# How accurate are pregnancy scans?



## Dan79 (Feb 20, 2010)

My sisters pug has just been scanned and it showed a possible 7 puppies, I was just wondering how accurate these scans are? as I thought pugs had much smaller litters.
I used to breed shih Tzu's & Lhasa's but never got them scanned, I just waited it out.


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## luvmydogs (Dec 30, 2009)

I have not had ONE accurate one. And I've been to several vets and used a sheep scanner too.


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## Dan79 (Feb 20, 2010)

luvmydogs said:


> I have not had ONE accurate one. And I've been to several vets and used a sheep scanner too.


So the number of puppies could be anybody's guess? they apparently saw 4 on one side and 3 on the other but I've read that they can double count the puppies sometimes, so I guess apart from confirmation of pregnancy, there is no real point to scanning :skep:


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## labradrk (Dec 10, 2012)

Depends on the skill of the sonographer. If it is a regular vet that scanned her then I would take their opinion with a mighty pinch of salt. If on the other hand they saw a vet that specialized in sonography, then the odds of getting it accurate are much higher. I used to work quite closely with a referral sonographer who also did pregnancy scans and her accuracy was excellent.


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## Dan79 (Feb 20, 2010)

labradrk said:


> Depends on the skill of the sonographer. If it is a regular vet that scanned her then I would take their opinion with a mighty pinch of salt. If on the other hand they saw a vet that specialized in sonography, then the odds of getting it accurate are much higher. I used to work quite closely with a referral sonographer who also did pregnancy scans and her accuracy was excellent.


It wasn't a vet that performed the scan it was a mobile sonographer I think...I know they went out to the house so that's what I presume.
I know at 34 days the bitch does already look pregnant, her abdomen is already quite distended so I guessed she was going to have a larger litter than average, although I'm no expert where pugs are concerned...but as I will be the one assisting with the birth it would be nice to be prepared, I was much more relaxed with my own dogs but I know pug's are known for needing C-sections so I'd like to be prepared also.


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## rocco33 (Dec 27, 2009)

Fine for confirming pregnancy not so accurate regarding numbers. Don't forget that they can also absorb them still.



> I used to breed shih Tzu's & Lhasa's


Really, I thought you just had one accidental litter when your neighbour brought their westie round and mated with your shih Tzu?

Blimey - is this the pug you bought for your disabled nephew? Isn't she a bit young to be having a litter?


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## Dan79 (Feb 20, 2010)

excuse me? if my sister chooses to breed her pug, it's naff all to do with me, you or anyone else....and a for my nephews pug, they are 2 totally seperate dogs, so sorry to disappoint you


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

Depends on a) the individual pregnancy as some appear to go over or under "time" b) the individual who scans c) the time you scan 

Scanning is pretty good over 25 days or so but you might have to add up to 6 days more than this to get a good view


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## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

I make a point of never giving puppy numbers on scans, it's too unreliable because you can end up counting the same one twice.


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## muse08 (Dec 21, 2008)

The mobile Scanner tend to be much more accurate than the vets.Our vets scanned our firts bitch years ago at 35 days and he said 2 maybe a 3 pups but that he definately though there were not many, she ended up having six pups.Mobile scanner has done our bitches since and she has always been pretty good at predicting numbers.


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## dexter (Nov 29, 2008)

my sheep scanner lady has never let me down ., always accurate with number of pups too


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## SPS K9 Supplies Ltd (Feb 23, 2014)

Hi All,

We breed German Shepherds and use our vet for scanning our bitches. We have never had an accurate number of pups as the pups can be hiding behind each other or just missed by the vet. We use the scan which is done at 4 weeks, to confirm if the bitch is pregnant. We then can get all the whelping facilities ready and move her into it so she is comfortable with the surroundings. 

If you wanted an more accurate indication I would opt for an x-ray as this can see the spines of the pups. I haven't had this done as all I am interested in is if she is pregnant or not. 

With regard to not knowing if all pups have been born is a major issue for inexperienced breeders. If your bitch hasn't passed all the pups and you do not recognise this it could be a serious problem. If undelivered the pup would pass away inside and slowly rot causing major problems with the bitch. We have had a situation where we knew something wasn't right with a female and took her straight to the vets who did a caesarean and saved our female's life. 

Thought id share my opinion and experience.

Kind regards


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