Is It Safe For A Female Dog To Give Birth After Her First Heat?


Sometimes your dog may have finished her first heat and you may be wondering whether or not a dog got her pregnant. If this worries you then you and you cannot be bothered with mothering pups then you may want to look for a method to abort dog pregnancies. Does one exist for dogs? Is abortion necessary?

Pregnancy (gestation) is 62 to 63 days long in dogs. Because of its short duration, there has been no reliable pregnancy test developed for use in dogs. What we can do is feel (palpate) her abdomen. After the 28th day, the fetuses are big enough for us to give an answer. What we cannot know is whether they are purebred or not. The greater question is: How important is it to know?

It has been felt by many people that it may be a mistake to allow a dog to have puppies after her first heat (reproductive) cycle. Of course it is obvious that some of these young females may lack the maturity to mother their babies. But more often than not, they do just fine anyway. The mothering instinct is pretty strong.

What about finding good homes for crossbred puppies? If the puppies are of mixed ethnicity, there will be plenty of deserving homes willing to adopt a multicultural dog. And having a mixed-breed litter now will have no influence on your dog's ability to deliver purebred dogs later.

Is Abortion Possible? Abortion of the litter? Yes, this is possible, using injections that are given in the veterinary hospital. It would require your dog to stay for a few days. The process is uncomfortable for the dog and may carry some risk. It is not recommended and is generally unnecessary. You can instead choose to let her deliver the babies. As soon as they are 7 to 12 weeks of age, it should be easy to place them with good families. In fact, many people prefer mixed-breed dogs because of their lower tendency toward birth defects.

The last reason to let your young pet to go ahead with this possible pregnancy is that it will give you a chance to learn the ins and outs of the delivery and neonatal process. To get you on the road to a healthy reproductive adventure, be sure to have your dog examined by her doctor soon. In addition to a confirmation of the pregnancy, you should ask lots of questions. Within a day or two of delivery, return to your veterinarian's office. At that time, the babies will be checked for problems too. Let nature take its course, but get good hands-on medical advice while you're at it.