I've been getting advice from multiple vets, but all said they don't have a lot of experience with singletons so I have come here for anyone with experience. My female is at day 63 of carrying her singleton. She has not acted weird at all, really doesn't seem to have and milk, and just acting overall different from last dog right before her litters. I've read that a lot of times singletons don't produce enough hornones to start the labor process. The puppy during the X Ray was normal size. I know I'm leaving off some info so ask questions and I'll try and keep up. My main question is should I go ahead and get the c section. Is there a downside (other than if I had future litters they would also need c section.). I really don't want to have an emergency c section that risks her life and the puppies as well as any future reproduction. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Singleton Question
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I've been getting advice from multiple vets, but all said they don't have a lot of experience with singletons so I have come here for anyone with experience. My female is at day 63 of carrying her singleton. She has not acted weird at all, really doesn't seem to have and milk, and just acting overall different from last dog right before her litters. I've read that a lot of times singletons don't produce enough hornones to start the labor process. The puppy during the X Ray was normal size. I know I'm leaving off some info so ask questions and I'll try and keep up. My main question is should I go ahead and get the c section. Is there a downside (other than if I had future litters they would also need c section.). I really don't want to have an emergency c section that risks her life and the puppies as well as any future reproduction. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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A friend just had a singleton pup via C-section because he was so big. Not enough pups to generate mom's milk and she dried up resulting in pup having to be bottle fed from beginning. I don't want to scare you but be prepared in case you have to bottle feed, stimulate them to defecate etc. If she has it natural get the pup nursing asap and mom to clean her. There's lot of expert breeders on here who can give you great advice. Good luck and keep us posted.
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It is probably safest to schedule the csection, if you have an accurate count via progesterone, so what day are you counting from with regards to the testing/breeding? What type of AI? They very often do not go into labor with just one or two puppies. It does not mean she has to have a csection for future litters either. If she truly is 63 days post ovulation, I'd be doing csection tomorrow if she were mine. I've not had a problem with milk with a singleton, they often don't develop milk until pup is born, but you will need to be careful with mom around pup until she is fully awake, and intro pup safely, not all new moms know what the deal is and anesthesia makes them groggy and clumsy. You can also try getting the placenta during the csection to take home for mom.
If she does not let down milk, some use Fenugreek, herb found in drugstores, Walmart, etc. Or Reglan from the vet. There are various tricks. But you really want pup to nurse mom as much as possible, asap, for the health benefits in the colostrum, vs trying to supplement right away.
If she does not let down milk, some use Fenugreek, herb found in drugstores, Walmart, etc. Or Reglan from the vet. There are various tricks. But you really want pup to nurse mom as much as possible, asap, for the health benefits in the colostrum, vs trying to supplement right away.
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What Kim said. I use Reglan after c-sections, every 8 hours. If she had pups before it usually goes easier. They wake up and go, oh puppy, but if they have heavier anesthetics and don't have it reversed, be prepared to stick close for at least 24-48 hours. Actually on my last bottle of Reglan it says you can start 2-3 days before whelping.
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I had a singleton 6 months ago; and had made an appt. with my vet (a very good repro vet) if she showed no signs of going in labor on the appointed day. She didn't, so her one puppy was delivered by C section. Vet said larger breeds' singletons (and often 2- or 3-pup litters) frequently need c section because a single pup is usually larger than multiples and labor is triggered by the pups lining up in the birth canal, which can't happen when it's not crowded in there. He has also told me on several occasions that it's far more stressful for the whelps to go over term whereas being born a day or two early is no big deal.
