Is my small dog at risk giving birth to large puppies? C-section?

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.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Achoos. Unfortunately, if the puppies are too large for her to safely deliver, then a C-section will be necessary again. She can have x-rays prior to delivery to determine if the puppies can fit through pelvis. There not medications that can be given safely during pregnancy to change the size of the puppies. You may consider spaying her in the future if she continues to have difficulties during labor and delivery. I hope this information helps!

No this isn’t entirely correct. She does however have a greater chance of needing a C-section if the puppies end up being bigger than her birth canal. Which is why it’s best to have her examined by your vet and radiographs taken to look at the size of the fetuses. If they are too big to pass, then a simple C-section can be scheduled for the Mama dog. I hope this helps. Best wishes and take care.

Dogs of her size can have issues with difficult births needing c-sections, eclampsia, puppies with low body fat and low blood sugars as well as other issues like liver shunts. I recommend having a veterinarian confirm that she is pregnant and if so follow the size of the puppies very closely to see if a csection will be needed.

Hello, it is difficult to predict wether or not she would need a c-section. Clues that would help determine if she may need a c-section include previous episodes of needing a c-section, being overweight, and having an abnormal external genitalia conformation. You could consult with a veterinary theriogenologist for a pre-breeding exam to determine if there are any abnormalities within her external genitalia or her overall health which would predispose her to complications with labor. In terms of litter size, she could have anywhere from 2-8 puppies if not more. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Both chihuahuas and pugs are high secton risks - your vet may be able to advise further depending on her frame and width of pelvis but if you do not wish to breed her aborting the litter or neutering may also be possibilities.

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!