# Steps to Take after Mating your Bitch



## Tanya1989

This is a thread to advise people who intend on ethically breeding their dog. It is not to be taken as bible, but purely as a GUIDE!
I should also draw your attention to http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-breeding/9237-thinking-about-breeding-your-bitch.html and the possibilities of using a mismate injection (Thread on Mismate Injections to follow)

Day 0- Day of mating.
Be prepared to hand over money (Cash).
Take KC Reg docs
Copy Of pedigree
Copy of health tests

Ring the vet to order in the Canine Herpes Vaccine for 10 days time

Day 2- Repeat mating if you did not have progesterone testing prior to mating. If you did have progesterone testing but a tie wasn't achieved, try again now.

Day 3- Bleeding may start again, if it stopped. Keep your eye out for the next few weeks for smelly discharge. She may have acquired an infection and requires veterinary attention.

Day 10- Canine herpes Vaccine.
Make sure the vet has enough in stock to cover both vaccines, one today and one on day 53.

Day 15- Stop looking for signs 
She may start to experience morning sickness but this is NOT a conclusive sign. Most dogs going through a phantom or false pregnancy also have this.

Day 28-32- The optimum time for scanning and palpation. Most accurate time for getting a head count.
Once you have confirmation of pregnancy you should change her onto a good quality puppy food. Do it over the period of a week to prevent the squits.She should be kept on this food until the puppies are about 12 weeks, or until she has put condition back on after the puppies leave for their home.

If your breed needs dew claw removal you should ring around for vets that do it. MANY VETS WON'T. Don't assume yours will.

Order all your whelping supplies and get the whelping box up to allow bitch to get used to it.

Day 35- You may start seeing signs of pregnancy, Nipples enlarging, sides thickening- but again often occur in phantoms too. 
Order Panacur 10% solution from hyperdrug.co.uk or most Manor Pharmacies stock it also. 
Panacur is the ONLY LICENSED WORMER FOR PREGNANT BITCHES. It works differently to other wormers. It is the ONLY wormer that prevent dormant larvae in the bitch transferring to puppies.

Continue with exercise but avoid hard exercise like agility.

Day 40- Begin worming with Panacur 10%. It should be done daily from day 40 to 2 days AFTER whelping

Day 53- Second Canine Herpes Vaccine

Day 56- You should be off work and with the bitch constantly now. You should also start taking temperature twice a day, 12 hours apart and keep a clear record.

Day 59- Temperature should be taken 4 times a day, 6 hours apart. The minute you notice a considerable drop in temperature (more than 0.5 C) the temp should be taken ever hour. Labour usually occurs within 24 hours.

*Day 63/ Day 0- (assuming text book bitch) The puppies are born*

Day 0-7 Weigh Daily and record clearly

Day 1- Vet to check puppies and mum to prevent retained placentas. Puppies checked for cleft palate etc

Day 2- Stop worming mum

Day 3- Dew claws should be removed if necessary.

Day 8-14- Weigh alternate Days

Day 14- Puppies should be wormed/ start worming course

Once eyes are open leave a small cup of water available for the puppies to explore and drink. Change frequently

This is when I register them with the Kennel Club

Day 18- Begin weaning if medium large or giant breed. Toys are slightly more complex and don't usually start for about another week.

Within 4 days of beginning weaning they ahould be on 5 or 6 meals a day, spread out evenly, but access to mums milk bar whenever.

Day 28- People can start to visit the puppies but be strict with cleaning and disinfecting the visitors

Move the whelping box and puppies to a higher traffic area of the house and begin to introduce them to noises like the washing machine, hoover etc.

Day 35- Worm again

Day 48- Permanent ID of puppies either microchip or tattoo

Last vet check to ensure puppies are healthy enough for rehoming.

Day 56- Worm again

Puppies can leave any day now  

There are bits I'm bound to have missed out. Please add to it x


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## archielee

Good post hun


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## Tanya1989

Thanks  add to it if you can think of anything


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## jardine

Excellent post tanya, this would have been brilliant when i bred my girl for the first time, im sure it will be very helpful to first time breeders.


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## Tanya1989

It seems that there are many who don't realise the amount of preparation is needed after mating the bitch.... never mind before lol. A little bit of education goes a long way


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## Sarahnorris

good post, will be very useful to alot of people!


