Mini Jack Russell , First Litter

iLoveTwilight

It looks like our Mini Jack Russel is about a month pregnant , but we arent a 100% sure .. Her tummy is firmer and her nipples are pointier than usual . Are these signs enough to assume she is pregnant ?

Im kinda a novice at this , i know the theory of how to look after a pregnant dog but ive never been through a pregnancy .. Has anyone got any advice? what food can she eat ? how much exercise can she do ? where can i get a whelping box ? all advice will be greatly appreciated

peasant

iLoveTwilight wrote: »

Has anyone got any advice?

Your vet sure does

00112984

iLoveTwilight wrote: »

Im kinda a novice at this , i know the theory of how to look after a pregnant dog but ive never been through a pregnancy .. Has anyone got any advice? what food can she eat ? how much exercise can she do ? where can i get a whelping box ? all advice will be greatly appreciated

It never fails to amaze me how people are willing to breed their dog when they have absolutely zero notion of what's actually involved in ensuring a healthy pregnancy.

iLoveTwilight

00112984 wrote: »

It never fails to amaze me how people are willing to breed their dog when they have absolutely zero notion of what's actually involved in ensuring a healthy pregnancy.

In the end she wasn't pregnant, and sorry but i wasnt breeding my dog without knowing what to do! She was let outside a while ago when she was in heat (didnt know this at the time) and we thought it could of happened then when i noticed her.

00112984

iLoveTwilight wrote: »

In the end she wasn't pregnant, and sorry but i wasnt breeding my dog without knowing what to do! She was let outside a while ago when she was in heat and we thought it could of happened then when i noticed her.

Oh well, in that case, please ignore my previous post implying that you weren't a responsible dog owner :rolleyes:

Dee_animallover

Can you not get her spayed? Save you all the worry the next time she gets out.

B'witched

I don't want to frighten you, (well no sorry I do,) but if your mini jack russell is mated to a dog larger than herself there is a good chance that she will die whilst trying to give birth to large pups.

I would advise that you get her neutered asap especially as you say "She was let outside while in heat"

She may not be so lucky next time

Is Mini Jack Russel the breed ? Like a mini collie ?

iLoveTwilight

We thought she mated with a Yorkie .. Id like to get her neutered but its not my decision to make (Shes the family dog but the mammy claims her)

Just to let you all know i appreciate what you've said . I kinda paniced when mum mentioned she thinks the dog was in pup and came straight to boards

Paul91

I've just spent the last 7 weeks raising "unexpected" pups and believe me, unless it was my career it's not something I would do by choice, prior to work i spend between one hour and one and a half hours sorting them out, and the same if not more in the evening, this doesn't include "play" time, and as for the cost, it's a good job I have a reasonable overdraft!

Dee_animallover

iLoveTwilight wrote: »

We thought she mated with a Yorkie .. Id like to get her neutered but its not my decision to make (Shes the family dog but the mammy claims her)

Just to let you all know i appreciate what you've said . I kinda paniced when mum mentioned she thinks the dog was in pup and came straight to boards

Well tell your mammy to go talk to her vet who will advise getting her spayed - amongst other things (no unwanted pups adding to the high number of unwanted pups in this country already) its HEALTHIER for the dog. THAT, in my opinion, has to be the most important pro-spay/neuter factor.

Paul91

Dee_animallover wrote: »

Well tell your mammy to go talk to her vet who will advise getting her spayed - amongst other things (no unwanted pups adding to the high number of unwanted pups in this country already) its HEALTHIER for the dog. THAT, in my opinion, has to be the most important pro-spay/neuter factor.

can stop some forms of cancer can't it?

tesslab

http://dogsindistress.org/neutering.php

that should give you all the info you need. most vets advise to wait 3 months after her cycle to have her spayed.

Dee_animallover

Paul91 wrote: »

can stop some forms of cancer can't it?

Yep it sure can - in females it cuts mammary cancer (eqivilent of breast cancer in women) by approx 90%* and adds another year or 2 to their lives. Same for males - infact i think it nearly 100% protects them against certain cancers - again dont quote me on that!

I cannot understand people who dont neuter/spay their animals

* dont quote me on that figure

B'witched

Neutering has other health benefits as well.

Unless spayed, older bitches risk developing a dangerous pyometra (a pus-filled womb).

Spaying also prevents false pregnancy that can occur after a season (symptoms are moodiness and milk production).

iLoveTwilight

I didnt know it can prevent cancer .. 3 months after the cycle you say ?? My nans dog was neutered straight after she was in heat ..

