Hi

What are your thoughts on scanning. I have never had a bitch scanned to check for pregnancy as  I feel you will know soon enough. Is there any good reasons to do so apart from confirming pregnancy? If I was to do it when would be the best time and is stressing the bitch taking her to the vets to have it done worth it. Also just out of curiosity how much does it cost to do. I know all vets vary so a rough idea?

Look forward to reading your thoughts

Wendy

Hi Wendy,

I had my bitch scanned at the end of pregnancy because the vet thought there was no puppies and to be honest even after the scan the vet said no puppies alive but vet was very wrong as we had a beautiful girl.  This scan cost me £30.00 but I guess costs will vary.  When I have seen anything re scans numbers of pups are wrong and my experience was wrong too...thank goodness.  To be honest I wouldnt bother having a scan as you cannot go by the results for sure. 

Best wishes
Janet

Hi Wendy,

I had my girl scanned at 30 days - no stress to her at all as she was done standing and no coat shaved off :)  It cost from memory about £40-45 but it was at the vet hospital (our nearest scan unit) who tend to be more costly than elsewhere for everything.

It was my first litter and I wanted to know if she was in whelp or not - also her breeder has all her stock scanned at a similar time frame so I went on her advice too.

Regards, Teri :)

I scan at 28 - 30 days. It lets me know for sure if the bitch is in whelp and allows me to get things prepared. It also gives some idea of numbers. I've never found it to stress the bitch, but then my lot all go into the vets with tails wagging. Not sure about price but I think its about £30.

i had lucy scanned at 6 weeks and she was so good she stood for the vet and lovred every minute of the extra attention i had to look around as my normal vet said he would find out where and how much it would be to have her scanned but he never did so my sister looked on the net and found a localish vets that did it all together it cost me about £45 and the vet was almost spot on she said she though there was 6 pups maybe 1 more and she was spot on lucy went on to have 7 pups

I've never had my bitches scanned. I do have a breed which normally whelps easily & I've never seen the point. They either are or they aren't!

The sheep scanner we used for our girl was invaluable.  She saw 8 possibly nine puppies.  The scan was done standing with no stress to our girl.  She delivered 6 puppies normally and the other puppies could not be felt easily after the first 6 were delivered.  We knew there were more pups and had no hesitation in having a c section because she had stopped pushing.  The result was two more puppies.  One died soon after birth and the other, after a struggle, is thriving.

We would not have known about the others without the scan.

I had my bitch scanned to determine her first pregnancy but the vet couldn't tell us how many pups. This time (she is 7 weeks) I haven't had her scanned. I have known owners have their bitches scanned and told one how mnay pups, to be wrong.

I wouldn't pay £27 again, unless there was a problem

if you want to do it for pregnancy confirmation only buy a cheap stethoscope and you can hear heart beat from 42 days. It is also very nice to hear.

Hi Lumpy,
             As a ultrasound scanner myself (for dog pregnancy) yes it can be an invaluable tool in certain circumstances, As far as determining fetus numbers no it is not 100% accurate as sometimes:

1. puppies can be lying behind each other

2. if there is alot of gas in the dog that can hide puppies aswell.

3. re-absorbtion  -  the estimated number at 4 weeks can change at 6 weeks due to some puppies being re-absorbed.

4. the whole of the uterus & horns cannot be scanned as a complete picture as the horns are so long ( best way to explain ) it has to be scanned in 3 sections
    so sometimes depending on how the puppies are lying you dont know if you have already counted them

When people enquire about ultrasound scanning they are informed of this at the time of enquiring and again before the actual scan takes place that the numbers seen are only a guide and can not be guaranteed due to the reasons previously mentioned. But majority of people are just happy to know if they are ( to be able to prepare ) and also go home with a picture of the unborn puppies.

Hope this info helps

Kodie

Hi

Thankyou that was a big help.

I think i will give scanning a miss. I am pretty sure she is pregnant anyway and the next couple of weeks will confirm that for me. It would be nice to be able to say for definate but part of the fun is the waiting and guessing how many babies will be born.

Thanks for all the replies it is very interesting.

Wendy

Hi, I had my girl scanned on Friday, because I needed to know for certain whether she had miscarried. She had two matings in Dec, but bled after the second mating for a couple of days, so I was convinced she was not pregnant. She doesn't look pregnant even now, but her weight was heavier when I lifted her, and she seemed to want to eat more food than usual. She is a small breed. The scan showed one small puppy for definate, but because the stage she is at the Vet could not be sure there were no others. The puppy, or hopefully puppies, are due on Valentines day. Now I know she did not miscarry I can prepare for the birth.