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## colliemerles

very interesting reading, thank you for posting it.


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## Tanya1989

bumping for kiara


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## canuckjill

Hope you don't mind me making this a sticky Tanya...Jill


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## Tanya1989

No problem xxx


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## carebear

you should write a book, i would buy it. thanks very useful info. will defenatly be following step by step.


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## Nicky10

Great post Tanya very useful


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## Tanya1989

Thankyou ducky x


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## zacknzena

great thread tanya :thumbup:


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## Old Shep

Excellent post! I wish people realised how time consuming, stressful and costly breeding was before embarking on it.


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## RAINYBOW

I am not a breeder and have no intention of breeding but isn't there a danger that this could just act as a DIY "instruction manual" for any old T, D or Harry who wants to mate their bitch without the weight or balance of arguments against doing it at all ??

Would it not be more balanced to also give information on the mismate and some information about the dangers of mating and whelping your bitch if you are inexperienced ?? 

Generally when people come and ask questions about mating their bitches they do get a balanced response and they go away informed of the risks, i worry that this bypasses that opportunity to educate 

Just an observation


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## Nicky10

The thing is those people are generally going to continue with the pregnancy regardless and it's better to have the information there for them


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## NicoleW

I just have one problem.

You haven't penciled in when we can take an obscene amount of pictures and constant cuddles?


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## pearltheplank

> Once you have confirmation of pregnancy you should change her onto a good quality puppy food


Question please..............have seen this recommended a lot but what if you feed raw?


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## Nicky10

You can still raw feed her while she's pregnant a lot of breeders do. No idea about the specifics of it though


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## RAINYBOW

Nicky10 said:


> The thing is those people are generally going to continue with the pregnancy regardless and it's better to have the information there for them


I don't disagree with that however i was wondering if Tanya had considered maybe starting off with a brief sentence about the dangers of breeding from your bitch and how it is not recommended that anyone with no previous experience undertakes such a complex and potentially life treatening activity.

Then maybe a recommendation to seek advice from a vet regarding the options available (ie mismate etc as i for one never even knew they existed) if your bitch has been "caught" out.

There have been several people who have come on the forum who have been under the false illusion that it is in the dogs best interest to have a litter which is obviously not the case and they have succesfully been convinced otherwise. With this sticky they would get all the information they need without anyone having the opportunity to dispell those myths or give them the other side of the coin 

((BTW Tanya i am happy for my posts to be removed once you have considered the point i am making so as not to interfere with the sticky ))


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## Nicky10

That would certainly be a good thing how dangerous it can be for mum and pups, how much stress it is on you etc. Not sure some people would listen though it will never happen to them you see


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## RAINYBOW

Nicky10 said:


> That would certainly be a good thing how dangerous it can be for mum and pups, how much stress it is on you etc. Not sure some people would listen though it will never happen to them you see


I still think it's important to point out at every opportunity  This sticky will mostly be read by browsers who probably wont even join so i think its worth a mention


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## Tanya1989

I will add a bit to the top now.... thanks for the pointers though... tbh it's not something I hadn't considered that people might use it as a DIY... will make a reference to it.


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## RAINYBOW

Tanya1989 said:


> I will add a bit to the top now.... thanks for the pointers though... tbh it's not something I hadn't considered that people might use it as a DIY... will make a reference to it.


Thanks xxx


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## Blondie

Just thought I would add this to the thread, even though its about feeding etc, and not about the stuff previoulsy mentiond, like paperwork etc.

Here is some information for those of you who wish to try a more natural way of breeding and rearing dogs by feeding a raw diet. This is the method I follow.

Your bitch should be close to her ideal weight at the time of mating, she should also be gaining weight at this time. She should be on a 'rising plane of nutrition'. This will help her fertility immeasurably.
when you know your bitch is about 6 weeks away from coming in season, decrease her food slightly so she loses a little weight, so she is around 5% below her ideal weight by 3 weeks before coming in season. Now, 2-3 weeks before, increase her food again to her normal levels. Doing this will ensure she will be gaining weight at the time she ovulates and conceives. Her body will respond to this increase in nutrition with brilliant hormone production and a maximum number of healthy eggs shed and a maximum number will be fertilised.