I told mum about this and she said she'll go have a chat with the vet and we'll be getting her neutered . Thanks everyone for the advice

star-pants

It also never fails to amaze me how 'high horsey' people can be.
Accidents CAN happen you know.

iLoveTwilight - having a chat with your vet will be a very good idea - they can figure out when's best to neuter and talk you through everything also.

Dee_animallover

iLoveTwilight wrote: »

I didnt know it can prevent cancer .. 3 months after the cycle you say ?? My nans dog was neutered straight after she was in heat ..

I told mum about this and she said she'll go have a chat with the vet and we'll be getting her neutered . Thanks everyone for the advice

Not a lot of people do unfortuantly!

Your welcome

Dee_animallover

star-pants wrote: »

It also never fails to amaze me how 'high horsey' people can be.
Accidents CAN happen you know.

Try telling that to the thousands of "accidents" that end up in shelters every year just because people have silly notions "ah my dog never gets out so wont get pregnant, so why bother paying to get her spayed"

Prevention is better than cure you know.

iLoveTwilight

its sad the amount of dogs that are brought into the shelters , id love to take all of them home with me ! But yeah I agree with Dee Animallover , it only takes one slip up for accidents to happen . Though if my little one did have puppies , those dogs would've been spoiled rotten !

I'm probably annoying you all now by thanking you once again I'm completely sorry if I offended anyone in any way . Little one has been booked into the vets and she's getting spayed in a few weeks time .

doctor evil

tesslab wrote: »

most vets advise to wait 3 months after her cycle to have her spayed.

Is this accurate? (I know there are still some daft vets who advocate the bitch having a litter before being spayed).

LBD

star-pants wrote: »

It also never fails to amaze me how 'high horsey' people can be.
Accidents CAN happen you know.

iLoveTwilight - having a chat with your vet will be a very good idea - they can figure out when's best to neuter and talk you through everything also.

Couldn't agree more...

ISDW

doctor evil wrote: »

Is this accurate? (I know there are still some daft vets who advocate the bitch having a litter before being spayed).

Yeah, ideally a bitch should be spayed half way between seasons, to allow the hormones etc to settle down. It can also be problematic if the vet does it too close to the season, as it can lead to increased bleeding during and after the operation.

ghost_ie

tesslab wrote: »

http://dogsindistress.org/neutering.php

that should give you all the info you need. most vets advise to wait 3 months after her cycle to have her spayed.

Our youngest was spayed 2 weeks after heat finished on vet's advice

pearly25

I'm kind of surprised by the sarcastic comments and insinuations made about this dog owner. They came here looking for advice.

Can you imagine if someone came to this board (obviously NOT the Animals and Pet Issues ) looking for advice on an unplanned pregnancy? What would ye say then? "Should have used a condom." tut tut tut...

No point in pointing fingers and being all up on your high horses.

My dog is pregnant. AND I went to the vet 2 weeks before she went in heat. The vet's advice???? "I can't neuter her until 2 weeks after she is in heat, if she gets out in the meantime that's not a problem, she can still be neutered as she will be in very early stage pregnancy".

My neighbour has a male jack russell. MY DOG GOT OUT and was missing for 30 minutes - so SHOOT ME!!! She ran out the door when one of the kids came home from school early....what a crime (glad I didn't come here then for a tongue-lashing!!!) I rang the vet immediately and he told me to come in in two weeks. So, I went in exactly two weeks later and his new words of advice were "it would be two traumatic for her to go through the neutering now, let her have the pups seeing as the Dad is a jack russell too."

So, we are going to have a litter in 2 weeks. We are very excited and well prepared and we have found good homes for all of them - the vet says there won't be more than 8 and if there are we'll find homes for them too.

SO - all this just to say that people who come here for advice do not deserve criticism and recriminations - they can get that from anywhere. The OP came here for advice on how her dog could have a healthy pregnancy (potentially). Luckily they didn't take it too much to heart....because you know what could happen? People could stop looking for advice because of a few that like to dole out judgments instead - must make them feel good...

star-pants

pearly25 - this thread is from 2009 so if you wish to sign up to a website to complain about it, at least find a recent thread.
Also there is a 'report post' button (red triangle with ! in it) that you can use if you have a problem with (a recent) post and a moderator will look into it.
Please familiarise yourself with the forum charters in each forum also before posting as backseat moderation is not allowed.