# my 7 yr old pug is pregnant and possibly labor soon i need help please



## pattypat (Nov 26, 2011)

I have a pug she is 7 yrs old and I noticed her nipples were huge the other day as well as her stomach its a little tight and she can't jump on me like she used to. Like her front part is light but her bottom is heavy. And she has been slower lately. Today I noticed some white stuff that stained the bottom of her cage that was coming from under her is she going under labor soon is she gonna be alright I know she's gonna need to visit the vet I'm workin on that with getting some money together but if I don't have the money to take her will the possibilities of her survivng be slim please help additional information would be thankful

the dog she mixed with is a chiahuah


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## WheatenDaneMom (Nov 4, 2011)

Just a shame shame... Your pug is too old to be pregnant.

If you're just noticing that she's pregnant she probably has about a month to go... or at the very least a few weeks. In reality dogs have puppies all of the time... and none of them go to the vet... so yes, she will survive but she's going to need an extra hand from you. Birth is draining on a dog and you need to be there to assist her, see how long it takes to deliver, know for warning signs, hydrate her... you need to go online and read up on this because if there are complications, you could lose her.


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

> In reality dogs have puppies all of the time... and none of them go to the vet... so yes, she will survive


That's an optimistic viewpoint and an easy one when it's not your dog that's at risk.

Only a vet can determine if your pug is going to need to deliver by cesarean and how many puppies there are. By the time you find out on your own, it will be too late.


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## LoveCWCs (Oct 21, 2011)

First off, why you would leave a female unspayed that long is beyond me. I don't know of anything that's more unhealthy for a female dog then letting their uterus get hammered by hormones two or three times a year every year for all that time. 

While I know of bitches that have been six years old and whelped a healthy litter, those puppies were also purebred and of a size that the bitch was able to handle. 

If your poor dog was bred by a larger dog, then not only does she have her age going against her, but the size of the puppies alone could kill her. 

Please turn your dog into a shelter or a rescue if you cannot afford to provide the care she needs. A shelter may not be an ideal place for her to give birth, but at least she'd have a small amount of medical care, a shot at a better life, she'd be spayed after the birth, and her puppies would all likely find homes. 

In your care, her chances for survival are slim, as well as the survival of her pups.

I know someone in pug rescue who may be able to help. She might at least be able to point you in the right direction. I know this is a busy time of year for them, but it's worth a shot for the life of this dog.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Pugs frequently need c-sections. So if you can't afford to even get her to the vet, it would be a good idea to find a rescue who can help you with this. Call every animal group in the phone book, explain the situation, and see what they suggest. 

Do you have any idea when she was in heat, or when a male may possibly have been able to get to her?


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## Cheese (Feb 10, 2010)

Um...how is it unhealthy to leave a dog in their natural born state? I.e. unaltered?

It's perfectly fine for people to have unaltered pets. What is not fine is the people like the OP having intact pets. They're clearly not able to handle it. This dog needs to see a vet. It is a small breed dog and the father is unknown. If the father is a large breed dog, the pups may be too big to come out naturally, thus potentially killing the momma and her pups.

After the pups are born, this dog needs to be spayed ASAP. This person can't handle an intact dog. This is as irresponsible as irresponsible gets! This stuff makes me sick.


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## LoveCWCs (Oct 21, 2011)

Cheese- going into heat is very hard on a female dog's uterus. I explained why above. Feel free to look into this on your own, however. Male dogs left intact don't have go into heat and have much less risk of complications.

I personally believe that if a female is not being used for breeding, that she will have a much more healthy and normal life being a spayed pet. This is also what I've been taught by my mentor.


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## petpeeve (Jun 10, 2010)

LoveCWCs said:


> I don't know of anything that's more unhealthy for a female dog then letting their uterus get hammered by hormones (...)


I do. >>> letting their 7 yr old's uterus get hammered by an intact male.

