self whelp question

leesylou

New member
Feb 18, 2014
4
0
Country
england
Bulldog(s) Names
minnie
hi, my girl is on day 50 in her pregnancy. I had her scanned at 35 days and the scanner said to expect 3/4 puppies. my question is would people say that the smaller the litter size the less chance of a self whelp as the puppies may be bigger and harder to pass compared to a large litter where the puppies could be possibly smaller in that case? is that how it usually works? I guess my query came from hearing of singletons that were hard to pass as they were huge.. so im wondering if the same applies if its a small litter. thanks for reading :)
 

Manydogs

Well-known member
Community Veteran
May 2, 2013
13,637
2,025
Tennessee
Country
U.S.A.
Bulldog(s) Names
Maudee,MarthaKatie,Lizzie,Bro.Mini
I am not a breeder, but even large litters are delivered by C section. The pups head sizes also have to due with delivery problems,as they have larger/wider heads than most other breeds. It is a danger to try and let them deliver naturally.
 

dozersmama

Supreme Overlord of Awesomeness
Community Veteran
Dec 31, 2010
1,465
120
Illinois
Bulldog(s) Names
???
I'm not a breeder either but it isn't just large heads that cause a problem it is the narrow pelvis / birth canal. I have knoq a few bulldogs who free whelp but their owners always did this at a vets office because the risk of complications is very high. And so unfortunately is tge risk of losing not just one pup but an entire litter and the dame. If you really want to try this and haven't before, ask your vet if she can whelp at his office under supervision .
I'm going to tag a few experienced breeders to get you some more advice
[MENTION=2071]Davidh[/MENTION] [MENTION=2]desertskybulldogs[/MENTION]
 
OP
L

leesylou

New member
Feb 18, 2014
4
0
Country
england
Bulldog(s) Names
minnie
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #4
thanks, im planning on a c section but iv also heard a lot of people recommending that you let the bitch try first. so I was wondering if there was any pros/cons regarding the litter sizes when it comes to self whelping. cheers
 
OP
L

leesylou

New member
Feb 18, 2014
4
0
Country
england
Bulldog(s) Names
minnie
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #5
if I was to try the self whelp option then I will ask the vet if I can do this at his surgery thanks :)
 

Davidh

Head Pooper Scooper
Staff member
Mar 21, 2011
13,407
848
Katy, Texas
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
BeBe, Hazel, Lucy Lu, JLO, Hillary, Henri, & Katie
DO NOT self whelp, period. Large or small litters need to be taken by C-section. It's not worth the chance to lose mama and pups. If people can't afford or don't want to have them by C-section to save money, then they don't need to be breeding.
 

jimmyjj

agingermom's minion and cabana boy
Community Veteran
Sep 16, 2012
2,706
169
A Scottish guy living in England
Country
Scotland .
Bulldog(s) Names
diesel - paisley & nula
DO NOT self whelp, period. Large or small litters need to be taken by C-section. It's not worth the chance to lose mama and pups. If people can't afford or don't want to have them by C-section to save money, then they don't need to be breeding.

Couldn't have said it better..... Safety at all cost, you could end up loosing the bitch which would be heartbreaking


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

RiiSi

Well-known member
Community Veteran
Sep 30, 2011
5,014
535
Sysmä
Country
Finland
Bulldog(s) Names
Taisto, Kylli, Salli, Angel-Usko and Angel-Voitto
I'm not a breeder eather, but in my opinion it's wise letting the bitch try first, brave as well. A lot of breeders opt to C-section, cause they're afraid that something could go wrong. Unfortunately C-section also has a lot of risks. My younger pup was self whelped and many breeders in here are beginning to do so. Also a bitch that isn't able to whelp naturally isn't used for breeding again.
 

dozersmama

Supreme Overlord of Awesomeness
Community Veteran
Dec 31, 2010
1,465
120
Illinois
Bulldog(s) Names
???
[MENTION=2071]Davidh[/MENTION] have you encountered anyone who is trying to breed towards free whelping? I know a couple of breeders in my area that are trying to breed for this which I think sort of contradicts the breed standard but I'm not terribly informed. On the one hand I feel like dogs really should be able to reproduce without serious medical intervention on the other I can see how this speel trouble for the bulldog breed in general. What are your thoughts about it?
 
OP
L

leesylou

New member
Feb 18, 2014
4
0
Country
england
Bulldog(s) Names
minnie
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #10
I would never allow my girl to self whelp at home. I would only let her attempt this once the vet has done the relevant checks and predicted this may be possible, and even then I would let her try self whelp under the vets supervision. my opinion on the self whelp subject is that these dogs must have self whelped with few issues at some point in time as otherwise how did they reproduce to keep there existence??
 

Davidh

Head Pooper Scooper
Staff member
Mar 21, 2011
13,407
848
Katy, Texas
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
BeBe, Hazel, Lucy Lu, JLO, Hillary, Henri, & Katie
[MENTION=1665]dozersmama[/MENTION] none of the breeders I know would ever consider natural whelping. To us it's not worth losing the pups or the dam. I you have a good bully vet who knows what he is doing and uses Isoflurane for the anaesthesia, there usually isn't a problem. You always take a risk breeding anyway, and anything can go wrong whether you go natural or C-section, but we will not take the change with a nature whelping.
[h=5][/h]
 

karenben

New member
Apr 18, 2011
1,056
88
uk
Bulldog(s) Names
Hilda
A lot of breeders here in the uk are now leaning toward self whelping thanks to the success of hillside bulldogs who always let their females self whelp,as long as your vet knows there may be a chance he will be called if she gets into difficulty then I think nature should be allowed to take it's course ,good luck with your girl
 

xxaprilrose

New member
Community Veteran
Jan 22, 2014
905
40
NY
Country
United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Jovi
I know my jovi came from a litter of 12!! yes, 12. and the mother actually did it naturally. So when my breeder told me this the day I picked up my jovi was shocked. and relieved they all came out healthy. Me being me, I would never let a bulldog do that on her own. I guess my breeder just got lucky. But i would suggest yes at a vets office and by c-section. Yes it will cost more but its totally worth it than risking the health of the momma and the pups.
 

Most Reactions

📰 Latest posts

Members online

No members online now.
Top