Will my dog have problems giving birth?
My dog is Nine. This will be her first time having puppies. We had believed she was baron because she had never bred before and because she was nine we found no reason to fix her. Now she is due any day and I wanted to know if she will have any trouble. She is healthy and very active and seems to have no medical problems.
She is a Springer Spaniel so she weighs about 35-40 pounds. I did have a freind with a mini poodle that was 12 and had her six puppies just fine. This happened by accident, I did not try and breed her on purpose. We did not know she could get pregnant because most dogs stop having heats by seven. We believe the father is a Black Lab.
She is very fit. She is a very healthy dog.
We had planned on breeding her but she never took. Once she hit nine we figured she was done and we would not have this problem.
We have prepared ourselves just in case this does turn out to be fatal.
She should be fine. I have had dogs, cats and horses become mothers and it is always an amazing miracle how they instinctively know what to. I had a cat once who would come and get me when she was ready to have her kittens. Although she is senior for a dog, she should deliver just fine. Enjoy your new puppies.
She should be okay, but remember- a 9 year old dog is like a 50 year old person. She may struggle. I hate to say it but the results may be fatal. I advise you have the vet on hand when she is about to give birth!
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Nine is definitely a risky age to be having puppies, especially a first litter.
You should definitely be consulting with your vet on this one. Please have her examined immediately.
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Honestly, yes, it is fairly likely there will be complications.
Just as in humans. Pregnancy later in life is always more risky and more likely to have complications.
You didn’t say what kind of dog she is, but assuming she’s 50 – 90 lbs, that is like a 60 year old woman having a baby. (the "7 years rule" is not accurate – you need to go by weight, too)
You may want to talk to the vet about scheduling a c-section before she is due. Or at least having her at the vet clinic when she has them so they can step in if necessary.
Add: Please do talk to the vet about a C-section. She runs even more risk if the father is a lab because her puppies will likely be too large for her to manage on her own (depending on the size of the lab)
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9 is considered senior aged. just make sure she gets prenatal and postnatal vet care
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I agree with the previous poster..9 is pretty late in life to be a 1st time mom.
Have a vet on call in case you need to take her in. I,d also feed her lots of cottage cheese and Yogurt with her normal dog food.. this will help produce milk and get her spayed…no sense in her going thru this again at this age.
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9 years old is old for a dog to have puppies, especially for a first time. Reputable breeders usually stop breeding their dogs when they are 5-6 years old, and there is a reason for this.
You need to take her in for a check-up and get a vet involved with the whole process. If you’re going ahead and letting her carry the pups to term, make sure you have a vet on call in case there are complications. Also make sure to read up on all you can about puppy care and what to do if the mother can’t take care of them properly.
Best of luck with her.
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ooF! –
not a good thing, IMO, to have left her intact for so long.
and yes – there is some increased risk with age.
has the vet ultrasounded for the pups positions?
or has there been a radiograph to count skulls?
if she is a brachycephalic breed, her risk is higher anyhow vs
a dog with a normal foreface + sinuses/airway.
if she is a Bulldog or ANY other breed that has a large skull
or was bred TO a dog with a large-skull… again, risk goes up.
does she have a normal-sized pelvis?
do U have enough $$ for an emergency C-section if she needs one?
is she fat, or fit?
does she do aerobic activity regularly when she is not preg?
it is a bit late in the day to be asking ‘will she be OK?’
U could have actually spayed her in the first trimester safely –
at extra cost, but with less worry. this late, there is no way to the
far-side but thru the whelping – vaginally or extra-uterine.
sorry! only the vet can give U any real assurance –
and he would have to see her to be even somewhat sure.
birth is always a risk – older mothers are definitely more-risky.
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30 yrs educating ppl, training pets – Certified Vets Asst.
She might. Make sure she sees a vet before the puppies are born, and then shortly(like within a couple of days) after. If people aren’t planning on breeding, they should always spay/neuter their pets no matter what their age(as you found out).
It’s spelled barren…lol
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Nine is WAY too old to be breeding- especially if she’s a larger dogs. (do you realize that life expectancy on some large dogs can be 8-12 years?)- a pregnancy on your girl is like your grandmother getting pregnant. The chances are very high that she could die. Please have her seen by a vet- and you might even talk tot hem about a.) having her spayed if it’s not too late, or b.) scheduling a c-section.
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Wow. A nine year old dog who weighs a third of the size of the father?
Get to the vet immediately.
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I would say you definitely need to talk with your vet, because that is very old for the dog to be having a litter let alone her first litter. You also say the father is a Black Lab which is a much bigger dog than her, and that can make the pups to big for her to have naturally. I would consult the vet about a c-section.
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She should be fine. I have had dogs, cats and horses become mothers and it is always an amazing miracle how they instinctively know what to. I had a cat once who would come and get me when she was ready to have her kittens. Although she is senior for a dog, she should deliver just fine. Enjoy your new puppies.
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