Try and time it so at the time of mating, she is at her ideal weight - blooming with condition.

What you are doing here is telling her body that good times are coming and this is an excellent time to reproduce. 

When you temporarily increase her food, it should contain a greater amount of the nutrients essential for growth. That means extra protein, extra vitamins, extra essential fatty acids and extra minerals. In practical terms that means, more chicken wings, more liver, more eggs, more of the oils. Add extra supplements like kelp, Vitamin E, Multi vitamin B's and Vitamin C.

PLEASE NOTE - COD LIVER OIL SHOULD NOT BE FED DURING THE FIRST TWO THIRDS OF PREGNANCY. THE HIGH LEVELS OF VITAMIN A CAN BE DANGEROUS TO FOETAL HEALTH IN THAT PERIOD.

To ensure that the optimum numbers of pups are retained by her uterus, keep that high plane of nutrition going for seven to ten days after mating, tapering it off gently, so that at 14 days after mating, she has returned to her normal diet. Normal both in quantity and quality. You do NOT need to overfeed your bitch in the first thrid if preganancy, the puppies are not growing much during this period and it is important that you do not get mom too fat! The only thing I would stress at this time, is to keep up with the kelp, Vit E, Vit B Complex and Vit C. Vit C has been found to aid in an easy delivery.

It is usual to feed more food during the last half of pregnancy. Its a matter of gradually feeding more food to keep up with her increasing weight. Particularly during the last third of pregnancy. It is during the last third that the pups do most of their growing. As a general rule of thumb, you would increase the food by 5-10% each week, beggining at week 6 so that by week 8 she is having up to one and a quarter to one and a half times what she had in early pregnancy.

Over the last 3-4 weeks, gradually reduce meal size and increase meal frequency so that by week 8 she is having 3-4 meals a day, with each meal being about half to a third the size what it was when you were feeding her once a day normally.

One of the biggest mistakes made by breeders is to feed extra calcium the bitches. DO NOT DO THIS!! Instead of preventing problems you are more likely to create them. It has been observed that pregnant bitches in the wild, towards the end of pregnancy, choose to eat more of the organ meats rather than bones. they eat concentrated foods rich in essential fatty acids, proteins and vitamins. Foods that are LOW in calcium, like heart, liver, kidney, brains and so on. Once they have given birth, these moms add bone eating to their menu once again.

The thinking behind feeding extra calcium to the diet is that it will prevent eclampsia, however, you are more likely to cause eclampsia rather than prevent it! In addition, the extra calcium can cause tissue calcification and other birhth defects in pups.

During week 9 the pups do not grow much in weight but they do a lot of finishing or developing type growth. As your bitch comes closer to whelping, gradually reduce the total amount of food fed, so that a couple of days before she is due to give birth, she is receiving about half of that increased amount you were feeding during week 8. If you are feeding supplements, now is the time to reduce and stop these too, so by the due date she is no longer receiving any supplements.

Do not be surprised if your bitch goes off her food completely about 12 hours before giving birth, there is no hard and fast rule to this though, so bitches do and some dont! When the bitch is ready to give birth, she completely stops her production of progesterone. This initiates the birth process. It is this which causes the temporary drop in body temperature from its normal 38.5 degrees Celcuis to around 37 degrees for a few hours. This occurs approximately 8-12 hours before she whelps.


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## Sparkle

Ceearott said:


