This is all new to me

[Molly'sMom]

This is the first time I have had a female dog so I am experiencing new thing with her. Usually Molly is very playful but she is currently in "heat" and since she came in she won't play. All she does is lay and sleep.
My question is are these two things related? Any advise would be appreciated.

[Sib.HuskyMom]

I've never had a female dog either, but I would guess so.
My friend had a female and the night before she was to get spayed, she ended up going into heat, so they had to delay the surgery by a couple months.

I remember her commenting on the similarities between her dog in heat, and how us girls feel when we have our period. Just wanting laying in bed curled up in a ball all day. It lasted a few days, then she pretty much got back to herself.

If you're questioning it though, you could just give your vet a quick call and describe her behaviour. Then they could also tell you how long you have to wait before getting her spayed - I think some vets have differing opinions on that.

What kind of dog do you have? Any pics to share?

[Molly'sMom]

Molly is a Maltese weighing in at a whopping 6 and 1/2 pounds. My daughter has a male (Mickey) and we are thinking of breeding them so right now I am not entertaining the idea of having her fixed. However, I only want 1 liter and then snip-snip.

I would be happy to share pictures of Molly. I am so crazy about her that I have an album of "Just Molly" on my facebook account.

[cassiek]

Molly'sMom,

Molly is certainly very cute, and I would also assume that her heat cycle and her behaviour are related, but I am not sure.

Most of the users on this forum are very pro spay/neuter and not many of us have experience with a dog in heat, as our dogs already come sterilized (from a rescue, SPCA etc.) or they are altered before they have their 1st heat. I know you say Molly will only have one litter before being spayed, but most of us on here encourage people to think twice before breeding their pet (even once!), as millions of animals are euthanized every day because of the over-population.

Breeding is not a matter of simply placing 2 animals together and hoping for the best... here is a post 14+Kitties posted I think you may find helpful. I am not trying to condemn your actions, or tell you what to do, but I hope it will give you something to consider.

Why People Want To Breed Dogs, And Why They Shouldn't
Almost everybody loves puppies. Who could resist that sweet puppy breath or soft, downy fur?

Unfortunately, when it comes to dog breeding, a love of puppies is simply not enough to breed your dog. Hundreds of puppies are born every day, and hundreds of adorable puppies are put to sleep in shelters across North America. We have a serious pet overpopulation problem right now.

The Reasons People Want to Breed Their Dogs:
• I want another one just like my dog.
• I want to make money.
• I want my children to witness the miracle of birth.
• Puppies are cute, there's always people who want puppies.

The Reasons People Should NOT Breed Their Dogs:

• I want another one just like my dog.
This never works according to plan. When a dog gets pregnant, the puppies will take the father's traits, personality, and physical, and the mother's traits, and mix them up, taking some of one, some of another, and developing their own altogether. You will never get a perfect match. In stead you may end up with the worst traits of both dogs.
Even cloning a dog has proven that while a genetic match is possible, looks and temperament are still in the hands of Fate.

• I want to make money.
I can't believe people can still think they can make money off of puppies. The cost of breeding will overshadow any profits you think to make. The puppies need their first shots before going to their new homes, the mother needs frequent check-ups, and heaven forbid if something goes wrong. And something always goes wrong.

• I want my children to witness the miracle of birth.
This "miracle" can now be easily viewed by both children and adults thanks to such wonderful programming as "A Baby Story" and "Maternity Ward", both available on cable television.

Not only that, but how much of a "miracle" will your child be seeing if your beloved pet dies halfway through delivery?

• Puppies are cute, there's always people who want puppies.
No, unfortunately this is the most ignorant assumption made these days. Not everybody wants puppies. Hundreds die everyday because of the lack of homes. How heartbreaking to hold a twelve week old puppy and put her to sleep because somebody thought for sure there would be somebody else who wanted her.
For every puppy born, three die in shelters. There are too many out there and not enough homes for them all.

If this is not enough reasons to stop you from breeding your dog, then here are a few more:

Complications in birth and pregnancies happen all the time. You could face losing your dog to death, and all the puppies with her. Will YOU pay the $1200.00 for a much-needed emergency cesarean section when she cannot deliver the pups?

