X-ray before puppies are born? Yes or no? - Page 2

all personal preference. i cant see taking the female out of the home to the vets, leaving her puppies, to do an xray AFTER, however, if there is a problem, then of course one has to go. The vets office has all kinds of germs just waiting for her to bring back to her puppies... so me personally would rather NOT bring my dog to the vets unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. Damned if we do, damned if we dont... I have done low dose xrays at 53 days, perhaps this is why my puppies are nuts Regards, Dawnmarie

I have to say that the advantage of knowing how many puppies are in the womb could be key to a successful whelping. Especially if one uses pit shots. I have never heard any statistics to support a concern about any effect of an x-ray done on a female at 50 plus days. And I have no documentation that an x-ray can be blamed for lack of stable character in puppies. I believe that many vets specialized in reproductive medicine are now using digital technology. It would not make sense (laffin or not) not to utilize the most advanced technology available to ensure the safety of the mom and pups during a whelping.

The pre-whelps are inaccurate at best and are little more but yet another vet tool to pull money from a breeders wallet. If pre-whelps are done, you need two views - one from the side and another with the female on her back, to be able to spot the pups that may be hidden from either view. When the bitch is on the side, pups will overlap and thus obscure an accurate count. When she is on the back, the bitches spine will make a or some pups totally invisible. Its not as if they are properly arranged inside the horns, each pup properly in a row, each horn on its own side. The litter is bunched up inside the belly taking up every bit of room they can, any which way they can. Especially in large litters. Also one horn may have only one pup and the other horn all the rest, etc. So both views together give a more accurate assumption, but little more than that. Breeders have lost bitches thinking she was done, because pre-whelps showed the number she did produce. On the rare occasion that the bitch had more pups left but had stopped birthing and the situation then went undetected, the outcome would prove fatal or at least very dangerous (and that usually = costly). The false sense of security the pre-whelps can produce in a breeder I find far more troublesome than having to know how many pups. If pre-whelps are done, a post-whelp x-ray then becomes almost mandatory, just to prove the first ones either right or wrong. The number of pups inside are still no guarantee of how many live pups you will end up with anyways. Technology should never replace the need for common sense and the desire to learn about a process, which pregnancy and birthing is. Far better to learn how to detect if and how many pups are still inside during birthing, especially towards the end, or how to detect trouble. Then to leave it all up to technology. An x-ray is a diagnostic tool. Pregnancy is not an illness. If something goes wrong, taking x-rays before doing a C-section is one thing. Or post-whelp x-rays as a preventative measure (prevent sepsis in case a pup is left behind). Pre-whelps only give a certain sense of peace of mind, nothing more. Dawnmarie, IMO the bitch and her whole litter should see the vet after birth. Make an appointment before the crowd comes in, usually just before operating times in the am works great. Everything has been scrubbed and prepped for ops, few people have come in, you will be in and out in a flash, very low risk. If the pups cannot survive that, IMO they do not deserve to survive. Harsh, but that is just the way I think. Nowadays this is a nearly prudent step for puppy guarantees anyways. Puppy buyers see the puppy record from day one on. But that peace of mind of knowing that all pups have been born and at least in this regard no further complications can be expected is priceless. At this time of the whelping process when you are sleep deprived yet excited yet worried yet happy - you need peace of mind, more so than before. If a breeders does nothing else, the one thing I do recommend is the vet check including a post-whelp x-ray the day after the birth. For a newbie breeder going through all this for the first time I would recommend pre-whelps though if they feel they get something out of it. Simple reason - to build a base line needed for gaining experience. It has to come from somewhere, that is a good starting point. And then do post-whelp x-rays as well. Next time draw from that experience. With more routine comes the confidence to do without needless technology in future. Might take more than one litter... In general x-rays should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. Everyone needs to determine for themselves what absoltely necessary means.