Uh Oh! I think our dog is pregnant!!! HELP!

I concur - Shepherd breeding has improved so much in the last 20 years, from severe culling in the breed. It improved the pups and, the life expectancies and conformation of the breed so that people aren't scared to get them anymore. I remember the bad old days of heartbroken friends putting down 5yo dogs :( If you still have these issues with a shepherd, I'd be taking it up with the breeder and letting the breed associations know what's going on - it is in their best interests for them to know.
I've only ever had one purebred dog, he was free from a friend who's dad was a breeder (couldn't find a home for this older pup, but was mad as hell when he was offered for free!!). Gorgeous dog with a great nature, who had a heart murmer in the end and arthritis - the latter could be due to him living till 13 years of age, which is about 4 years longer than expected.
The rest of my beloved dogs in my life have been bitzers. The most gorgeous one that was hit by a car was ENTIRE when I privately adopted him! He was in his second home already with NO FENCE and a friggin hole in the screen door he leapt in and out of. He was a pet shop dog originally. I hate pet shops that sell live animals with a passion.
Bitzers are often great. VERY often (more often than you'll hear about) they are NOT great. Hybrid vigour in oopsie-bred dogs is a MYTH. You get some healthy ones and then you get some true duds. That's hardly a case for proceeding with an oopsie dog pregnancy.
WRT the OP, I hope it is a phantom. If not, definitely ask the vets in your area if they'll do a hardship case, or even a vet attached to the local shelter, for a cut-price deal. It would have to be a mercenary vet who would not co-operate with this kind of request.

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How interesting. My parents have always had shepards and the youngest they've buried one was maybe six due to snake bite. The rest have lived well passed 13.

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Their shepherds did well! Arthritis and hip problems are extremely common in shepherds. My grandfather's all were put down before the age of 10. They were all on arthritis medication prior to be euthanaised. Maybe he was unlucky with his pups (I doubt it) - or your family was extremely lucky. Feel free to Google it or even ask a vet, I'm sure you'll see I'm not fabricating this issue.

Anyway, my point was that purebreds as a general rule experience more genetical issues than a crossbreed.

My poor sister went through 2 german sheppards in a space of 6 months because of hip problems :( it was so sad. They were from different breeders too.

We have always had more luck with crossbreeds.

Anyway, this is quite off topic now from what the OP was asking help for.

Mayaness - my grandfather stopped buying shepherds, the continued loss was too much for him. He and my step-gran have Tibetan Spaniels now and although their first died young, from cancer, their current two are wonderful, healthy (relatively) pets albeit very spoilt ;)

We had a brilliant 'Oopsie' after our red setter died. Like the story you told, the litter had two different fathers. Our gorgeous Tess was riddled with fleas and worms when we took her home - we paid $20 for her, a silky terrier cross. She was a fabulous dog (and one tall silky, lol!) my parents pride and joy. She lived to 15 and ended up dying of an aneurism in my parents arms. Other than that she was honestly the perfect dog, perhaps a rare find. She gave us all hope in the bitza breeds though.

The OP sounds like a very caring dog owner who is doing the right thing by researching her options. I just wanted to reiterate that I personally don't think all accidental puppies are bad news and I like to believe there are dog loving families out there that feel the same way. Maybe I'm naive, I like to call it positive thinking though, but I hope that the possible puppies will find fab homes even though they are crossbreeds. That was the point of my ramblings.

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My poor sister went through 2 german sheppards in a space of 6 months because of hip problems it was so sad. They were from different breeders too.

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Those breeders notified? If so, they would be having a serious look at that whole breeding line.
Definitely OT - nature of the beast ;)
Taurean, I have not said that ALL oopsie dogs are bad prospects. I've only had one dud bitzer oopsie - the large breed one. There ARE loving and RESPONSIBLE families out there, just not as many as we like to hope there are. An oopsie large breed with multiple breeds is a bad idea. Every oopsie backyard pup that could have been terminated that goes to a loving family denies an existing shelter dog a loving home. Dogs that have already been born and didn't have the kindness of being aborted in early gestation that are on a strict time limit for adoption. They end up being put down, so whichever way you look at it, a dog loses a life. One just has to go through several homes and possible mistreatment before having the luxury of euthanasia. Harsh and very, very true.
I'll leave ya with these thoughts.

Ofcourse they were.. gets you kind of annoyed when you spend so much money on a dog! lol

Ha ha, MM, it's not always an 'of course' sicho! People don't always report problems and dogs get dumped, instead of euthanased, with costs recouped from the breeder! You'd be amazed how many people part with good money and don't follow up! More money than sense, see it all the time (especially in the horse industry).