What about sexually-transmitted diseases? That stud dog you had picked out may have one. They are more common than you think.

How about genetic diseases? They abound.

Breeding is not a careless affair, it is so much more than bringing bitch and stud together during a heat cycle.

Please think it over carefully.


More web sites to check out. Please read carefully. There is a lot of very useful information both pro and con.

http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/breeding.html

http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/dbb.html

Here's a few other links to posts on this board:

http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=18613
http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=59820

[cassiek]

Here are some more links from TeriM:

Should I breed my dog?
Here are some good links for those who are looking to breed their dog
http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/breeding.html
http://www.nb.net/%7Ecollet/facts.htm
http://www.geocities.com/learntobreed/breedingfaq.html
http://hattrick-dals.home.att.net/Breeding.html

Why do people get so frustrated with people who are breeding their dogs? My breed doesn’t end up in shelters and are worth a lot of money.

http://www.petfinder.com Search your breed

Why are people referring to me as a Back yard breeder (BYB)?
http://www.nopuppymillscanada.ca/byb.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backyard_breeder
http://www.jlhweb.net/Boxermap/reputablebreeder.html
__________________

[Melinda]

Welcome to the forum, I would say the low energy was related to her being in heat, I've always only owned female dogs but never took the chance of any of them getting pregnant, so they were all spayed before their first heat, I could never have afforded getting all the medical/health checks on any of them to insure healthy pups. and then to pay to have all the pups spayed/neutured before finding them homes would have been more than my pocket book could handle *L*. I really hope you do read through all the wonderful information cassiek and terriM posted for you, it could save a few dozen dogs lives. good luck.

[Dog Dancer]

Welcome, Molly is a cutie for sure, I can see why you adore her. I'm with the others though, and would encourage you to reconsider breeding her. Check out petfinder and see how many maltipoo's and such are out there for adoption. It's very sad. An aquaintance of mine used to breed her malti's and it was shameful. Really the risks associated to Molly's health aren't worth breeding, but ultimately it is your decision to make. Good luck to you and Molly with that.

[Kay9]

My friend bred her females (different dogs, each bred once).

Their family was terrific, and really enjoyed the entire process. However, it was alot of work, and her daughter did find it hard to part with the final puppy.

Your vet will be your best friend if you want to breed your dog, and if you have questions, now is the time to get informed about dogs in heat, and what to expect.

[hazelrunpack]

Welcome to the board, MollysMom and Molly!

We increased our pack size with three females in late autumn 2004 and two of them, Macie and Ridge, went into heat while waiting for spays. Although Macie behaved pretty normally, Ridge became lethargic like Molly is and was also very sensitive to cold temperatures. The vet put her on antibiotics, which helped a bit, and we were able to wait for the end of the most vascular events of her cycle to have her spayed. When the vet spayed her, he found a pyometra, slightly deflated by the antibiotic treatment she'd been on since her symptoms began a few weeks earlier.

So you might want the vet to check her over and make sure there isn't a uterine infection in the works, MollysMom! Pyometras can be fatal. We were very lucky with Ridge.

[BenMax]

Originally Posted by Kay9

My friend bred her females (different dogs, each bred once).

Their family was terrific, and really enjoyed the entire process. However, it was alot of work, and her daughter did find it hard to part with the final puppy.

Your vet will be your best friend if you want to breed your dog, and if you have questions, now is the time to get informed about dogs in heat, and what to expect.

Sorry Kay9 but maybe you can add how much it costs to do some genetic testing and background work to actually breed dogs that will be gentically sound. Also the years of research.

To the OP - you may want to reconsider as there is a tremendous amount of expense that goes into breeding. The vet costs are crazy not to mention if there are complications. Also - if you have never breed before you may have to hire a midwife to assist as well as consulting with a mentor which is another expense.

There are so many unwanted babes in this world..why add more.

