I entered three dogs in an upcoming show. My delema is that if I bring them they could be exposed to something at the show and bring it home. I have two bitches at home who are pregnant. One is due in a couple weeks. I have no way to separate the dogs that gomtomthe show from the pregnant girls enough to feel that the pregnant girls would not potentally be exposed to something.
I want to go but really feel that staying home is the right answer. I guess I am looking for someone to make me feel better.
It is hard sometimes to do the right thing. So ......... Stay home right ?
I am neurotic.... None of my Labs go to shows, pet stores, etc for a month prior to the breeding until the pups go to their homes... I Lysol shoes when we get home if we go to pet stores etc.... And if I am working with or interacting with dogs I don't know well, I wash up and change clothes when I come home... Trouble will find you without an invitation... Looking for someone to say stay home... I can do that! : ) Stay home... there are always other shows... Healthy puppies and momma dogs need us to keep them that way.
I brought pregnant bitches to shows before and never had a problem, but I did know there is a risk. But, there are risks with lots of things. I often see pregnant girls at shows. They look so great! A pregnant girl won the National a few years back, and she was gorgeous!
I do a herpes titer on my bitches right before they are bred. If it comes back positive, meaning they have been exposed and have the antibodies to pass on to the puppies then I will go to shows with my other dogs up until the last 2 or 3 weeks before the bitch is due. If the titer comes back negative then no one leaves my property until the puppies are out of the danger period. Though I did bring a bred bitch to a show once early on in her pregnancy, it is not something I would usually do. But I do not think bitches in whelp need to be kept in a bubble either.
My girls tend to go with me in my work (ag industry) so not like they are around alot of other dogs, but they ARE out there. Walking, with me, etc. I took my most recent mom to a field training day just 5 days before she whelped. Sure there are risks, but not like she was close to a lot of other dogs there either as she was just out to potty etc. Better w/ me than home in the kennel for 10 hrs, in that case. And I never keep my girls separated anyhow so what one may bring home, is probably going to be passed around. I however am pretty careful about what I enter and when. I am entered w/ 2 in a hunt test this weekend -- pups will be 4+ wks old. we still take off property walks too though, so this won't be a lot different than that, imo. There is not a lot of dog to dog contact at a hunt test, unlike a dog show where saliva could be spread from mouth to mouth while judges are checking bites, etc.
