I have had two singletons, both delivered by C-section. One girl had been bred 3 times previously unsuccessfully. The other had had a litter of ten and then another of three, the last of which required a C- section to deliver a dead puppy. In both cases the uterus had cysts that limited the places an embryo could have implanted easily. The two bitches were not closely related. The singleton girl had three litters of normal size. The boy sired litters of normal size.
Flushing only works if your bitch is underfed and undernourished. My repro vet went to a theriogenologist meeting where someone presented research on flushing for canines; as long as your bitch has a commercially prepared diet flushing won't make a difference in conception rates.
Sometimes I just think it's the bitch. My bitch came from a litter of 8. I had her on a high protein diet when she came into season, did progesterone tests to pinpoint ovulation. First litter 2 puppies.
The next time I bred her I chose another stud dog (not that I am blaming the stud dog), same thing, high protein diet, protesterone tests. This stud owner used a different extender, one that I've also had success with. Second litter...1 puppy.
I believe something was going on with that bitch, either inside the uterus or she just didn't release a lot of eggs. Regardless, she was spayed and placed after the second litter.
I think sometimes its just genetics.
I find that us breeders always have find the reason for everything when sometimes there is no reason, it's just the way things are 😛
JMO