[My Lodi Girl]

Oh, she's so cute! You can tell you really love her.
I do hope that you will do a little research on the variations of maltese weights. I once fostered a male Maltese who weighed about 13 pounds even though his sire was only 6 pounds and the mother was 10 pounds. Dogs come in different sizes, even within the same litter, and just because the mom is little doesn't mean all her pups will be little also. There is always a possibility of major problems during delivery due to the varied sizes - up to and including death for the mom.
She really is a little darling and you are a lucky mom!

[mummummum]

Just out of sheer curiousity, I went to Petfinder and looked up the number of Maltese and Maltese-mutts who have been given up or abandoned and are waiting for adoption in the state of Illinois.

802 Maltese Puppies and Dogs are listed on Petfinder

And that's just Illinois.

Imagine what the number of unwanted and abandoned Maltese puppies and dogs would be for the whole of the U.S of A...

And I wonder how many of those Maltese puppies and dogs, who, after spending weeks crammed into a smelly, noisy, terrifying cage at the pound were killed because they were unwanted or abandoned.

As an animal lover and a devoted Mum, it would just break my heart if I knew I had had any part to play in that at all.

[JennieV]

Welcome to the forum, Molly'sMom. Molly is positively adorable!

May I ask how old she is? if this is the first time she is in heat, she must be about 6-7 months old? To answer your question, yes, its normal to be lethargic but I second Hazel's suggestion to make sure that there isn't another reason for that.

If she is the age I think she is - she is WAY WAY WAY too young to be bred. Its like having a baby at 13-14 years old. Is that what you want for your Molly?

I would suggest that you research as much as possible the whole breeding idea, read the articles that were posted for you, there's a wealth of information on there. There are so many abandoned pups out there, why would you purposely add to the over-population? Like MMM pointed out, there are hundreds of maltese and maltese mixes out there!

And how many perfect puppers are being put to sleep every day? Just like your Molly..! For no other reason than lack of space at the shelters...! Don't you feel it is wrong?

I came to this forum many moons ago, I didn't think much of breeding, but my eyes were opened. And I am glad that they were..

We are a bunch of very caring individuals, and we love all living creatures, but we do not see the purpose in breeding more while others die.

[binkybuff]

Having had a CKC kennel at one time, breeding and raising my dogs, I must put my worth here.

Your dog won't be bothered much about being spayed, in other words, she doesn't need to have a litter.

some of the things to keep in mind if breeding your dog. DO not breed the dog if this is the first heat. Wait until she is about 1 1/2 years old.

After it is bred it is about 62 days when the pups are born. She should also be fed good food, before and after, as well checked out by your vet to make sure she is healthy.

1. have a whelping box
2. contact a vet, just incase they are needed.
3. pups are born at night a lot of the time. A responsible owner will sit through the process, even if it is an allnighter.
4. Whelping box kept in a warm spot, and not in a room where there is lots of coming and going.
5. Females get very protective of puppy, sometimes not even letting another member of the household near them. (happened to my hubby)
6. for a good week, someone should be near, as momma has to go out more often. She should also be fed good food, before and after
7. make sure she doesn't eat too many placentas and get sick, if she does, knowing what to do to help.
8. puppies when they start moving about need space and supervision,
9. getting the puppies vet checked, and first shots can be expensive, this is usually done before they go to the new home.
10. taking time to socialize the puppies properly before they leave.
11. Oh yes, do not let the other dog near her puppies when they are still in the box.

and the most important of all,

12. Make sure, ALL prospective owners really want your one of your pups, and not mistreat them, or make them disposible.

13. Make sure you have people to take all your pups.

so it comes down to almost a 24 hour day job, for a good 8 weeks. Do you have that time. It is almost a full time job.

I am speaking of practability here, and not trying to put you down at all, your dogs are cute, but again, it isn't necessary to breed the female.

If it was me, I wouldn't breed just because my dog is cute. (both my dog and cat have been spayed, as the ones before them were)

take care
binky

[BenMax]

Holy Hello Binky...I am exhausted just reading all that must be done to ensure healthy mom and pups! It sounds like a lot of work and expense.

I have to tell you, after reading this...I would absolutely never go into breeding..(not that I considered it in the first place..but so good to know).

Valuable information. Thanks so much.