My female acted like that big puppy slug was an alien from the moment she came out of anesthesia. She wanted nothing to do with her, so I had to supervise her whenever she nursed and keep the dam separate otherwise, because she growled like a cujo at her. All good repro vets caution you to supervise the dam and pup(s) after a c section for at least the first 3 days, because the dam is not getting the normal triggers for her maternal instincts: labor, licking/bonding with her newborn, eating the afterbirth, etc. My bitch was not a first time mom; she'd had a litter of 5 previously and had been an excellent mother. However for the singleton she sure wasn't a candidate for mother of the year. She probably wouldn't even have allowed her to nurse if I hadn't been right there with a hand on her collar. She did clean her and stimulate her bowels, etc., also under supervision, but she did not improve her attitude. So when her milk dried up on the 3rd day I just bottle fed her and took over those chores. Be prepared to bottle feed: it's quite common for their milk to dry up because with just one, the pumps aren't getting primed enough to keep on producing milk. I had used a formula of yogurt & goats milk with some other stuff, but through my network of Chesapeake breeder friends, learned about some called Puppy Bac (you can mail order it HERE ) and it was much easier than mixing up the thick, messy yogurt/goats milk stuff. I also used cosmetic sponges to feed the pup, much easier and less risk of aspiration pneumonia than with a bottle. Feel free to PM me if you need any other tips or resources. I kept my puppy, you do get attached! but the breeding was for my next dog, too so I'd planned on keeping one anyway. And once she was a little older (8 wks.) and stopped trying to nurse, her mom accepted her just fine.
This is my little singleton with her "family" (stuffed animals) at about 2 wks. She loved the big black stuffed horse! Slept with it til she was about 4 mos.
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My female acted like that big puppy slug was an alien from the moment she came out of anesthesia. She wanted nothing to do with her, so I had to supervise her whenever she nursed and keep the dam separate otherwise, because she growled like a cujo at her. All good repro vets caution you to supervise the dam and pup(s) after a c section for at least the first 3 days, because the dam is not getting the normal triggers for her maternal instincts: labor, licking/bonding with her newborn, eating the afterbirth, etc. My bitch was not a first time mom; she'd had a litter of 5 previously and had been an excellent mother. However for the singleton she sure wasn't a candidate for mother of the year. She probably wouldn't even have allowed her to nurse if I hadn't been right there with a hand on her collar. She did clean her and stimulate her bowels, etc., also under supervision, but she did not improve her attitude. So when her milk dried up on the 3rd day I just bottle fed her and took over those chores. Be prepared to bottle feed: it's quite common for their milk to dry up because with just one, the pumps aren't getting primed enough to keep on producing milk. I had used a formula of yogurt & goats milk with some other stuff, but through my network of Chesapeake breeder friends, learned about some called Puppy Bac (you can mail order it HERE ) and it was much easier than mixing up the thick, messy yogurt/goats milk stuff. I also used cosmetic sponges to feed the pup, much easier and less risk of aspiration pneumonia than with a bottle. Feel free to PM me if you need any other tips or resources. I kept my puppy, you do get attached! but the breeding was for my next dog, too so I'd planned on keeping one anyway. And once she was a little older (8 wks.) and stopped trying to nurse, her mom accepted her just fine.
This is my little singleton with her "family" (stuffed animals) at about 2 wks. She loved the big black stuffed horse! Slept with it til she was about 4 mos.
Singletons don't always trigger labor. Even my last litter of 3 needed a c-section because of lack of labor. Then mom acted like cujo until about day 2 when she finally accepted them and started to make milk. Not a lot of milk even for 3 so I supplemented with fresh Goat's milk. Used the sponge method and I'll never go back to using a bottle when supplementation is needed. I've had several puppies over the years die of aspiration pneumonia and it isn't pretty. Sponge prevented that and the puppies took to it right away. Of course they were hungry as they weren't getting enough milk from mom. C-section shouldn't prevent a bitch from being bred again. I'd be more worried about why only 1 puppy than the c-section.
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Receiving colostrum is very important for proper initial immunity. I'm not sure you can blame that on there being a singleton.
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Colostrum is the first milk and usually even with a c section/singleton there will be some. It's only the first 24, maybe 48 hrs. that it's produced and in fact, the puppy's system is unable to absorb it if it doesn't get it in the first day or two. So, yes, if the bitch had no milk at all and the pup missed that window for whatever reason I guess the dog could have problems. From what I was told, the milk is let down by the hormones released after she gives birth, and then stimulated by the pups nursing. It would start to dry up within 3 or 4 days if there's no pups (if none lived) or in the case of a singleton, not enough nursing action. In my case her milk wasn't enough to feed her one puppy on the third day after birth, but pup did get first milk that has the colostrum in it. She is 6 mos. and has been very healthy so far.
