[mommykjo]

I have a 5.5 lb toy poodle and she is 6 weeks pregnant. She is just so large already. She has gained 4 lbs. already and is sleeping a lot. Her belly is hard and I'm afraid of how much larger she will get in the next 3 weeks. Is this normal? Any advice, first time breeder of a toy poodle. Thanks so very much.

Kristy

 

[Purple Poodle]

Hey there! I may be able to help but first I have a few of questions for you,

1. Has she had a vet visit yet?
2. Was she bred to another toy poodle?
3. So is she up to nine pounds or was her starting weight at one pound?

 

[mommykjo]

She is 9.5lbs now, she was bred with another toy poodle slightly smaller than her, she is sleeping a lot, had a slight bit of discharge this morning after going potty. clear/slightly yellow, not much though. She has not been vet checked as of now. Starting to think about it though. Her belly is pretty firm. Thanks for any advice you can give.

 

[Purple Poodle]

I would get her to a vet ASAP to have an x-ray done to see how many puppies she has and how big they are. And get your vets emergency number incase you have a problem.

Was this an intentional breeding? I would suggest you do the proper reading and educate your self a bit more on the breeding of dogs. Before she delivers.

Here are a few link you might want to check out.
http://leerburg.com/breedingdogs.htm
http://www.petcaretips.net/dog_breeding_pregnancy_birthing.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_breeding
http://www.breedingbetterdogs.com/articles.html
http://www.wonderpuppy.net/1breeding.php

 

[mommykjo]

I called my vet and they said all of this is normal. I will see how she does. I do however get frustrated with people saying that you don't have a right to breed a dog if you don't have a masters degree in it. I have bred one jack russell 10 years ago and had no problems. I am just concerned a bit, she is our baby. Yes, it was an intentional breeding and I am pretty knowledgeable. I have read much on this before we bred her, but until you actually go through the process, everyone has to have a first time puppy experience even if you raise dogs for a living. I wouldn't ask if I just didn't care, but I do and that is why there are these forums. Please don't take this wrong, I am thankful for the advice, but there are so many people out there that just get seriously mad if you don't know exactly what to expect when breeding for the first time. So, not that you intended to sound that way by any means, you may not have at all. Take care and again, thank you.

 

[rmillstein]

Good luck to you and the prospective mom!

 

[mommykjo]

Thanks, and for purple poodle, thanks for the advice, I will be checking out the websites your recommended. I do appreciate the time you took to help me out. Take care.

 

[Purple Poodle]

Never meant to say you did not know what you were doing but when someone asks about breeding I like to cover all bases and point them in all directions.

I would still have an x-ray done to make sure how many pups to expect and just how big they are because if they are to big she wont be able to pass them.

Good luck with it.

 

[rmillstein]

An x-ray? Is that right? I don't know anything about breeding puppies, but in humans, x-rays of pregnant women are avoided if possible. Do you mean ultrasound?

 

[Purple Poodle]

No, I mean an x-ray, its recommended so you have a count of pups and to see how big they are.

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/breedingpregnancyguide.htm

 

[rmillstein]

Is having that information really worth the possible damage to the pups?

 

[Purple Poodle]

There is no evidence it does any harm to the puppies or the bitch. The information it provides is essential because if the pups are too big they can get stuck, the puppy and the bitch could die. If you don't have a count on how many pups and one gets left inside the puppy and bitch could die. So yeah I would say its worth it.

 

[T o d d]

X-Rays could make them have 3 eyes

 

[Purple Poodle]

No they are only x-rayed maybe once while pregnant I am sure 99.9% of everyone on here has a Poodle who was x-rayed before birth

 

[rmillstein]

It had better be relatively late in the pregnancy...

 

[Purple Poodle]

They say to have the x-ray done at 54 to 58 weeks.

 

[rmillstein]

Ok, so the original poster said that the mother had only been pregnant for 42 days (I assume you mean 54 to 58 days, not 54 to 58 weeks...).

 

[Purple Poodle]

Haha, yes I meant days.

 

[Yorkiecrazy]

Good advice Purple Poodle. I would really take her to the vet for a check-up. I know some vets like to put them on vitamins and do x-rays. It really would give you a peace of mind.

 

[Bella's Momma]

They say to have the x-ray done at 54 to 58 weeks.

LOL. Wow, and I thought we humans had it bad!