Please help...single pup!!

Hey, I recently got my female rotti from a not so good environment(where she lived with a male dog) and was planning on getting her fixed but to my surprise she is already prego. When I took her to the vet, he only saw 1 puppy, and said that she may be able to deliver on her own, or she may not. I was wondering if anyone else has ever gone through this. I am extremly worried about her and anyone with information or experience would be great. Thank you.

What else did your vet say? How is her general health?

Just so you know - you can have her still have her spayed even though she is pregnant.

Tell us more. What are you feeding her, etc.

She was under weight when I got her, and he said which is probaly why there is only 1 pup, he said that is all he could see, but there could be more. Since I had her, her weight has gone up, which the vet said was great. I feed her Pedigree food.

Honestly, your best bet would be to get her spayed and abort the pup. However - I am going to assume that you don't want to and that is ok.

You need to get her on a better dog food for starters. Pedigree won't help her out in any way that is important. You want to find a food that is high in real meats. Look for chicken, chicken meal, or other meats but AVOID any type of meat by-product. You also want to avoid anything with corn or soy. Dogs have a hard time digesting - it all comes out in the poop. :rolleyes: If you do a search here - you will find some very good threads about the best dog foods. Remember - quality may cost more, but the dog uses more of it so you feed less and pupper poops less. That is always a plus.

Do you live in the States or Canada?

I live in Canada...but I am most worried about that there is only 1 pup..do you think she will not be able to give birth because it would be too big?

She will probably be fine. While the pup might be larger then it would be if it was a part of a litter, they rarely get so big they can't be birthed. You need to read everything you can get your hands on about canine gestation and delivery so that you know what ALL the possible complications are and you need to have the vet's number close to the phone when her time comes.

Welcome to the wonderful world of the Rottweiler. With a little work, you will find that she is a most loyal girl.

Well, Im unaware of how far along she is for sure, but the vet said she was at the end of her gestation. I've gotten myself a thermometer so I can take her temp everyday, and the vet said that usually when it goes below 38.0, I should expect the pup within the bext 12 hours. But I'm so scared that something might happen in the middle of the night, and there will be something wrong and by the time I get up, it will be too late. I just want a healthy pup and mother.

I think your best bet is to have her spayed and the pup aborted.

I also agree that you should put her on a better quality premium/holistic food. Check out the Food Forum here for lots of good suggestions. Anything you can buy at the supermarket or places like Walmart are not quality foods. You will only find them at small independent pet stores.

Also check out www.dogfoodproject.com and click on "Ingredients to Avoid" and "Label Information 101", etc. on the left hand side of the page. Another good site is www.dogaware.com and all the links there. If you have any questions ask them in the dog food forum here. :pawprint:

You need to take her temperature when you get up in the morning and when you go to bed. That should keep you from being surprised in the middle of the night.

Get her on better dog food and then take a deep breath and relax. If you are stressed out - she will be stressed out. If something is going to happen, it is going to happen. Like I said - do your homework and make sure you have the number for the vet handy.

I feel like I am nosing in but I have raised dogs for over 30 years and delivered A LOT of pups. I have also worked for the top reproductive specialist in this country and others. AS you have been informed a singleton is not always a problem to whelp. Your vet should have been able to tell you how the size was by the radiograph. Taking the temp is great and twice a day is good. You still may miss the drop and it will go back up. However, other signs are going off food, nesting , panting and looking very fearful as they sense their body changing. Generally they do whelp at night when the house is quieter and calmer. Luckily you only have to wait for one pup not 15.
Pre labor can last quite sometime but once she begins to have contractions that are visible she should produce a pup within 2 hours. If it goes beyond that you need to get her to a vet. Once the pup is born she will probably do all the work but make sure the sack gets off its face and if she ignores it pick it up(careful they are slippery) and massage it and dangle it upside down gently to clear its airway of fluid. What I would worry about is mastitis later. She may produce too much milk and get an infection. Please speak with your vet about it in advance. As far as food, I have no problem with Pedigree. Not top of the line but I know many top winning show dogs that are on it and I myself have used it in the past and had very healthy pups. I obviously could go on forever on this one. I am happy to offer more advice but will get off my soapbox for now.:crazy:

I too belong to the school of thought that suggests you have her spayed. That would be so much better for her - the earlier a dog is spayed, the better and dpgs certainly do not think in terms of ethics as we do. There are already so many puppies in this world who need good homes that if you honestly want another puppy and are not certain about the process and just a bit nervous, you would be so much better off to adopt one at a Rescue. The fact you know little about her environment and that it was not good does not bode well for the kind of prenatal care she might have had and you may end up with a puppy with mega problems and even endanger her life. Just allowing her to give birth once is a trauma she does not need. You have already done the best thing by seeing a vet and if she is still in that period when an abortion is safe, I would opt for that if it was my dog. If I did want another puppy and playmate, I would find her one. Given a background that you seem unsure of, that would probably save her lots of trouble medically.

Good luck n your decision and I hope everything works out well whatever you opt to do. I am of the belief that a puppy or kitten should be born only IF the parents are Grand Champions of some sort and the birth would add to the science and enhancement if the breed. Of course, accidents occur but abortions are also dine more often now to solve that problem, - especially with so many puppies already seeking homes. Ask yourself if you are prepared for two dogs? If she has the background you suggest, is she healthy enough to be a mom? What does your vet say?

Even after saying I only believe in births by champions, I have a show quality cat and she was spayed as soon as I could - I do not want to add to the already horrible problem of pet overpopulation. My little seal Point Siamese will never be a mom and this will give her a good start in life - and studies show more and more the medical benefits of spaying before a dog or cat has a litter. Just my two or three cents worth.

Congrats on the new arrival and best of luck ion ascertaining on what to do re the added situation!!!

I would start feeding her a high quality puppy food (Orijen) or equivalent to give her the extra proteins to produce a healthy pup. Remember to mix small amounts of the new food in with the old over a period of a few days till you can eliminate the Pedigree alltogether. Maybe theres only 1 puppy because she's been so mal-nourished and skinny. Am sure she'll be fine during delivery as long as she has you to encourage and tell her what a great dog she is.

I would like to thank everyone for their great input...it makes me feel abit better that with luck things could go off smoothly, I also agree that there are way too many puppies in the world and you should go to your local sheter instead of buying dogs. That is why all the dogs Ive ever had come from bad/unwanted homes. I will be however taking this puppy in, and getting them both fixed ASAP. Again, thanks everyone..please continue with all your thoughts, and I will keep you all updated.

Same here , I would get her spayed asap . When they are underweight and pregnant , it's easy to "loose" them (the mom or the pups) while delivering. The mom may not be strong enough for this. If you still want to have this pup , please please feed her a better quality kibble. And have the emergency vet phone number real close. Good luck.

The vet said her weight is fine right now, she looked underweight to me when I first got her, I think the male dog wasnt letting her eat has much as she needed.