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I had a singleton about 18 months ago. We were prepared for a csection, but she ended up going in labor about day 65 from ovulation and passing the pup naturally. Probably wouldn't have let her ago another day or so. She had little or no milk when she had him, but it came in well enough that he gained weight right from the beginning. We had stuffed toys his size in the whelping box from the beginning so that he had to crawl around them to nurse. They eventually became his "friends." When he was about 4 weeks old we put two similarly aged puppies with him that were supposedly weaned and kept them together until about 8 weeks. They were good for his socialization, and my bitch took to them well. He beat them up like his stuffed toys for a few day, but it balanced out. I think he was well adjusted. He got third in his first derby about 2 months ago.
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Ask your vet about oxytocin nasal spray post-delivery and/or giving her part of the placenta to eat post delivery to stimulate milk production. Be prepared to not leave her and the puppy alone for at least 72 hours. I had a singleton in April that was delivered c section and weighed 1 lb 7 oz. Be prepared to have to stimulate the puppy to urinate and deficate and keep records for the first couple of days to keep track. They can become constipated if the mother does not stimulate them enough, So plenty of stuffed animals and bolsters to replicate climbing over other puppies. I also alternated his nursing on the back nipples to manage milk supply. Good luck - it's a lot of hard work but worth every sleepless second.
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Not all c-section singletons turn out without milk and need supplementing. I've had 3, plus a few with 3 pups. All were born at a repro specialist and none had to be supplemented. One female it was her first pregnancy, the others had previous litters. All 3 of them were motherly and cleaned the pups. The pups had their favorite breasts for nursing. The mothers doted on them and they actually seemed precocious. If you can I would have a repro specialist do the c-section. They are really good with the anesthesia, and I have walked out the door with the bitch on lead in less than 1 1/2 hours and the pup had nursed well.
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I have a great singleton story, so not all are created equal. Bitch was at day 62 and began pawing, nesting, etc. We already had a c-section scheduled as she was an older small bitch who had previous c-sections, so we loaded up. Little Roscoe P was born (I say little relatively as he was a little over a pound out of a 45 pound bitch) healthy and nursed immediately. She took to him right away as she did with the previous two litters she whelped via c-section (litters of 7 and 4). She also produced plenty of milk. The biggest thing with him is he had all the faucets so was huge in a hurry and we really had to watch flooring surface and make sure he got up and moving well to not become a swimmer puppy. Good luck and all will hopefully turn out well.
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I'll offer my experience, but with knowledge that I am not a vet and would always do what your vet who knows your dog says.
Last year we did an AI on one of our girls who would not stand for our stud despite high progesterone levels. We did not have an x-ray, but knew it was either a singleton or maybe pair due to ultrasound and palpating. Our girl had her single pup naturally on day 62 and it was a normal size. She had plenty of milk and pup grew rather large quickly thanks to not having to compete for food. Interestingly I just finished doing basic gundog training on this dog for the client and I can say she has turned out spectacular.
Also - we repeated the breeding this year. The girl bred naturally and had 7 pups.
Here's hoping for the best for you and yours!
Last year we did an AI on one of our girls who would not stand for our stud despite high progesterone levels. We did not have an x-ray, but knew it was either a singleton or maybe pair due to ultrasound and palpating. Our girl had her single pup naturally on day 62 and it was a normal size. She had plenty of milk and pup grew rather large quickly thanks to not having to compete for food. Interestingly I just finished doing basic gundog training on this dog for the client and I can say she has turned out spectacular.
Also - we repeated the breeding this year. The girl bred naturally and had 7 pups.
Here's hoping for the best for you and yours!
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Congrats on your new baby! Post up a pic. of her. And be sure and weigh her every day, to make sure she is gaining weight and keep an eye on the mom's udders because mastitis can also happen if she has more milk than the pup can drink. Fingers crossed all goes well for your pup! I think most times the moms are fine with them, I just happened to have the exception.
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