Gettin Worried

KLD1019

KLD1019

Active Member
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Somewhat Known 15 Year Club
My husband has an 11 yr old lab...yeah OLD! WELL....this past Sunday, we just found out she was pregnant and about to have pups! Not good news really cause having pups at her age could kill her. We've called 3 vets....they all said the same thing, "if she's healthy she should do fine with our help. The littler shouldnt be that big so there really shouldnt be complications. If she starts laboring, give her no more than 2 hours to deliver and if she doesnt, then bring her in"

With labs the gestation period is up to 68 days.....thinking back to when that dog got in the fence....today will be day 68. She's been digging and nesting. Dug out of the fence like 5 times to get under the house. no good cause we wouldnt be able to help her. We had put her in the big fence kennel with blankets, towels and sheltered an area for her. its just now getting cold so lastnight we put her in the garage with the blankets and her big carrier. Neither one of us has delt with a pregnant dog before and im here alone so imma panic when or if she goes into labor while Chris is at work! Anyone know what signs to look for when she starts laboring!?

I hope i dont get pounded for this but someone told us that we should take her in to make sure she can have them naturally cause if not, that could kill her BUT also so could bringing her in and them having to do a csection on her. Being that old, going under anesthesia could kill her. Chris has had this dog since she was born and i tell you he's scared to lose her!! So he's scared to bring her in and them tell him she's going to die....not only that but PAY for them to tell him that! KWIM!? It would be best for her to get her examined....thats $40 no biggie but if she cant have them....thats another $1000+ for them to take the pups and we jsut bought a house so so cant really afford to shell out another $1000+. thats sad to say but we just dont have the money for it....i mean it wasnt expected!! He never got her fixed b/c he used her for hunting and she was never around male dogs for breeding to happen. He should have gotten her fixed when she became too old to hunt but he didnt and i dont know why!
 
#1 reason you should get animals fixed. Especially older animals. Older animals don't need to get pregnant, and being un altered can also contribute to them getting prostate/ovarian cancers.

I've never heard of a dog being put completely under for a C-section. They do it just like people .. they just numb them up real good.

Good luck with your dog. I hope after this ordeal, you get her fixed :).
 
SRC said:
#1 reason you should get animals fixed. Especially older animals. Older animals don't need to get pregnant, and being un altered can also contribute to them getting prostate/ovarian cancers.

I've never heard of a dog being put completely under for a C-section. They do it just like people .. they just numb them up real good.

Good luck with your dog. I hope after this ordeal, you get her fixed :).
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Yeah i told him that!! He was mad and got real ugly with the owner of the other dog but i told him its more his fault than it was the other guy's! HE SHOULD HAVE FIXED HER! He know's he's to blame....i think thats why he is SO mad!

I didnt know if they would numb her or put her under all the way. :confused I'll let yall know how she's doing though! Thanks for the concerns!
 
Goodluck, i hope everything works out for the best.
i know how your husband feels, loving a dog.
my dog is my life.
id kill for her, and i love her more than anything and anyone in this world..
my heart goes out to himm !
:(
goodluck with everything
Are you selling her puppies if they are healthy?
 
Ashl33 said:
Goodluck, i hope everything works out for the best.
i know how your husband feels, loving a dog.
my dog is my life.
id kill for her, and i love her more than anything and anyone in this world..
my heart goes out to himm !
:(
goodluck with everything
Are you selling her puppies if they are healthy?
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No we wont sell them.....it'll be hard to sell lab mix but they will be 'valentine pups' so i bet they would be easy to give away. the dog that got to her has some lab in it but i dont know what else....they're gonna be pretty pups!
 
I worked as a Veterinary technician before my son was born.

We never had a dog that old come in preggers. However, We would not have administered anesthesia without first doing blood work to ensure her liver and kidneys could handle it.
And the doctor I worked for used ketamine and valium a lot over isoflurane or halathane gas. Simply because he felt it was safer.
But there's some debate about that as well.
Anyway,,,, Rooting around and looking for a place to whelp are signs that she's in labor. She'll start licking her vagina incessantly next.
I would be taking her in straight away and I would have them run a CBC prior to any meds.

It costs a little bit more but it would be worth it.

I'm also surprised that the vet didn't terminate the pregnancy way back.
 
Crusty Lugholes said:
I worked as a Veterinary technician before my son was born.

