Boston Terrier Secrets » Boston Terrier Pregnancy

The Pros And Cons Of Spaying Your Boston Terrier

Colleen — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:59:37 +0000

If you’re wondering whether or not you should have your Boston Terrier spayed, here are the pros and cons of the procedure:

The “Pros” Of Spaying Your Boston Terrier

No Pregnancy Scares!
Boston terriers often have a hard time giving birth naturally. You are putting their health in jeopardy, whenever they are bred. Breeding Boston terriers should be left to the pros.

Enjoy A Calmer and Cleaner Dog
The perks: your dog won’t attract male dogs anymore, you won’t have to deal with bloody discharge, and you will most like have a better relationship with your pup – since dogs that have been spayed are generally gentler and more affectionate.

Have a Healthier Boston Terrier
When your dog is spayed, her ovaries and uterus are removed which means you don’t have to worry about ovarian cysts, uterine infections, and cancer of the reproductive tract. Studies show that dogs that are spayed before puberty have a lower chance of developing breast cancer than unspayed dogs.

The “Cons” Of Spaying Your Boston Terrier

Sterilization
Your dog will no longer have the ability to become pregnant. If you wish to breed your dog, spaying should not be done.

May Cause Weight Gain
Unspayed dogs expend a lot of energy in search of a mate and reproducing. If this energy burden is taken away, your dog may eat the same amount but not burn off as many calories.

May Make Your Dog Less Active
Spayed dogs tend to be less active. If you don’t think you will do well with a sedentary dog, spaying may not be the best option.

Have you had your Boston terrier spayed? If you’ve experienced any of this first-hand, please leave a comment below — or head over to forum and start a discussion.

Plan For Your Dog’s Pregnancy

Colleen — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:34:43 +0000

On average, female dogs take about 62 days to gestate after being bred. Any time frame between 54-72 days is normal though. You have a long road ahead of you, so make sure you’re ready for this exciting journey.

The First Month

During the beginning stages of pregnancy there is not much for you to worry about!

Feed your dog her regular diet for the first month. IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not give your dog vitamins during this time. If your dog takes supplements during her pregnancy she may have problems extracting calcium from her bones after she gives birth. This will make her more susceptible to hypocalcemia. Hypocalcemia is the presence of low serum calcium levels in the blood and can result in muscular weakness and even seizures.

The Second Month

Start feeding your expecting mother a high-quality puppy food. Puppy food will provide her with the extra calories that she needs without providing excess supplementation.

About a week before her due date, you should start taking her temperature each day. If you don’t know how to take your dog’s temperature you should ask your vet to show you the correct procedure. The normal rectal temperature for dogs ranges from 100 to 102.5F.

About 24 hours prior to giving birth, your dog’s rectal temperature will drop a few degrees.

One to Two Weeks Before Delivery

You should start getting your supplies together! You’ll need to construct a “whelping station.” This should be an area where your new mom will deliver. She should be able to get in and out without letting her pups loose. Make sure you put the box in a quiet place that your dog feels comfortable.

Supplies you’ll need:

Plenty of clean towels
Sharp scissors (to cut the cords)
Dental floss (for tying off the cords)
Povidone iodine (for disinfecting the cord ends)

The Birthing Process

Be ready to get your hands dirty because whelping is messy!

The 3 Stages of Labor:

#1- Cervix is Dilating, Dog Experiences Some Uterine Contractions (this stage often goes unnoticed)

This stage lasts about 6-12 hours and your dog may experience some shivering, restlessness, panting, vomiting, and unwillingness to eat during this stage. If you notice this happening, you should encourage your dog to go to the whelping area.

#2- Active Labor

If your dog has more than one puppy, she will alternate between stages 2 and 3 in-between births. Dogs usually rest for about an hour in-between puppies.

It takes about 10-20 minutes to deliver the first puppy. If your dog is actively straining for more than an hour, you should call the vet because your dog is going to need some professional help getting those babies out.

Puppies are born either head first of breech (rear first). Both are normal and you should not be alarmed if you see a breech puppy.

Some dogs squat to have puppies and some lie down. Some dogs grunt and some will scream, just be flexible
on what your dog may need. Every dog is different!

Puppies are born with their amniotic sac intact. If the mom doesn’t attend to her pups within the first 2 minutes, you’ll need to intervene.

The membrane must be ruptured so the puppy can breathe. Use a child nasal aspirator to clear the fluid from the puppy’s mouth and rub near the umbilicus with a towel to stimulate respiration.

Then, take a piece of dental floss and tie off the cord about an inch from the puppy’s body. Take the scissors and cut it off, take the end of the cord and dip it in the povidone iodine to disinfect it.

If the mother wants to do all this herself− by no means should you stop her. Some dogs chew off their puppy’s cord themselves− there’s nothing wrong with this. Don’t let the mother eat the placenta though. Take it away from her, and she’ll never know the difference.

#3- Placenta Expulsion

Generally placenta expulsion occurs within 15 minutes from the time each puppy is delivered. Every puppy will have one placenta. You should count the numbers of placentas expelled to make sure that none of them are retained inside the mother.

The Puppies Are Here− What Now!

Make sure all the puppies get a chance to have their first meal. The first milk is rich with protective
antibodies that really help them to start off on the right foot. Mom is also going to need a light meal and potty break.

You should call your vet to let him know the results of the event. Your vet may suggest that you bring everyone in for a checkup to make sure everything is returning to normal!