I think the least of the OP's concerns is philosophy of spaying, at least at this late point in time. IMO it would be more prudent to deal with the problems presently at hand, ... inexperience, possible pregnancy, and lack of funds ... asap.

It seems the OP is not even sure if the dog is pregnant. To me, ascertaining THAT would be the place to start.


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

You NEED to get the dog seen by a vet. The vet will need to determine how many puppies there are, so if one is obstructed during labor it doesn't kill your female. And it isn't an easy death. Dying because a puppy is obstructing the birth canal is excruciating painful and will cause your dog to suffer. Because pugs have larger heads, they may need a Ceserean. Older dogs are more at risk of uterine ruptures and other problems. If you can't afford that, you need to try to get a rescue to take her or see if someone will adopt her that can afford vet care.

If you have to sell your TV, computer, get a loan on your car, borrow money from friends and family to pay the vet, do it. Or find a rescue for her. You are risking something very painful happening to your dog, and risking her life, by not having a vet check her, and be available if needed for whelping problems. Failure to provide vet care is considered prosecutable animal abuse/neglect in all states.

If you haven't applied for Care Credit yet, do so. www.carecredit.com


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## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

To the OP: Wishing you all good luck, I expect you are going to need it. In particular if this is this bitch's first litter, there is likely to be trouble on the horizon. Please speak to a vet about what to look for.

To those who feel that leaving bitches intact is bad for them:

From http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/mar10/100301g.asp



> New research on the biology of aging in dogs suggests a link between shortened life expectancy and ovary removal.
> 
> The study, published in the December 2009 issue of the journal Aging Cell, found that Rottweilers that were spayed after they were 6 years old were 4.6 times as likely to reach 13 years of age as were Rottweilers that were spayed at a younger age.
> 
> ...


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## Cheese (Feb 10, 2010)

Exactly. I never understand how a natural body process is "too hard" for a dog to handle. They're built for it! 

I'd like to know too...how a natural process such as going into heat is worse than a dog going under anesthesia, getting cut open and then having body parts and essential hormones removed. Spaying a dog won't kill it, but you're taking out a body part and the hormones produced by said body part. People tend to undermine that given the whole spay neuter movement. The hormones taken out do more than just make a dog go into heat.


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

Spay vs no spay is not the issue here and has been discussed elsewhere ad nausium.

The damage is already done. This pug needs to be seen by a vet. Anybody who believes that a 7-year-old pug giving birth to an unknown number of pups of an unknown size is a "natural body process" is a bigger optimist than I am. And that's saying a lot.


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## Cheese (Feb 10, 2010)

Nobody is saying that at all RonE.

EVERYBODY is saying this dog needs to see a vet as the birthing process may be fatal. And then once the pups are weaned, spay the dog. The OP can't handle an intact dog.

The natural process bit that was brought up was when someone mentioned that heat cycles were so tough on dogs that it would be cruel to leave them intact. A heat cycle is as natural as something can get. It's not cruel to leave a dog be as it was born.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

WheatenDaneMom said:


> Just a shame shame... Your pug is too old to be pregnant.
> 
> If you're just noticing that she's pregnant she probably has about a month to go... or at the very least a few weeks. In reality dogs have puppies all of the time... and none of them go to the vet... so yes, she will survive but she's going to need an extra hand from you. Birth is draining on a dog and you need to be there to assist her, see how long it takes to deliver, know for warning signs, hydrate her... you need to go online and read up on this because if there are complications, you could lose her.


Quite wrong, especailly with dog such as Pugs who usually need to deliver via C Section.

OP, get your dog to the vet, Pugs can rarely deliver naturally, so if she's in labor she needs to be monitored by a vet. If she's not too far along, you can spay/abort, it would be safer than delivery for a dog her age, if it's too late, she needs x rays to see how long she has and to schedule her delivery via C secition.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Cheese said:


> Um...how is it unhealthy to leave a dog in their natural born state? I.e. unaltered?
> 
> It's perfectly fine for people to have unaltered pets. What is not fine is the people like the OP having intact pets. They're clearly not able to handle it. This dog needs to see a vet. It is a small breed dog and the father is unknown. If the father is a large breed dog, the pups may be too big to come out naturally, thus potentially killing the momma and her pups.
> 
> After the pups are born, this dog needs to be spayed ASAP. This person can't handle an intact dog. This is as irresponsible as irresponsible gets! This stuff makes me sick.