We never had a dog that old come in preggers. However, We would not have administered anesthesia without first doing blood work to ensure her liver and kidneys could handle it.
And the doctor I worked for used ketamine and valium a lot over isoflurane or halathane gas. Simply because he felt it was safer.
But there's some debate about that as well.
Anyway,,,, Rooting around and looking for a place to whelp are signs that she's in labor. She'll start licking her vagina incessantly next.
I would be taking her in straight away and I would have them run a CBC prior to any meds.

It costs a little bit more but it would be worth it.

I'm also surprised that the vet didn't terminate the pregnancy way back.
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No, we didnt know until now that she was pregnant or else we would have taken her in to terminate it early on. (BTW.....i got alot of anger thrown at me last time i made that comment in the last chat forum i was in....just b/c they thought that if im willing to terminate a dog pregnancy means id be willing to terminate a human pregnancy. But there is a difference...especially when the dog is old!! they didnt get that so im glad u said it!) anyway, we just noticed this past weekend that she had been getting fatter than usual and her teets were showing...we felt and her tummy was all hard and could tell the teets were producing milk! I felt when she was laying down one lump for sure. shes not that big so im guessing 3 pups maybe?
 
Aww, That's too bad.
I hope it is only 3 pups. Is it her first litter? First litters are often small.

You have had a vet check her now that you know.... right?
Because of her age she will need medical help. I wouldn't even attempt to let her whelp the pups at home. Remember and emergency vet bill is usually double a normal one, So I would make an appointment and look into getting a medically assisted birth (induced) or a C section. (Note: Not all vets are capable of inducing. Depends on the practice. so a C section might be all that's available to you.)
 
Crusty Lugholes said:
Aww, That's too bad.
I hope it is only 3 pups. Is it her first litter? First litters are often small.

You have had a vet check her now that you know.... right?
Because of her age she will need medical help. I wouldn't even attempt to let her whelp the pups at home. Remember and emergency vet bill is usually double a normal one, So I would make an appointment and look into getting a medically assisted birth (induced) or a C section. (Note: Not all vets are capable of inducing. Depends on the practice. so a C section might be all that's available to you.)
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Yeah its her first litter. We havent had her checked professionally but someone we know who use to work at a vets office has come over to look at her. (i know we should take her to have a look)

Ok im attempting this again...(the last forum REALLY jumped my ass for this...i hope yall dont :( they even called the humane society in my area to turn me in but without an address they couldnt do anything) I want to take her to have her looked at. Chris doesnt! Its not that he doesnt care or anything its just money issues. Just bought a house, christmas time....we're kinda in a tight situation with money right now. Thats no excuse for not caring for her, i know but ive tried to convince him to take her!! Ive told him the risks and everything but he still wont change his mind! Granted i could take her myself but i have a small car....there's barely room enough for the carseat in the back....muchless for a dog too! And id be going behind his back with it and with the money. Ive been told that i could surrender her....free of charge but he'd really never forgive me for it! She is his dog and its his decision what to do with her. Yes i live here to and that means she's mine too but in all honesty im just at a loss!!
 
Honestly, dogs have been having puppies since the dawn of time. Old or young .. wild animals still get pregnant and still have babies. And no one takes them to vets.

Personally, I think that if the dog has been well taken care of, is in good health, and a fairly active animal .. she should have no problems. Now, if she acts decrepid and hobbles around on her last leg .. she might have some complications.
 
SRC said:
Honestly, dogs have been having puppies since the dawn of time. Old or young .. wild animals still get pregnant and still have babies. And no one takes them to vets.

Personally, I think that if the dog has been well taken care of, is in good health, and a fairly active animal .. she should have no problems. Now, if she acts decrepid and hobbles around on her last leg .. she might have some complications.
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Thats what i tried to get across but they acted like we were beatin the poor thing! She might be old but she's still active and well taken care of! She doesnt have AS much energy but she's still lively! We walk her every now and then (when its not too cold or hot) and we let her out of the back yard and throw her toy around for her to fetch up. So she gets her excercise and is in seemingly good health. the last time we took her to teh vet (a few months ago) she was fine.
 
To be completely honest with you .. 10 yrs for a Labrador is not all that bad. Those dogs can live up to 15-18 years if well taken care of.

And according to the AKC guidelines ..

Keep in mind that AKC Rules do not allow, except with special documentation, the registration of a litter out of a dam under 8 months or over 12 years of age at the time of mating, or by a sire under 7 months or over 12 years of age at the time of mating.
Responsible Breeding Steps - Wait for your bitch to come into Season
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I think you're going to be ok.
 
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