For about 6-8 weeks, mom will be producing a reddish brown to bright green odorless discharge called lochia. No worries, this is normal and you should not be concerned about it. However, if your dog has a bright red bloody discharge, you should call your veterinarian right away.

Continue to take your dog’s temperature and inspect the mammary glands daily so that any uterine or mammary infection can be caught and treated early.

Your dog will need extra food now that she’s a momma and she’s lactating. She will need 3-4 times more food. Also, make sure the puppies are eating a high quality puppy food.

You can start supplementing the mother’s diet with calcium. You can get this from your vet or give her cottage cheese.

Also, make sure your dog has access to plenty of water, but not in the “whelping station,” you don’t want one of the puppies to drown.

Have fun with your new puppies- you certainly have your work cut out for you!

Boston Terrier Puppy Whelping

Colleen — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:56:01 +0000

It’s been confirmed by the vet; your Boston Terrier is pregnant! Now what? What should you expect?

Most dogs do fine without human intervention, however, some breeds are a little trickier. Boston Terriers often need to have Cesarean sections. You should consult with your vet on what is best for your Boston.

Guidelines For Natural Boston Terrier Whelping:

1) The expecting female should have a quiet place to have her puppies. Many times, your dog will find a place of her own, during the later stage of pregnancy. Let her pick the place!

2) Once she’s chosen her spot, you should put a barrier around the area so that when she has the puppies, you can contain them in a small area. You don’t want them wandering off by accident. Make sure the mother is able to get in and out of this “whelping area.”

3) Between 60-64 days, you should start checking her temperature in the morning and at night. Most dogs deliver during this time frame. Once her rectal temperature has dropped below 100 degrees Fahrenheit, you can expect her to deliver within 24 hours.

4) When your dog is close to giving birth you should leave her alone, and watch from a distance. Let nature do the work. Dogs need a calm, peaceful environment to give birth.

Cesarean Section

The three main reasons that Boston Terriers have trouble whelping their puppies naturally are:

1) Boston Terrier’s heads are much larger than the pelvis of the mother.
2) Uterine Inertia –This is when contractions aren’t hard enough.
3) Puppies get stuck sideways which causes a “logjam.”

Timing is absolutely crucial to planning a C-section. If the puppies are taken too soon, the mother can bleed to death or the puppies may be underdeveloped.

If you wait too long, the puppies may be “overly” ripe and they will begin to eliminate their sacks- which may cause infection and death. The puppies may grow too large and get stuck in the birth canal, which also causes death.

If you are planning on having a C-section for your Boston Terrier you should look for a vet that is experienced at doing C-sections on Boston Terriers or Bulldogs.

Not all vets have the expertise or knowledge of administering anesthesia to short-nosed breeds.

To see more pictures of a Boston Terrier c-section, click here.

To make a long story short, you should not breed your Boston Terrier, unless you are an experienced breeder. It can very risky, and very costly.

Is Your Puppy Eating Poop? Here’s Why …

Signs Your Boston Terrier Is Pregnant

Colleen — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:08:45 +0000

Is your pup preggars? If you think your dog could be pregnant, a simple trip to the vet should be able to confirm this for you. Contact me if you have any additional questions after reading this article!

4 Ways to detect if your Boston Terrier could be pregnant:

1. Ultrasound
You can start to detect a heartbeat around the 25th day from being bred. This test is not reliable for testing how many babies are in your pup’s belly!

2. Blood Test
The blood test will detect relaxin, a hormone that is produced in pregnant dogs but is not found in non-pregnant dogs. This test may be performed mid gestation, which occurs at around the same time that your veterinarian can palpate the fetuses.

3. Feeling the Dog’s Abdomen
Experienced veterinarians can determine if your dog is pregnant by simply feeling your dog’s abdomen during a certain a window of time—about 20-30 days after conception.

During this time period, there is uterine swelling around the placental sites that feels like firm and discrete lumps. Dogs that are very large or obese may be difficult to examine, however.

4. Taking X-Rays
Fetal skeletons can be seen at about 45 days of pregnancy. This test can’t be done until late in gestation, but it is nice to know how many little one’s you can expect.

If your Boston terrier is pregnant you will need to get planning! There’s tons of useful information to be found on this site, that can assist with making it through this exciting stage in your dog’s life. Plan For Your Dog’s Pregnancy, will list all the things you can expect your dog to go through the next few weeks!

Good luck to you and your Boston Terrier, there’s nothing cuter than puppies! Send me pictures of your Boston if you have a chance. Just upload pictures to the Introductions tab, in the top navigation bar.

Signs Your Boston Terrier is in Heat

Colleen — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:38:28 +0000

Prosestrus Stage (6-11 Days)

Vulvar swelling and bleeding (6-11 days)
Your dog will be attractive to males but not receptive to them
This phase is over when your pet becomes receptive to males and will stand to be bred

Estrus Stage (“Fertile” Phase – 5-9 days)

Discharge is straw-colored to light pink
Softer, yet still swollen vulva
This phase is over when your dog is no longer accepting of the male

Diestrus Stage (56-60 days)

A non-receptive time when the corpora lutea, which produce progesterone, are active on the ovary and anestrus.

Anestrus (variable time frame, several months long)

No ovarian activity.

Most dogs cycle about twice a year.

*This information came from the following website: http://www.pets.ca/articles/article-dogpregnant.htm