My 8-year-old Jack Russell had puppies. Is she too old to breed again?

IT is not uncommon for older bitches that have not been neutered to go in pup - it is possible she was previously too dominant to accept mating by the local males and her social standing is different with the new male or she may have very irregular or infrequent heat cycles. Be sure to closely monitor her for any evidence of twitching, confusion or seizures over the next 3-4weeks as older nursing mothers are more prone to low blood sugar and low blood calcium levels. Start to feed the pups from 14days of age in order to reduce the burden on her energy reserves

Hi, I think 8 years old it's far too old for a dog to breed. If she should get pregnant she is at risk of complications during pregnancy and likelihood of having puppies with malformations. A bit like having a babies when you are in your seventies.

Hello. It is usually recommended to have your small breed puppies desexed at 6 months of age. This will ensure she is old enough to have fully developed organs to tolerate the medications and drugs, and also to ensure you desex before her first heat, which will help decrease her risk of cancers in the future. Make sure you are taking her to the vet for her vaccinations! Good luck with Roxy! Have fun with her.

Anecdotally speaking seven years seems a bit old to start a dog breeding. As they get older they tend to have problems such as difficult labor's, uterine infections as well as eclampsia. If you really want to breed your dog I recommend you discuss with your veterinarian risks specific to your dog as well as what male you would be breeding her to as that could affect her ability to have puppies naturally.

I would recommend mating anytime after 2 years of age and before the age of 6 in this breed. But even with that said you must consider Rosy's current health status to determine when she can truly stop breeding. So frequent health exams by the vet are important. Statistics show that a bitch's chances of getting pregnant drops significantly after the age of 6. Litter size is normally around 7 puppies in this breed. I hope this helps!

I would recommend not breeding her anymore and getting her spayed. It is possible that she is unable to get pregnant again. If you would like to know for sure I would take her to a veterinarian for bloodwork to check her hormone level. However with her getting older it might be time to retire her and stop trying to breed her.

I agree that spaying would be best - I typically don’t recommend breeding past the age of 5. It can be harder for an older first time mother to recover and the puppies can have more problems as well. The humping behavior is probably more about dominance than sexual in nature. As she ages she will be at increased risk for a uterine infection so spaying would be best.