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T
he idea of having a lovely litter of beautiful
bouncing puppies is a dream for many who
own a female dog. But, a word of warning...
there are a lot of things to think about first!
Having a litter is very time consuming and do
you really have the time to look after the pups
until they are old enough to go to their new
homes which is usually after about 7 or 8
weeks? Do you know enough to help your
bitch during the birth or when to call for help
if she got into difficulties? Could you afford a
caesarean should she require it? Do you have
the knowledge to rear the litter correctly and
give advice to prospective owners including
worming, vaccination, socialisation, nutrition
and neutering?
There are many questions and the list goes
on!
If your dog is not a pedigree dog, health
screening is not generally performed, although
it would be a really good idea to first have
your bitch examined by your vet, to check she
has no obvious problems which she could
potentially pass on to her pups. To be a
responsible breeder you have to consider why
you are mating your dog. Always consider
health issues, temperament of the parents
and plan ahead so that the pups are bred in a
suitable environment. A bitch should generally
be over 18-24 months old but less than 7
years old and the dog should be over 2 years
old and check first whether he is proven i.e.
fathered a litter before.
If your dog has a pedigree, make sure you do
as much as you can to support and improve
the breed. Your breed club can help you with
this.
So before breeding consider doing all
of the following:
Check your paperwork, make sure she has
no endorsements placed on her records; if
she does you may not be able to register the
pups with the Kennel Club. Check what health
checks are recommended for your breed
e.g. hip and/or elbow scoring, eye testing and
DNA testing. The more you do in preparation
the less likely you will have problems with the
puppies in the future, though there are never
any guarantees. The stud dog will also require
all these tests. Your vet can advise how to
interpret the results. If you spend time to
conform to your Breed Club standards, then
they can be most helpful with advice and
support, perhaps even helping with finding
homes for the litter. This brings us to another
question, could you take back any pups,
should they not settle in their new homes? A
good idea is to build a waiting list for potential
owners even before the mating happens.
Last of all, there are many risks involved with
having pups, could you cope with losing your
much loved pet? I would really urge you to
consider very carefully and prepare as much
as you can before having a litter, however,
wonderful the idea may be. There are too
many unwanted pups in re-homing centres,
so if you have any reservations, consider
having your dog neutered, there are many
health benefits for her which would be another
article in its own right!
by
Verity J. Griffiths BSc(Hons), MA, VetMB, GPCert(SAS), MRCVS,
Southfield Veterinary Centre
BREEDING
feature...
So you want to mate your bitch
....be prepared!
Veterinary Nurses Kelly Morrow (Kingswells)
and Nicky Summers (Bridge of Don) are
running Mobility Review clinics for dogs
who are on medication for mobility issues.
The free clinics will involve a weight check,
mobility assessment, review of medication
and a urine test.
If you would like a mobility check for your
pet please call to make an appointment.
NOT JUST FOR
PETS...
MOBILITY
REVIEWS...
www.ardenehouse.co.uk
Ardene House Veterinary Practice have
a thriving equine department where 4 full
time vets are involved in treating horses
and donkeys both in the field and in our
equine facility at Kingswells. We also
have 3 full time farm vets who work with
farmers in the area treating mainly cows
and sheep.
OPENING HOURS:
Veterinary Hospital and Practice
Skene Road, Kingswells
Telephone:
(01224) 740700
Mon - Thurs:
8.00am - 8.00pm
Friday:
8.00am - 7.00pm
Saturday:
9.00am - 4.00pm
Veterinary Practice
Unit 1, Jesmond Drive, Bridge of Don
Telephone:
(01224) 826121
Mon - Thurs:
8.30am - 7.00pm
Friday:
8.30am - 6.00pm
Saturday:
9.00am - 1.00pm
CONSULTATIONS AT BOTH SITES ARE
BY APPOINTMENT
EMERGENCY SERVICE
Ardene House has joined forces with
Vets Now to provide an out of hours
emergency service and advice helpline.
Please call 01224 740700.
practice
news...