Need some advice - Breeding a beagle

mwin80

Hi I'm looking for some advice from somebody who's knowledgeable on this subject. Ideally i would love to hear from a Beagle breeder.

I have a beagle bitch who is 5 and a half years old. Now and again she suffers with phantom pregnancies. I took her to a vet recently who said that letting her have at least one litter would solve this issue. I have other reasons for breeding my dog but this would be one of the main ones. I've been told by more than one vet in the past that breeding my dog would be good for her future general health and reduce the risk of some illnesses.

She's due to come into season in the next week or two and i had a dog lined up for her to mate with but i'm having serious second thoughts now. I called my vetinary practice again today just to ask for some advice and tips for when the time comes for my dog to give birth. I spoke to a different vet this time as opposed to speaking to the vet who recommended this in the first place. The vet this time, in a nutshell, recommended against breeding my dog because of her age. IE: that 5+ years old is a bit too old to start breeding her and that doing it now would carry a lot more risks. The end result of the ohonecall was that this particular vet "stongly recommended" against doing it.

However, the first vet that recommended i do it in the first place knew my dogs age. In fact i specifically asked him if she was too old and he said "not at all". He had no concerns about her age whatsoever.

So, i've a conflict of info here so i would love to hear an opinion now from somebody who's been there and done it. Is 5 (and a half) years too old for a dogs first litter. My dog means a lot to me so i really don't want to do anything that will put her in any danger. Obviously, every birth will come with risks but would i have much greater risks if i decided to breed my dog at this age?

roxiesmammy

Dont know much about beagles but im sure its the same for every dog. If you love your dog as much as you say, which im sure you do, the best you could do for her is get her spayed. Every season you let her go through there is a bigger chance of mammory cancer.
also i would change your vet as to suggest this to me seems that the only thing he is interested in is your money for future vet bills
Forgot to say well done to the 2nd vet for his advise

andreac

Personally i think 5 and half is far too old for her to have her first litter.

The best thing you can do for her is get her neutered, this will stop all the phantom pregnancies and will cut out the risk of her having pyometra.

There are far more risk to a pregnancy and giving birth so i would highly recommend you neuter her, not have a litter,

Im very suprised a vet would recommend having a litter to solving your problems, they couldnt be further than the truth with that reason imo.

Pregnancy and birth is very risky and even more so with an older bitch so i would highly advise against letting your bitch have a litter. Let her have her season and then neuter her when shes well over it.

Theres no need for bitches to just have a litter. Unless you are specifically breeding to improve the breed or keep puppies from her for yourself then theres absol no need to breed her.

I know several people, very experienced who have lost their bitch and their pups over the last few months so its really not an easy ride having a litter of pups.

lrushe

That sounds likes some v.old fashion advice your first vet gave you, spaying your dog will give you the same results. Offically dogs can be bred until they are 8 but I personally wouldn't recommend this. Considering the abundant amount of puppies already in this country not to mention the many dangers pregnancy and birth can hold for a bitch I would opt for the spaying option.

PaulB91

after coming out the other side of a dog raising puppies i would say you need a lot of time, money, patience, support, understanding from those you live with (spouses, children) and a propensity to go without sleep - and that's just when the mother and pups do well

please don't breed your dog unless you have spoken to someone first hand about the issues and downfalls

morganafay

I know I'm not a vet, but I don't think that her having a litter will stop her having phantom pregnancies or will stop her having any other illnesses. I'm pretty sure they're still just as likely to get pyometra, etc. I'm shocked that your vet would recommend that. A better (and cheaper than a litter of puppies) option would be to spay her. It would also stop her getting some health problems and coming into heat, and having phantom pregnancies.

But if you want to breed her then that's up to you. I'm not sure if 5 and a half is too old and that would be a risk, but I'd say to listen to the second vet, or get a third opinion if you like. The second vet seems to know what he's talking about. Or maybe ask a good dog breeder? But if you do go ahead and breed, I would suggest that first you should get a book on breeding dogs, and maybe a book on Beagles too and read it cover to cover and then decide. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

lorebringer

I can only echo what has been said - personally, I wouldn't breed her and get her spayed. I am surprised that a vet hasn't recommended spaying her up until this point because of her phantom pregnancies. I don't know anything about your vet but his/her advise sounds a bit dodgy to me. I really wouldn't go ahead and breed from her - the stress, cost, risk to your bitch etc. is way too high and with a bitch as old as your lady it could all go very wrong. I know she's not very old (middle aged really) but she is old to be having her first litter.

Perhaps ring another veterinary practice and ask one of their vets opinions. Getting a second opinion never hurts and will help you make an informed decision.

mwin80

hi All,

thanks for all the replies. I've made up my mind. My primary concern is doing what's best for my dog so i'm not going to breed her and i'm going to get her spayed. It's a little disappointing because i wanted to keep a puppy which would have been a bit more special than getting anopther dog elsewhere. Also, i had friends and family lined up who all wanted a pup. Bottom line is that i want to do the right thing for my dog and it would seem that breeding her doesn't really match that description.

thanks for the advice....

wopper10

Firstly glad to hear you decided not to breed from her that is too old to be breed from. But just a quick heads up it might not stop the phantom pregnancies. A friend of mine has a 7 year old spayed lab and has been spayed since 7 months old and she still gets phantom pregnancies........


Anyway I have a bitch that I'm thinking about breeding she has a top class pedigree her dad is a huge champion in the show world been showing all over EU, Ireland and the UK and the same with her brother. She was also shown got a best of breed a reserve best of breed and has 2 green stars so I know she is a very good example of the breed!

One problem, she had a great temperment with everyone, she met men, women and children. But ever since she was about 9 months old she has a fear or strangers due to a very bad experience with a vet. She will even bare teeth at older people if they go to pet her head.

My question is, is this a trait that she could pass on, as it wasn't something she was born with or developed it was forced on her unfortunately by my vet. She still has a great temperment for anybody she knows so gentle, so nice a truly beautiful dog!

Thought and opinions welcome