> Just thought I would add this to the thread, even though its about feeding etc, and not about the stuff previoulsy mentiond, like paperwork etc.
> 
> Here is some information for those of you who wish to try a more natural way of breeding and rearing dogs by feeding a raw diet. This is the method I follow.
> 
> Your bitch should be close to her ideal weight at the time of mating, she should also be gaining weight at this time. She should be on a 'rising plane of nutrition'. This will help her fertility immeasurably.
> when you know your bitch is about 6 weeks away from coming in season, decrease her food slightly so she loses a little weight, so she is around 5% below her ideal weight by 3 weeks before coming in season. Now, 2-3 weeks before, increase her food again to her normal levels. Doing this will ensure she will be gaining weight at the time she ovulates and conceives. Her body will respond to this increase in nutrition with brilliant hormone production and a maximum number of healthy eggs shed and a maximum number will be fertilised.
> 
> Try and time it so at the time of mating, she is at her ideal weight - blooming with condition.
> 
> What you are doing here is telling her body that good times are coming and this is an excellent time to reproduce.
> 
> When you temporarily increase her food, it should contain a greater amount of the nutrients essential for growth. That means extra protein, extra vitamins, extra essential fatty acids and extra minerals. In practical terms that means, more chicken wings, more liver, more eggs, more of the oils. Add extra supplements like kelp, Vitamin E, Multi vitamin B's and Vitamin C.
> 
> PLEASE NOTE - COD LIVER OIL SHOULD NOT BE FED DURING THE FIRST TWO THIRDS OF PREGNANCY. THE HIGH LEVELS OF VITAMIN A CAN BE DANGEROUS TO FOETAL HEALTH IN THAT PERIOD.
> 
> To ensure that the optimum numbers of pups are retained by her uterus, keep that high plane of nutrition going for seven to ten days after mating, tapering it off gently, so that at 14 days after mating, she has returned to her normal diet. Normal both in quantity and quality. You do NOT need to overfeed your bitch in the first thrid if preganancy, the puppies are not growing much during this period and it is important that you do not get mom too fat! The only thing I would stress at this time, is to keep up with the kelp, Vit E, Vit B Complex and Vit C. Vit C has been found to aid in an easy delivery.
> 
> It is usual to feed more food during the last half of pregnancy. Its a matter of gradually feeding more food to keep up with her increasing weight. Particularly during the last third of pregnancy. It is during the last third that the pups do most of their growing. As a general rule of thumb, you would increase the food by 5-10% each week, beggining at week 6 so that by week 8 she is having up to one and a quarter to one and a half times what she had in early pregnancy.
> 
> Over the last 3-4 weeks, gradually reduce meal size and increase meal frequency so that by week 8 she is having 3-4 meals a day, with each meal being about half to a third the size what it was when you were feeding her once a day normally.
> 
> One of the biggest mistakes made by breeders is to feed extra calcium the bitches. DO NOT DO THIS!! Instead of preventing problems you are more likely to create them. It has been observed that pregnant bitches in the wild, towards the end of pregnancy, choose to eat more of the organ meats rather than bones. they eat concentrated foods rich in essential fatty acids, proteins and vitamins. Foods that are LOW in calcium, like heart, liver, kidney, brains and so on. Once they have given birth, these moms add bone eating to their menu once again.
> 
> The thinking behind feeding extra calcium to the diet is that it will prevent eclampsia, however, you are more likely to cause eclampsia rather than prevent it! In addition, the extra calcium can cause tissue calcification and other birhth defects in pups.
> 
> During week 9 the pups do not grow much in weight but they do a lot of finishing or developing type growth. As your bitch comes closer to whelping, gradually reduce the total amount of food fed, so that a couple of days before she is due to give birth, she is receiving about half of that increased amount you were feeding during week 8. If you are feeding supplements, now is the time to reduce and stop these too, so by the due date she is no longer receiving any supplements.
> 
> Do not be surprised if your bitch goes off her food completely about 12 hours before giving birth, there is no hard and fast rule to this though, so bitches do and some dont! When the bitch is ready to give birth, she completely stops her production of progesterone. This initiates the birth process. It is this which causes the temporary drop in body temperature from its normal 38.5 degrees Celcuis to around 37 degrees for a few hours. This occurs approximately 8-12 hours before she whelps.


This is what we are going to follow!! Good ol billinghurst


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## luvmydogs

To be honest I have never given the canine herpes injection. How common is canine herpes?


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## bellababy

Breeding my 2 dogs this weekend, needed a bit of a re-cap and this was brilliant! Thankyou very much! xx


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## Sky Blue Cavaliers

Thank you for this post Tanya, I am going to breed my bitch for the first time this year and I'm vcompletely new to breeding dogs! I am both excited and scared


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## Saffy Hunter

Brilliant, Tanya. A year ago I was asking advice from the forum on what book to buy as I was forward planning to mate my little bitch this spring. I was recommended "the book of the bitch" like your post it is well worth reading. Its now my bedtime reading and always at hand. Our little girl was mated on 5th & 6th April (after progesterone tests and been told by our vet to have 2 matings in 24 hours) We are waiting for the first signs of pregnancy- your comment "stop looking" made me laugh as thats exactly what we're all doing. 
Saffy's mum.


