My small dog is accidentally pregnant. Can she carry or terminate?

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This is a little bit of a predicament! I do share your concerns. While Millie may end up being just fine with this possible pregnancy, there would be concerns if she bred with such a big dog, and especially if she ends up with a small litter. Puppies tend to grow much bigger if there's only 1 or 2, and that coupled with the size difference could cause problems in Millie's labor. The safest option would be to have Millie spayed immediately, and that would remove all the variables of whether she'll end up with a dystocia (problems in labor) later on. This would be the safest option for Millie. If you do choose to let Millie proceed with this possible pregnancy, I definitely recommend touching base with your vet right away for guidance. I would absolutely recommend having Millie x-rayed later in her pregnancy so you know how many puppies you're anticipating (this helps us know when it's ok for her to be done delivering puppies, so we don't worry that there's still a puppy stuck in there!), and learn how to monitor her temperature to watch for the temperature drop that can signal impending labor. This will help you be on the lookout for the warning signs that her labor may not be progressing as it should, which could lead to a necessary C-section. I hope this helps, and feel free to request a consultation if you'd like to discuss this in more detail!

Hello, I’m not sure if there was supposed to be a photograph of the male dog attached to this post or not. If you have a large male who breeds with a small female, there is always a concern that she will not be able to have the puppies and will need a C-section. Any small female dog who is having puppies should have radiographs done after day 45 to see how many babies are expected. If you do not want her to have a litter, I recommend calling the veterinarian and discussing getting her spayed ASAP. Some dogs can have a shot to stop the pregnancy but there can be some serious side effects to that. Getting her spayed will eliminate an accidental pregnancy in the future. Getting her spayed also has other health benefits and is recommended for any dog not intended for breeding. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions!

Hello, depending on the laws and regulation in the U.K., you may elect to have Paris spayed which will terminate the pregnancy and make it so that she is unable become preganant again. There are medications that your veterinarian can use to terminate the pregnancy, but again, it is dependant on the laws and regulations in your country and wether these medications are available there. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Millie. If you know when she may have been bred, I would schedule an appointment with her veterinarian for 45-50 days after that date. At this stage of gestation, if she is pregnant, puppies will be visible on an x-ray. This will confirm the pregnancy as well as give you an idea of how many puppies she is expecting. This will be extremely helpful knowledge while she is in labor. You will know when she is done or if she is struggling, you know more puppies are coming and to seek help. In the meantime, feed her a high quality puppy food to supply her with extra calories and nutrition. I hope this information helps!

Hello. It may be quite dangerous to abort at this late stage of pregnancy. Plus, many veterinarians will ethically not be comfortable doing so. The safest thing is to allow Sammie to have her puppies & once weaned, consider having her spayed to prevent any further unwanted litters. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I would strongly suggest to keep her monitored during pregnancy as c-section may be needed to deliver the puppies. Radiographs at 40 days of pregnancy will be very useful to assess the size of the puppies and make sure they can be naturally delivered. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

If you don’t plan to breed her in the future then I would recommend spaying her as soon as possible. There are medications that can be given to abort the feti, but this can be very hard on the mama dog, and it is not 100% reliable. This is usually given under hospitalization observation. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.