lovely girl whelped first litter out at 2 years old, 10 pups in 4 hours...it was so nice.

year later she required a C section for the number 3 pup that's head went back and blocked the cervix, 11 pups were born

year later we opted on a planned C section because she was due over Thanksgiving week end and there would be no doctors available if she needed help, 9 pups.

Now a year later and her last litter....should I try and let her go naturally or just do the planned C section? It would be nice to save the section money but definitely want to do what is best for her.

what would you do?
thanks

Section her. She's had four litters and three sections already. Wouldn't want to take any chances of a ruptured uterus.

Whoa - I would say thats a poor girl to be breed that many times in that soon of time period.. Poor thing.

first correction on second poster...she has only had one natural litter and 2 sections, repro vet said she looked great after last section.

now third poster.....
why would you think she has been bred to much?

-she was two with all her clearances before the first litter

-a heat was skipped in between each breeding,

t-his will be her 4th and final litter at age 6.

-we have kept pups out of each litter that are doing great in different fields of competition.


I was not asking if you think I abuse my dogs by breeding them I was asking about a medical issue.

To "Whoa" : She had her litter's each a year apart and this is her 4th and final litter...there is nothing wrong with this. It sounds like she has lovely, large litters. Stop being judgemental and answer the OP's question...unless you do not have anything intelligent to add and instead opt to attack?!

To the OP...I would probably section only because she has had two previous. Maybe consult with a repro vet for advice? I would worry about a rupture...though I know C-Sections are not without risk as well. Good luck in whatever you decide.

I am not attacking. I didnt read it as 2 litters plus todays. I read it as 3 litters plus today with no heats between. The poor girl has been under 2 C Sections already - I just wouldn't want to do that to my girl. I would go ahead and breed one of her kids instead. Thats all

I think I would go for the section. She is six and having her fourth litter. She may get tired. If she loses one pup in natural whelp - the c-section would almost pay for itself. JMO

My girl Charm had 4 litters (so sue me) - her last at 6 years of age. She also had 2 c-sections - the first and third litters, for reasons that wouldn't preclude her from free-whelping another litter. I let her whelp the last litter - she had 12 puppies - lost a few during the process, but she had no problems whelping. I'd say if the vet thought her uterus looked great, I'd let her try to whelp them.

Oh, and for all those out there being judgmental about numbers of litters, her daughter Piper (BISS CH. Gateway's Wet Your Whistle) was bred 5 times (no sections).

I guess I'm a little surprised how c-section is thrown around like it's a walk in the park. It's major surgery, with each and every pregnancy that should be taken into consideration before breeding her for a third or fourth time.

I dont worry as much about a C section now a days as I owuld have 15 years ago. It is really not considered a major surgery many vets can be in and out in 15-20 minutes.
Of course there is risk taken any time a dog is put under but the percentages have dropped significantly in the past years and even more if you use a knowledgeable competent repro vet.

Can't help but add this regarding how many litters she's had. (After all, there's a heat between each!) Did you know women who have more children live longer? More than 3 children = approximately 5 years longer than average. Do not know if this applies to dogs but if she's healthy and has great pups, why not?

as usual this thread had gotten away from the OP question and moved on to nastiness.

Why do people have to bash others about their practices.

All the OP wanted to know was would go natural or section again. The information was simple and acceptable in any dog club.

More dogs die during c-sections than die giving birth.

Since the original question was what's right for HER it most definitely is NOT a c section. It most certainly is major surgery even though the majority of breeders seem to think it's an easy surgery that requires only 15-20 min. So many things can go wrong including the loss of your girl, this procedure should be saved for the primary or secondary inertia it was intended-at least for our breed. To do a c section just to guarantee the survival of all the puppies is jeopardizing the life of the mother. There's no reason to believe this girl can't whelp her final litter without surgical assistance.

It makes you wonder if breeders who take surgery so lightly have ever given thought to what it would be like raising a litter of nine or ten puppies without the mother. Breeding should not be a priority if a c-section was involved, the mother should be the priority.

And that's exactly what it comes down to because the welfare of the mother is not a top priority....it's all about numbers and titles.

I would personally go natural. It's actually rare to rupture after a C-section; she'll have sudden, severe pain if uterus even begins to have too much stress and you'll have time to bring her in. Just be sure she has sufficient daily exercise - this makes labor problems much less likely. I'm sure of course you'll stay with her during labor. All the best whatever you decide.

thanks to all who helped with the original question.
she is due middle of next week, vet will be on call
so we will take it as it comes, of course I will be with her
and hope all works out well.

still not sure which way I will go but I have time to decide.
Will update you on our decision and outcome.

Just one person's opinion here, but there are quite a number of breeds out there that only do c-sections and no natural whelping. There's a # of factors that play into this equation as well. How far away are you from the vet? Is your vet on call or will you have to take her to the emergency clinic? Do you have someone there to assist you in the middle of the night? This isn't a black or white question and certainly not a yes or no answer. All I can say is, and this is my personal opinion, go with your gut! 99.9% of the time you'll make the right decision. If my bitch had a history of having whelping problems in the past I'd rather be at the vet's office under a controlled situation than at home by myself. Good Luck!

That's my feeling, too. The worst thing in the world for mother and pups is an emergency C-section with just you and a vet you've never seen before (who in this agricultural area could be a large animal specialist) to do the surgery, anesthesia, and work with the puppies. I've been there, and it's no fun. If I even suspect that I might be in that situation, I schedule a planned C-section during regular working hours with my trusted repro vet.

C-section, I would not think about it. Especially if it is her last litter, and it is a large one. Why risk it to have her bleed out from a ruptured uterus? Remember, that's what you are risking when breeding again after multiple c-sections. I think the benefits of a planned c-section over weight the risks of waiting and see what happens.
Good luck!