My question has to do with the age of the female. How old is too old for them to have puppies? We did not plan on breeding my female again, but the male literally ate through the door to get to her. She is over 9 years old and has about 3 weeks left before she has her puppies. She has had 3 litters prior to this and had no problems whatsoever. She was an excellent mother. My main concern is her age. Should I allow her to have them as she normally did or take her to a vet?
Niomi Smith Webboard User Reg: 04-20-2009
Posts: 786
Loc: Whitehorse, Yukon
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I am not a vet, so everything here is opinion/knowledge.
My current shepherd was from a litter of 4 whelped out of a 9 year old female. All pups were healthy and all survived.
That female just had her last litter at 10 years, 5 pups, all healthy all born alive.
I think what matters is the condition/health of the female and that it is not her maiden litter.
What was her physical condition before the pregnancy?
To me it is good she has had 3 previous litters and all went well.
I would still find a good repro vet to do a physical on her (no vacs) and I would want the vet to do an exam as it got closer to her whelp date, just to make sure everything is going ok and none of the puppies or mom are going into distress.
I would consider it higher risk then a pregancy when she was younger, but I think that as long as she is in good health, good physical condition and the vet clears her of any complications, that you could have a healthy litter.
I would take her in just before she is due to get x-rays, so you know how many puppies to expect. That way there is no guessing if labour is drawn out. The vet will also be able to give her a check, and be aware that you she may need assistance - as opposed to you having to show up for an emergency c-section in the middle of the night.
Why didn't the dog get a morning after pill when the broken down door was discovered?
Why has it been allowed to progress this far?
Seems a little late to be worried about it all now.
Your dog will be happier at home than at the vet. Phaedra's comment about having a film so you know the # of pups is great.
Be certain she has enough exercise for overall body tone (not exercise to panting exhaustion at this point). If she is not obese it should be fine, but plan to attend this whelping. Seems IME that older bitches sometimes have odd sized pups (a really big one, or runts) which can complicate delivery.
Reg: 07-11-2002
Posts: 2679
Loc: North Florida (Live Oak area)
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Did you whelp her last litters, if not have you whelped litters before?
If you are new to it you may want to have someone experienced to help. Knowing when to panic and when not to panic can be kinda tricky.
Vet techs from a practice that does repro would be my first choice. In case of an emergency they may get the vet there a lot faster then you can. <grin>
She is in perfect health and was before she got pregnant. Thank you for your advice. I have a vet on call now and hopefully everything goes smoothly. I will be present during the birth as she will only allow me near her.
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Breeding - Age of the Female
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