Is it okay to x-ray a bitch a day or two before she whelps for a puppy count?

Yes, I usually like to do it earlier, but a day or two before is still OK.

Yes.

I do not. a Day or 2 before she whelps is not always accurate and I personally do not want to stress her out or the puppies rolling her on the x ray table or making her uncomfortable. They are already uncomfortable enough at that point. I xray 6/7 days prior to whelp. I think it's from a bad experience numerous years ago when a bitch stressed and pups were born earlier then would have been otherwise. It was obvious stress. JMO based on what happened to me.

You can't change how many pups she's going to have so why xray? Xrays aren't good unless they are really needed and it does stress the dog out having it done.
Aloha,
Jackie

I would never whelp without doing an x ray.. JMO and there's no right/wrong, just what each is comfortable with.

Its always good to be Safe with an xray either a week before or after whelping nothing wrong with it

Having lost puppies when I thought a girl was finished whelping- and she wasn't- I always X-ray. But like the others, I do it earlier- 5-7 days before whelping. I think I would risk it if your girl is not an excitable type. If she's already kind of freaked out about the situation, maybe the risk of losing puppies is greater with the X-ray than without.

Another time that the X-ray was useful is when a girl with 12 pups needed a C-section. The repro vet knew there was a larger than normal litter and assembled extra people to handle the puppies until they came out from under the anestesia. With a large litter like that, the last ones out are often hard to get started breathing.

Yes, it is fine. May not give you an exact count but you will know for sure if you have a regular size litter or two or three really large pups. Better to know.

Every time I have x-rayed my vet has been off (short) by one. Why submit those babies and Mama to radiation and going to the vet office and being rolled on her back on a table? You will know soon enough how many there are. X-ray if you think there is a retained pup when it looks like whelping is over.

7 days down to shortly before whelping is okay, I do the 5 to 7 days also and I do both. Before and after. If you don't xray prior and wait until you think she's done many hours later that retained pup or pups may not come out alive and usually won't. Possibly in for a section for 1 or 2 not alive when it can be avoided? I don't agree, I'm sorry.

I always xray to count so I know how many to expect,so if something were to happen I would know how many puppies are left , or in the case of one of my girls if she needs a c section, any less than 4 on her and in she goes because she tends to have rather large puppies. Her 1st litter she had one male taking up her whole side(I saw him on the xray at the emergency clinic),we lost him and when we buried him my husband wanted to know when we lost a 2 week old puppy??? I had to remind him he never made it from birth, but it goes to show you how it could have made all the difference if when we did the first xray I had seen it and saw how large he was I wouldn't have taken the chance to let her go naturally. Her 2nd litter had 2 and we c sectioned as well but lost the 1st puppy as my girl snuck into labor,and though it only takes me 10 minutes to get to the vets and 10 more to get her on the table and under it was still long enough to lose a puppy.

This post was not by me.

There is no way you can predict if the bitch will whelp all the pups that are in there even if you xray, many factors go into them not being able to free whelp a litter so no xray is going to help. I will take my girls in after I think they are done to get a PIT shot and have the vet examine them to make sure there are no more pups and if they decide to do an xray at that time that is up to the vet if he thinks it's needed. As they say if it aint broke don't fix it.
Aloha,
Jackie

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Replying to:

7 days down to shortly before whelping is okay, I do the 5 to 7 days also and I do both. Before and after. If you don't xray prior and wait until you think she's done many hours later that retained pup or pups may not come out alive and usually won't. Possibly in for a section for 1 or 2 not alive when it can be avoided? I don't agree, I'm sorry.

I do x-rays, usually around 59 days. All I am looking for is the number of puppies. It works for me, since my vet is very good at counting puppies. She always says there could be one more if two pups from opposite sides are exactly lined up so that two skulls appear as one. I know of others whose vets don't have the knack. I have not noticed any stress to the moms from being x-rayed.

I would never NOT do an x ray. Understand x rays are not exact but it certainly gives us an idea of what to expect and as many have said, also gives us a heads up to other issues. I also agree 100% at the end of whelp, if you are not sure she's clean, do an after birth x ray as anything left can become toxic and that's a problem. 5-7 days prior to whelp works best for me.

X-ray day 58, administer PIT if needed, then go back to the vet for a final x-ray to be sure whelping is finished.