britt3 Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 hI ALL just wondering how accurate are ultrasounds, for seeing how many pups your having, & what is the best stage of pregnancy to have this done?? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Around 5-6 weeks they are a good indicator of the approx number. There is often one or two more than they can find with the ultrasound, depending on the litter size and how they are lying. With a big litter they are more likely to miss some. A lot of the accuracy depends on the quality of the ultrasound and the skill of the operator too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aziah Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 4 weeks - the longer you leave it the more difficult it is to count due to size and space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paptacular! Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 I had my bitch done at 4 weeks and they were spot on with numbers. Bearing in mind this was a small breed too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 4 weeks is a good time. It's more to confirm pregnancy IMO. A friend recently was told 4 on the ultrasound, her bitch went on to have 12 (largish breed). Vet's guess for Fern via ultrasound is 9, my guess is 10. I am tossing up on whether to get Fern xrayed in the last week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Lolapalooza* Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I think its rare *ish to have a wrong pregnancy ultrasound. Mine have all been pretty accurate....empty, empty, empty, 5-6 she had 7, empty, 6-8 she had 8 (these were done on 4 different girls, only 1 has every gotten pregnant ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Lolapalooza* Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 My vet says 24 days after ovulation, I have had them done about day 30 usually. 24-30 they are big enough to see but small enough to count. A friend did a positive U/S at day 17 once??!! She is a vet nurse and was deaperate to know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyehaven Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 24 days after last mating, how accurate depend on how good your vet is at reading them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavalblaze Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 4 weeks is a good time. It's more to confirm pregnancy IMO. A friend recently was told 4 on the ultrasound, her bitch went on to have 12 (largish breed). Vet's guess for Fern via ultrasound is 9, my guess is 10. I am tossing up on whether to get Fern xrayed in the last week. OMG that would of been a grand suprise. From 4 to 12 puppies gulp... Way i see it either they are pregnant or not. For me the idea of Ultrasounds are so you know that they are in whelp because Phantom pregnancies suck! Agree 26days from mating, around that 4 week mark is the best time for Ultrasound. You could get bloods done too if you have doubts. Lele last litter told 4-5, got 6. This time we were told that he can see 4 definates but be prepared for more as he could see a few shadows in the back but couldn't get the wand near that area. She is the size of a house and still has 26 days to go so I'm guessing that "more" factor is a higher possibility. No matter how he waved the ultrasound wand about sometimes pups higher up or behind others can be missed so numbers aren't always reliable. A really good vet who know his equippment and how to read those results may give a better reading, ours is reasonable but not perfect in ultrasounds. Basically our machine just shows blobs, dark roundish blobs on a black and white screen. Sometimes feces can also be mistaken for a pup, yes i have heard this happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 4 weeks - the longer you leave it the more difficult it is to count due to size and space. 4 weeks is sometimes too early and I know of several bitches where they couldn't find them at 4 weeks but could at 5 weeks. At 5-6 weeks you can see definite puppy shapes, see heartbeats and watch them moving around and in the case of one of mine, almost "running around". Very active babies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Danni Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 We ultrasound at around 3-4 weeks to confirm pregnancy only. We usually count say 3 or 4 and that's enough, I'm happy with that info. Our vet has a very good, new, ultrasound machine and 2 very good operators. At around 8 weeks, we xray to get an accurate idea of numbers, because our imported girl has such big litters and I want to know whether to expect 10 or 13! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommygirl Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I do them at 4 weeks...accuracy- well it can vary. We saw 4 on the ultrasound at 28 days after last mating, ended up with 7... we tend to do it to just confirm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrinaJ Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Jett had her ultrasound at 24 days and he counted 8 puppies but said there are probably a couple more in there as she was looking quite full (his words). 8 days prior to her expected whelp date she had an x-ray and he counted 12 skulls, she was carrying high so he said there may be 1 or 2 more hiding behind the ribcage. 4 days later she gave birth to 14 puppies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavalblaze Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Jett had her ultrasound at 24 days and he counted 8 puppies but said there are probably a couple more in there as she was looking quite full (his words). 8 days prior to her expected whelp date she had an x-ray and he counted 12 skulls, she was carrying high so he said there may be 1 or 2 more hiding behind the ribcage. 4 days later she gave birth to 14 puppies. Ok you are scarying me. 14 puppies, OMG!!!! You are right they tuck them up in the rib cage so well some times. I'm praying for 6 or less. Truthfully one healthy female puppy is all i wanted but the others are a bonus and we don't have a shortage of homes waiting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwaY Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I ultrasound to confirm pregnancy - never for numbers. Have done 2 xrays to confirm numbers - neither was correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 In the past I have ultrasounded just to get an idea of numbers, the vets usually say 1 or 2 or more then 3! 4 weeks is fine for pregnancy confirmation, if you can't wait to know, leaving it a couple more weeks is more interesting as you can then see little puppy shapes (although not all if they are tightly packed in there). Last time I went, as I know the vet quite well, I said I just wanted to know colours and sexes :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piper Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 The repro vet I went to said best time is 23 - 30 days. We got Jazz done and the count was 8 or 9 and they said at that clinic they are usually out by no more than 1 to 2 in either direction. Jazz had 9 so it was accurate for us. I have heard of some very inaccurate counts though and also no puppies there when there were. I considered xray to get an accurate count at the end and did a fair bit of asking around and was told they are not so accurate with larger litters. But then other people say that they are, I ended up forgetting to ask when i had her there for a check up anyway so didn't worry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Jett had her ultrasound at 24 days and he counted 8 puppies but said there are probably a couple more in there as she was looking quite full (his words). 8 days prior to her expected whelp date she had an x-ray and he counted 12 skulls, she was carrying high so he said there may be 1 or 2 more hiding behind the ribcage. 4 days later she gave birth to 14 puppies. Ok you are scarying me. 14 puppies, OMG!!!! You are right they tuck them up in the rib cage so well some times. I'm praying for 6 or less. Truthfully one healthy female puppy is all i wanted but the others are a bonus and we don't have a shortage of homes waiting. I don't think you need to worry about 14 from a Cav, but I do know a of very small Cav bitch that had 10. :D We basically use ultrasound to confirm pregnancy and get an approx number. You really only need to know if there is just one huge puppy or several/many smaller ones. Also for bitches that have small litters, ultrasounds at 4 weeks then 6-7 weeks can determine if they are re-absorbing. They are also useful close to whelping to check the puppies and work out how big the first one is and what position it is in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileys mum Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 We've had 2 litters ...first litter we did the ultrasound at 4 weeks,( 28 days after first mating ) vet confirmed pregnancy & saw 3 puppies,....she ended up having 8. With our current litter we once again got the ultrasound at 4 weeks,vet once again confirmed pregnancy & saw 6 puppies...she ended up having 9. So in my experience so far, ultrasounds are fantastic for confirming pregnancy...but not really reliable for determining numbers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fordogs Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 My last litter did ultrasound at 4 weeks vet said 5 or 6, she had 8, I have a litter due in 6 days did ultrasound at 4 weeks vet said 3 puppies. Just watch that old " Murphy's Law " will be spot on this time (this female has only ever had 2 or 3 puppies)I would love it if just this once she has an extra one tucked up in there. :crossfingers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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