Because with every heat after the first year or two you exponentially increase the chance of a deadly uterine infection in female dogs htat aren't being bred. It's god to allow afemale to remain unspayed until two years old if not breeding, but after that the girl should be spayed if she's not being bred.


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## WheatenDaneMom (Nov 4, 2011)

I'm not saying the dog isn't in danger... but in reality many dogs deliver without the use of vets. She asked if the dog could... yes, she can. Dogs who live on the streets, dogs in other countries all deliver without a vet's care... just like humans. I try to avoid giving my opinion when answering questions...

Do I think her dog should be pregnant? No. Do I think it's responsible that her 7 year old dog is pregnant and she has no idea about the other breed, when she was "raped"? No. And that is why I did suggest she go online and learn about what to expect... because she should learn what complications to look for in case there was an emergency so she wouldn't hesitate to bring her dog to the vet... ya know? 

I think it would be cheaper to have her dog spayed and abort the puppies than it would be to follow through with a responsible delivery.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

WheatenDaneMom said:


> I'm not saying the dog isn't in danger... but in reality many dogs deliver without the use of vets. She asked if the dog could... yes, she can. Dogs who live on the streets, dogs in other countries all deliver without a vet's care... just like humans. I try to avoid giving my opinion when answering questions...
> .


Not in the breed mentioned by the OP due to head size and shape most Pugs need C sections (just as would a Frenchie, Boston or English Bulldog). Advising anyone who hasn't delivered a litter to allow nature to take it's course is irresponsible.


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## Cheese (Feb 10, 2010)

I agree, pugs are not dogs just found in the streets. It's not because they're rare either...

Pugs are a breed known to commonly have issues with births.

As for the "it's bad to be intact" bit, I disagree. I think it's silly that because a dog can get an infection of a body part, that we should put them in surgery to remove it as a preventative measure. Why don't we just start removing other body parts they don't need as a way to prevent bad things from happening? Dogs can get cancerous growths on their legs...so let's remove one of them to lessen the odds. They don't need 2 eyes, so let's get 1 of those removed in case of glaucoma. Let's dock their tails to in case it gets caught in something. Floppy eared dogs are prone to hematomas, so let's cut the flaps off.

It's a silly excuse used to get people to spay their dogs.

But as for the OP's dog, again, this dog needs to get spayed.


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## Dezzoi (Sep 19, 2011)

Great...another dog that's pregnant. Just what we need.
I feel sorry for her...at age 7 and you're letting her get pregnant? You'll be lucky if she survives while birthing. Horrible. You better rush her straight to the vet ASAP.


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## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

First.....

This sounds like a case of irresponsibility from the get go.....

But...... Some of you are going off on some tangents of mis information.

There is NOTHING scientific that remotely suggests leaving a bitch intact is unhealthy for them. Conversely studies such as the one that Red posted, provide data otherwise.

Then.... Depending on the dog, there is nothing wrong with breeding a seven year old bitch. That is not that old in many breeds.


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## Jare (Aug 12, 2009)

JohnnyBandit said:


> First.....
> 
> This sounds like a case of irresponsibility from the get go.....
> 
> ...



The only risk I can think of is risk of pyometera, and risk of getting pregnant lol Nothing guaranteed though. If I wasn't annoyed by the bleeding and behavior I would probably leave a bitch intact.


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## The_Monstors (Oct 1, 2010)

You need vet care for her to guide her safely through this. Personally, for a pug that old, I would abort it if possible and much cheaper than raising up a litter of puppies. 

