovely characters etc - a lot less worry for you too than finding multiple "forever homes" - now THAT is a worry!  Best wishes, Teri  :) 

With our very first litter our vet told us 3 possibly 4 pups........she went on to have 7!

I know it's easy to say don't worry, but you do!

I was told 2 and had 4........

We got told 6 & she had 8.

Dont worry too much & get some rest now!

Jo
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I was told 6 and had 6.

You will have a better idea when you go for a re-scan, perhaps it was a bit early.

Sarah
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The first time my older dog was used the vet scanned 3 puppies - the bitch had 9.

Recently my young dog mated a bitch - scan showed 2.  The vet apparently looked for ages and was definite that there were only 2 pups.  She had 5.

The first time I was told at least 3 and the second time we clearly saw 5. She had 9 in each litter. I do think some vets err on the side of caution now that we are becoming a litigation nation.

nice to hear all your accounts , we will see what the rescan shows , thanks again
julie

From what I have been told the embryos are just starting to separate out at the 21 day stage, now you say that it 25 days since mating to the dog, but she may not have fallen pregnant right away (maybe the following day or the day after), so I would wait and go back and with a bit of luck there will be more puppies for you to see. Don't worry about the bitch reabsorbing, it's just natures way of dealing with the ones that should'nt be. IMO unless your vet is scanning on a very regular basis most of them can't give accurate numbers and I am surprised that that they scan at this early stage. Hope this makes a bit of sense to you as it's been a hard day at work !

Margaret

Hi, just to put my tuppence worth in... My girl was scanned at day 25 after first mating. which was day 21 after last mating  [yes, she was a bit of a tart for 4 days!] vet said he could maybe see 4-6 but was very unsure as so early on so therefore we went for the theory of it being day 21. like you we have been booked for a second scan which will be on day 33. so hopefully that will be more specific, although reading all the above posts i sometimes wonder if its any use at all!  lol... keep in touch

thanks everyone, millie was only mated the once so she must have fell pregnant then, (day 14 of season), the two puppies that were seen on scan were very , very clear, heatbeats could be seen too , so i really only think there must be two there , but like posts before who knows??? i will wait patiently till then ! (not)
julie

Julie, Just out of interest, what breed is  Millie?   My Poppy is a Black Lab...

ive pmd you naybee

MM just because a bitch is mated only once doesn't mean that conception occured that day.  Male sperm witll live for at least 4 days in the bitches reproductive tract and can survive for a week.

A bitch also ovulates immature eggs over about 48 hours, which aren't ready for fertilization for a further 48 hours, and then survive for 48 hours before dying.

If your bitch was mated early she may not have become pregnant for another 3 or 4 days :D

This is why there can be quite a variance in how many days a pregnnacy lasts from mating, whereas from conception it is proven not to vary by more than a day.

Hi I was told 7 possible 8 well my girl came with 7 healthy pups.

Hi

I always have my bitches scanned on day 35 (from first mating).  So far I've always been able to count the exact number of pups apart from one time when I could only see three.  We did angle the scanner up under the ribs but couldn't find any hiding up there, the bitch went on to have five.

I don't scan to confirm pregnancy (by the time I scan the bitch is clearly pregnant), I scan to count pups!  I do know there is a chance of reabsorbtion or a miss count but I still like to know.  I find the information useful at whelping time.  I've had two or three bitches over the years stop after 4 + pups, they sleep, tend to their babies, eat and drink and behave as if they have finished.  Because they are scanned and I'm aware that there could be or should be more pups I know to get them X-Rayed (costly and a little stressful for the bitch and not worth doing unless you are fairly sure there are more pups to come) and with a little outside help they have gone on to have the remainder of their babies (even after 5 hr plus gaps! - should add that 5 hr gaps are not the end of the world, but my bitches will normally have seven pups in the space of about 3 hrs and five pups in about 1 - 2 hrs max. so 5 hour gaps for me are quite a long time!)

Chrissy

You must have a very good scaner operator as I have never had a reliable scan as to numbers and have only ever used it to confirm pregnancy so that I can let down prospective puppy owners sooner than later if the bitch isn't in whelp (I hate disappointing people and that way I can get them on someon elses list quickly).

Hi Brainless

I think the lady who scans my bitches is very good, she has an ex NHS scanner that was used in a hospital and she is very good at getting the probe in all the right places to have a good look around!  The other tip she gave me was a) scan on an empty tummy (the dogs tummy that is!) because the breakdown of food causes gas (wind) and gas shows up as white snow on a scanner and b) to use corn oil (as used for cooking) to lubricated the tummy.  The gel normally used is water based and this is full of oxygen which is also a gas and shows up as white snow on the screen.

She has only been wrong once (five pups born and only three scanned) but in fairness to her the bitch does have a deep body and she did say at the time that although she could only see 3 she did see some shaddows high up that could be more pups. I have had over 20 bitches scanned over the years and they have all gone on to have the exact number of pups scanned (apart from the one mentioned above). To look at pups higher up she tilts the probe just below the middle of the rib cage (sternum) and sends the ultra sound waves up towards the head, we often find a couple of pups tucked up high under the ribs.  Many vets who scan will only scan a portion of the tummy (usually midline from the bladder upwards).

When I have them scanned at the age I scan there is no doubt about the number of pups (assuming you can scan all around the bitches tummy) because the pups actually look like pups and not marbles all sitting next to each other.  If I knew how to add pictures(LOL) here I'd show you some photos of the scans and you'd be amazed what they look like!

Chris

my girl was scanned at 29 days with 3 maybe 4 she had 9

How many people have had their dogs scanned to be told that there aren't any and had pups?  Just interested to see if it's ever happened.

twice on my mums yorkies (same one!)

First time they said not pregnant & she had just the one - good job my mum kept an eye just in case!
Second time vets said it was a phantom & she had 5!

Both times the vets refunded the scan fee (At my mums insistance)

Jo
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My friend did he had it scanned twice and was told nothing the bitch then went on to have 4 pups having been on a diet!

I had my girl scanned twice to be told there were none .And she went on to have 7

My bitch was scanned when she was having a litter 2yrs ago, scan showed 3 puppies, she had 7, a big litter for my breed, all born healthy and doing well. Does not seem like 2 yrs ago.

it seems there is a high % of wrong numbers scaned , so im not gonna take it as certian till re-scan in 2 weeks

I got told 3 and had 9 ;)

Had a bitch scaned a few years ago was told 2/3 pups had 10

Hi, I just wondered out of interest who most people use to scan their bitches, eg normal vet or a sheep person?
The lady that does my girls scans at our local hospital and has only ever been one out.

Jo

We used a sheep person (not sure what to call them!!!). Our girl was scanned 3 times and we were told she caught 3 days after her third matingand there was 4 maybe 5 pups.  She later whelped 3 large healthy 12oz pups. 

Had one scanned once at a health centre for people :d  Told that she wasn't pregnant and they were right :d

lol well maybe people who scan humans are a bit better.
I couldn't believe so many peoples scans being so far out.
Ive got ''3'' puppies due in just under 2 weeks and reading all those replies got me a little worried..... what a shock it must be to end up with 10 puppies when your told your having 2!!

Jo

I suppose it could work the other way, i know a breeder who had a waiting list, was told she was having 7 pups and ended up with 3
There were a lot of dissapointed people who had stayed in touch throughout the  pregnancy, i suppose she must have absorbed the others.

sarah
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