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Longest pregnancy


Sher@5
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Hi, I've got a German Shepherd (Lola) unexpectedly pregnant (told she was infertile by breeder). She is now 70 days pregnant. I am seeing vet tomorrow for oxytocin and possible c-section. However, tonight I am second guessing myself and I need some advice. 

What was the longest pregnancy for your dog? 

Lola seems absolutely fine, no temperature drop, no nesting, no trouble walking, eating and drinking as per normal. She is sleeping atm. 

Should I be safe and call the vet for a Sunday night emergency c-section, or should I wait until tomorrow morning?

Any advice/story/experience is welcome. 

Thank you in advance.

 

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Just back from the vet. There is just one pup in there. And my dates must be whack as the progesterone has not dropped. So now the vet wants me in every morning to get progesterone and ultrasound ($272 every time) to be ready when the pup is ready for c-section. I'm devo. Not only do I obviously work every morning but I cannot afford this. Any advice welcome :( 

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did you see the mating? Can you count 63 days from then.

 

With only a single pup a bitch often won't go into labour. So progesterone is needed but not an ultrasound unless there is a reason to suspect pup is in distress. Don't give oxytocin. It is no longer recommended and certainly not unless the bitch has been in active labour for sometime. Does the vet do the prog test on site or send it out? $272 does sound excessive. Any other decent vets you trust you can go to?

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The progesterone checks are important when you prepare for a caesar because that’s how the mothers body gets everything ready to whelping, for herself and the puppy. If you do a caesar without the right timing, the puppy will be at risk and the bitch may not accept things (always a very real risk with a first time mum and caesar)

 

Where are you based? It sounds like you might need a breeding vet recommendation. Prog tests can be as little as $50 each time and if you can get there early, it may be possible for a nurse to take the blood so you can get to work on time. The ultrasound seems a bit excessive. You’ll obviously need to be ready & prepared to leave if the time is right. 

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Where are you? Maybe someone here can recommend a vet in your area. $260 is very high for a prog test, plus you probably don't need to test daily, at least not until you get an elevated reading.  If they charge that much for prog, I would expect the Cesar (if required) will also be expensive.  In reproductive vet care, the vets who do a lot of it are often more skilled and less expensive.  Local breeders may be able to advise. 

Edited by sandgrubber
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34 minutes ago, sandgrubber said: plus you probably don't need to test daily, at least not until you get an elevated reading.  

I expect the vets will be looking for the progesterone drop that signals labour is about to happen, so daily testing is advisable 

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No sure how the breeder could say the bitch was sterile yet sell her entire ,Sounds like the breeder is clueless themselves .(There dog may be sterile,there timing off  )

Simple reality is this pup will be expensive & you have learnt a hard lesson .
Did you keep dates off when she was in season??
Do you know what dog has mated her (simply asking from the point of view of factors that could make a singleton more drama).
She could very well whelp naturally

What date has the vet estimated from the initial ultrasound??
Have never had a vet ultrasound every day for a potential C section ,we had a bitch that our vet deemed likely to be a C section .Prog tested from day 60 depending on the results we did an ultrasound just to see what was going on ,our C sections for 2 girls have been day 60/61.
The costs of your vet is at the top & i would suggest asking there c section price,ask if they open weekends & if they do after hrs ,If this bitch 100% needs a c section then you need to plan it not it become an emergency C section .
After hr C sections you may look from $2000 plus compared to a working hrs off $1000.

What has the breeder said??
There are vets in WA that are more breeding bitches savvy than others
 

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Update:

THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR REPLIES! It has been such a relief to read them, so big big thanks to you all.

I went to the vet again yesterday and negotiated a more reasonable financial arrangement. I told them I believed it was unfair to charge me the $120+ consultation fee at each visit, and they agreed. Due to your posts, I told them we didn't need ultrasounds at each visit either, and they agreed. So the GREAT news is that I only have to pay $77 for each progesterone test.

Lola has had 2 progesterone tests over two days, 21 and 14 respectively, and we will go in for the third today to develop a 'trend'. 

Thanks again x

 

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Dogsfevr: I'd like to answer your questions, and thank you for your reply to my post :)

1. No, I didn't keep any dates as I thought she was infertile and she never showed a cycle (she is 4.5 yrs old, we got her at 2 yrs old)

2. I THOUGHT it was the neighbouring farm's Huntaway, but as she is going so long I am questioning if it was him or not!

3. The x-ray estimated labour 5 days ago :/ based on formation of pup teeth

4. I haven't contacted the breeder as they were pretty glad to be rid of her :( We just love her because she is a great dog.

 

May I ask what your progesterone levels were over the space of a few days? Did her levels 'drop off a cliff' as my vet is suggesting they will? I have taken today off of work to be with her, just in case, but tomorrow I HAVE to make a 6 hour drive to pick up dear hubby. She will come with me in the truck and if we end up having labour on the roadside we'll probably end up on local news. Haha, could you imagine....

 

Cheers, enjoy your day!

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21 hours ago, ish said:

I expect the vets will be looking for the progesterone drop that signals labour is about to happen, so daily testing is advisable 

You're right.  It's down not up they're looking for. It's been well over a decade since I've done prog testing to figure whelping status and my memory slips up sometimes. 

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9 hours ago, Sher@5 said:

Dogsfevr: I'd like to answer your questions, and thank you for your reply to my post :)

1. No, I didn't keep any dates as I thought she was infertile and she never showed a cycle (she is 4.5 yrs old, we got her at 2 yrs old)

2. I THOUGHT it was the neighbouring farm's Huntaway, but as she is going so long I am questioning if it was him or not!

3. The x-ray estimated labour 5 days ago :/ based on formation of pup teeth

4. I haven't contacted the breeder as they were pretty glad to be rid of her :( We just love her because she is a great dog.

 

May I ask what your progesterone levels were over the space of a few days? Did her levels 'drop off a cliff' as my vet is suggesting they will? I have taken today off of work to be with her, just in case, but tomorrow I HAVE to make a 6 hour drive to pick up dear hubby. She will come with me in the truck and if we end up having labour on the roadside we'll probably end up on local news. Haha, could you imagine....

 

Cheers, enjoy your day!

I honestly can’t remember and the fact  we new the correct mating dates etc when the vet phones back agreeing it’s time we just go in ,there repo vets .

 

Another thing to keep in mind is bitches with c sections can be bad mums at first especially if a singleton so you need to have on stand by your bottle feeding products and plan .

Some don’t get milk through ASAP either 

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UPDATE

 

I'm sorry to spread sad news, but we have lost the puppy. I was taking Lola daily for progesterone and it didn't change so the vet suggested a c-section. The pup was 12-24 hr dead. We are broken hearted and feel very very guilty that we didn't do the ultrasounds that the vet had recommended. My penny pinching cost the pup her life. She was a big (550g) white pup that looked just like her mom. 

:( 

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The vet should have explained things way better .There was no need for daily unltrasound BUT the vet should have said have one on XX day especially with the results they would have got with the prog test ,they will also suggest a Ultrasound  if heading into a weekend .
Our vet when doing C section does not do daily US but when the result hits a certain level or stage they will just to see how the pups are going .
Having said that like others said the US would not have been a guarantee off the pups survival ,if you had it done early am then 24 hrs the next day the results could have been the same .
 

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