Like a few said, pugs have difficulty naturally birthing so planning a C section is usual. Also at her age she can have complications that a younger pup wouldn't at as much risk for and best to get a checkup to be able to build a plan. Some other breeds may be fine, but I don't take my chances with pugs. Known quite a few pugs with complications and they are a breed that is bred pretty young... I just think of my last pug that was 8 and she was a freaking arthritic grannie. I think it's safe to assume you know nothing about birthing and whelping and things can turn for the worse and you may not do the right things or know the signs of issues and can get her killed so best to have someone experienced do this. not alone- either a vet, a rescue volunteer or even someone who is a proper breeder if you happen to know someone. I think you should read up though so you can understand what your dog is going through but don't think you can do this yourself just because you read some stuff. 

I think it would be good to contact a rescue that can help place the puppies. If you choose to do it yourself, you should at least get them some basic vetting, screen the potential homes before 8 weeks so you have someone ready to take them. Don't expect to charge much and profit either- this is your mistake. I think what's fair is perhaps to ask a adopt fee to reimburse you for their vet checkups and vaccines.

After all this is said and done, look for a spay and neuter clinic. There are low cost places available and some vets will tack it into the whole packaged deal with the pregnancy. I normally reserves peoples right to not, however you exhibited that you are not careful and put yourself in this situation. A unfixed dog is a responsibility not everyone can handle. 

Obviously, I'm a pug person and I'm so sad to hear this. Hope you do right by your dog.


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## The_Monstors (Oct 1, 2010)

JohnnyBandit said:


> Then.... Depending on the dog, there is nothing wrong with breeding a seven year old bitch. That is not that old in many breeds.


You said with "many breeds". Pugs aren't one of them. They definitely are going into senior stage much earlier than other breeds I've owned. My last pug was about 8 and she was a creaky girl and she wasn't alone declining in that age range. They wouldn't be able to handle a pregnancy. Some days she could barely handle her own self up the stairs.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

WheatenDaneMom said:


> I'm not saying the dog isn't in danger... but in reality many dogs deliver without the use of vets. She asked if the dog could... yes, she can. Dogs who live on the streets, dogs in other countries all deliver without a vet's care... just like humans. I try to avoid giving my opinion when answering questions...


And a lot of those dogs die. Just like a number of those women die (In parts of Africa, its a rate of around 1 death per 100 live births). Countries with limited medical resources for humans end up with a very high mortality rate from childbirth. Just because its a "natural process" for a mammal doesn't mean that it is a safe process. 

In a dog breed that humans have cultivated to the point that it frequently needs medical intervention to give birth, to say that many dogs deliver just fine, it is like saying that a woman with a high risk pregnancy doesn't need to see a doctor because other women deliver just fine (of course, ignoring the ones who die from it)


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## Inga (Jun 16, 2007)

Anyone notice that the OP posted exactly ONE post and hasn't been back to respond? * IF* he/she has a Pug that is pregnant, I hope they are at the vet.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

I noticed Inga, yes, hopefully this poor dog is getting the proper medical attention.


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## R.Scott (Sep 18, 2011)

Epitome of irresponsibility. Why isn't your dog fixed? You are just contributing to the problem of overpopulated dogs...
Also.......wtf is a chiahuah? Do you mean CHIHUAHUA?


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

Once again . . .

Berating the OP for what's already been done, or not done, is pointless and is becoming tedious.

There are only so many ways you can say, "You're an irresponsible human being" and I think we've pretty much covered them.


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## Cheese (Feb 10, 2010)

So...what, we just let these people slide and just tell them...it's okay your dog is pregnant, just go to the vet and all will be well?

Sorry, but this crap is inexcusable. Sure, the deed is done, doesn't mean we just let the bad fly by without a mention. But we also offered advice and answered questions. It is not just bashing. There's info in there.

I just hate when people are so nonchalant about their dog getting pregnant. It's like...what the heck did you think was going to happen!?

But anyway...as others have pointed out...I wonder if it's a troll. One and done...suspicious.


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

Anybody else?

I sure hope not.


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