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## Doguiesrus

Hi can any of you guys offer any advice. I have bred before but this is the first litter from my girl and she if she is would be around 30 days pregnant. Scan on monday. Anyway today she had a tiny amount of fluid not thr clear mucas litterally a few drop of like water when she jumps up and down. As i say i havnt had pregnancy confirmed yet but she is looking that way nipples etc. Just wondered if anyone could offer any advice? Thanks


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## jussy

Doguiesrus said:


> Hi can any of you guys offer any advice. I have bred before but this is the first litter from my girl and she if she is would be around 30 days pregnant. Scan on monday. Anyway today she had a tiny amount of fluid not thr clear mucas litterally a few drop of like water when she jumps up and down. As i say i havnt had pregnancy confirmed yet but she is looking that way nipples etc. Just wondered if anyone could offer any advice? Thanks


My vet told me clear mucas is perfectly normal at about four weeks. Good luck with your scan.


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## maisies mum

really good useful advice thanks


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## Natural Health Vet

I am a practicing vet and have been a dog breeder for many years. I have written many articles about dog breeding and would be more than happy to help.

Please contact me if you want to ask a question please contact me on A Vets guide to natural health « Natural Health Vet


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## Natural Health Vet

Hi

I am a vet and dog breeder. I have written quite an extensive blog on this Please follow the attached link here and it will connect you to the article on hubpages.

You can also ask me questions at A Vets guide to natural health « Natural Health Vet if you prefer.

Thanks

Paul


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## Hopper

Very good info you are spot on sir!


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## vdtsultrasound

Veterinary Diagnostic Training Solutions (VDTS) provide complete ultrasound solutions for veterinarians and breeders throughout the UK.

You can train in ultrasound and learn how to diagnose pregnancy, determine due dates, detect abdominal abnormalities, scan for pyometra and identify organs

We are holding a training event in March in which you can train for just £149! Ultrasound packages - Training + Machine = £999!!

Lowest prices in the UK!

[email protected] - 0203 287 6592
www.vdtsultrasound.co.uk - Twitter: @vdtsultrasound - Facebook.com/vdtsultrasound


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## luvmydogs

vdtsultrasound said:


> We are holding a training event in March in which you can train for just £149! Ultrasound packages - Training + Machine = £999!!


Where is the training held?


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## Kinks

Thanks very much for this post, it is a great help !!


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## kimjenkinsmustbemad

thank u brill post deffo will be a big help to me and my hubby


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## peterscot423

Its knowledge full post thanks for it


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## vetimagesolutions

A word of warning to anyone taking note of that post about ultrasound training - VDTS is run by a 20 year old from Lewisham, named Kirkman Baptiste. He was arrested last year after stealing several thousands of pounds of ultrasound equipment (amongst other offenses I could mention, but I'll stay on topic).

I very much doubt he's ever run a training course, but what I do know for sure is that no ultrasound manufacturer nor sonographer will work with him or his "company." This is because he is now a known criminal in the industry, and the fact that he has no experience with ultrasound or medical equipment at all. To him, it's just another opportunity to talk people into handing over their money.

If you look him up, you will see he has a number of other companies also formed under his name (including a home improvements company!).

I'd rather not get involved in public mud-slinging - it's frightening enough that this individual is constantly watching our company and trying to contact our staff - however, I can't bear the thought that another person could read that post and get scammed, and I could have said something to prevent it.

There are plenty of veterinary ultrasound companies out there with years of experience and references behind them, who work with vet practices, universities and government research institutions across the UK and the world. You can attend cost-effective ultrasound training for dog breeders, which is actually taught by professionals and backed by an entire community of dog breeders, who will give you a lifetime of support.

Support for dog breeders wanting to get into ultrasound has never been better. It's never been more cost-effective, either. There's simply no need to take a risk with your reputation, dog's health, or livelihood - ever.

P.S. Anybody wishing to substantiate anything I have said, or anybody who has dealt with this person and needs help, is welcome to contact me on 0208 432 9802 and I can provide you with the appropriate person to contact within the Met Police who has been dealing with this case.


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