Firstly, to the OP - I hope your dog isnt pregnant, if its her first heat season there are definately going to be some changes in her body as she matures reproductively. If she is pregnant, then I would definately weigh up the pro's and con's of termination VS whelping. Puppies and whelping is not easy, not by a long shot. The dog needs 110% care and attention, top notch food and regular vet checks while pregnant. The labour can be quite arduous depending on the dog. You could end up forking out alot of money for a cesar and vet aftercare. Then you have atleast 8-10wks of a litter of puppies eating you out of house and home, whining and chewing everything. You cant leave them unattended much, if at all. THEN you have to sell them. With our first dog, she was a highly sought after breed - and we still had trouble homing the pups because of the area we lived in. And because I was picky about who they went to. The first litter was ELEVEN pups, the second nine. Big dogs can tend to have big litters which means more puppies to find a home for. This time round, we already have a waitlist of buyers for our dogs first two litters as she is a sought after breed as well. She is breeding for the improvement of the breed so we are extremely careful about choosing a sire and to ensure only the good traits get passed on, even then its never 100% guarantee.

I would highly recommend desexing her if she is not pregnant, or if you terminate the pregnancy. Breeding already crossed genetics with more crossed genetics is just a nightmare unless its done in a heavily researched and controlled way. Not in backyards unintentionally. This is the exact reason why the RSPCA and other animal welfare organisations are overrun with dogs needing homes. You rarely see purebred dogs in a shelter because they cost alot which means usually only the truly committed buy them and because they are usually healthy if your buying from a reputable breeder who breeds for health and not just for name. Obviusly there are exceptions to the rule.

I would be watching her like a hawk as dogs pregnancies are usually only around 8-10wks long. Around the end of that time if she is clearly pregnant (extended abdomen, very lethargic) then I would be keeping her in your laundry or another dry safe place as the labour can come on suddenly and you'll have pups littered around your backyard before you know it! Make sure she is eating a decent brand whelping food or puppy food, her intake would usually increase if she is pregnant.

Good luck!

OK WOW! BACK TO OP!
misKris i really hope shes not pg, puppies are so much work! if she is, i hope you dont have too much trouble with the birth and finding homes for them, mastiffs and danes are both gorgeous breeds so im sure you wont have too much trouble. :)
FWIW if you struggle, give them to AWL cos they dont euthanize unless they have a temperament or serious health prob.

Just ducked back in to reply, if you want any tips on being midwife to a dog please feel free to pm me!

Hello Ladies,

First off, thank you to those who offered helpful advice on the topic or general support. :)
I have an appointment on Thursday to confirm if she is pregnant or not. I will let you know.

How'd she go Miss kris?

Oooh, yes, today's the day!

Hi Ladies!! Looks like a phantom pregnancy! Her uterus is all full of fluid but there doesn't seem to be any pups *phew* :)

So we have another scan in two weeks to confirm, but the vet said the symptoms should disappear by the eighth week of the phantom pregnancy

Yay! Close call!!

As I mentioned, this used to happen to my sisters dog all the time. When it came time for her to 'give birth' my sis gave her a toy to nurture. She kind of went into phantom labour and looked after her pretend puppy, then got over it.

I'm so pleased for you that it was just that.... Next stop.... Sterilization!

Good luck


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk so sorry for mistakes!!

PHEW! What a relief for everyone involved - and you can tell your neighbour his dog shoots blanks :p
Yep, get her fixed and neither of you will have to worry about this ever again :hug:

Hi MisKris

I know you have already been to the vet, but thought I would post re my Ridgeback Zali who we noticed was acting strange, she was only 1 and we were letting her go thru her first cycle as the breeder we bought her from wanted to breed her if she was of show quality...turns out she was a bit too short so we decided to de-sex her, but then she started acting strange and we didnt know what was going on, her nipples got big and she started to loose all of her toilet training (only at night) and then would hide downstairs some days it was so strange.

We took her to the vet and she was having a phantom pregnancy, she had milk and everything!!! We had to post pone her de-sexing as even tho she wasnt actually pregnant her lady parts were all swollen which made the operation very difficult and the vet suggested we wait.

The vet said that some dogs have phantom pregnancies because they have that deep down feeling that they are meant to be mums, just instinct. She is de-sexed now and it did not change her at all, she is still a puppy at heart :)