rajacadoo Posted May 20, 2010 Share Posted May 20, 2010 I have tried to google this, but google isnt my friend today I was talking to the Frozen Puppies people about lots of stuff, and mentioned doing an U/S on my bitch, (which is booked in for next Monday ), a few weeks ago and they suggested having a prog test done at the same time, (providing she is in whelp, of course)... Apparently, according to this guy, bitches prog level at this stage should be at the level of ? to maintain the pregnancy. He said that bitches that reabsorb their pups, is often done because of the prog level dropping to a level where pregnancy isnt viable anymore. This was said during a long conversation, and until last week I had forgotten about it. I didnt ask any other details, at the time, and Im hoping someone can give me an idea on what 'magic number' I am wanting her to be, to maintain pregnancy ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peaceful Posted May 20, 2010 Share Posted May 20, 2010 (edited) We have never done a prog test on a pregnant bitch...I wouldn't want to stress her out. Ultrasound will tell you if she is in whelp or not. Edited May 20, 2010 by peaceful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icemist Posted May 20, 2010 Share Posted May 20, 2010 I have tried to google this, but google isnt my friend today I was talking to the Frozen Puppies people about lots of stuff, and mentioned doing an U/S on my bitch, (which is booked in for next Monday ), a few weeks ago and they suggested having a prog test done at the same time, (providing she is in whelp, of course)... Apparently, according to this guy, bitches prog level at this stage should be at the level of ? to maintain the pregnancy. He said that bitches that reabsorb their pups, is often done because of the prog level dropping to a level where pregnancy isnt viable anymore. This was said during a long conversation, and until last week I had forgotten about it. I didnt ask any other details, at the time, and Im hoping someone can give me an idea on what 'magic number' I am wanting her to be, to maintain pregnancy ??? Hi, I have just gone through this procedure with Frozen Semen with one of my bitches. I nearly lost the complete litter, and would have lost the last remaining pup if I did not have done the prog tests. The prog level of a pregnant bitch should stay around the level of 60 until they are ready to give birth. If it drops by half to around 30, your puppies are in trouble and there will be a strong chance at the puppies being absorbed. My bitch dropped to 20 and the vets were suprised the puppy was still alive, but we managed to keep the last remaining puppy inside her going until birth. She had to be put on micronized progestrone tablets (Which cost a fortune as they have to be made up by a chemist), and prog tested every 3 days as the dose of micro-prog needed to change with the prog results. Very expensive time. I have spoken to others and this seems to happen regualary with Frozen Semen inplants. Why? I am unsure. My puppy is now 6 weeks old, and is an absolute blessing. Yes, This was a very stressful time, for me and the bitch. But after going through this, my recommendation is once you have confirmed the pregnancy, get the prog test done, get it done regulary if you have fears. As with me, It could be the difference between get something puppies or getting nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tashnchief Posted May 21, 2010 Share Posted May 21, 2010 Has your bitch got a history of fertility issues or reabsorbing litters? You only really need to prog test if that is the case or you suspect she is reabsorbing other wise I wouldn't generally bother. Like Icemist I have just had a litter that was only viable due to progesterone supplementation however the bitch had previously reabsorbed 2 litters before heading down that road. This time we managed to foil any sign of her reabsorbing as we had started progesterone early she did still have 2 risky drops in her levels, in the end it was worth the nightmare and expense to have a litter of 4 from a female we thought may never give us anything. Icemist - I haven't ever heard the theory with frozen semen implant? Maybe, it has something to do with the psychological effects of insemination as opposed to a natural mating rather than the semen or implantation itself??????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aziah Posted May 21, 2010 Share Posted May 21, 2010 If there's no issue with fertility and she's previously maintained pregnancy (or if she's a maiden and her mother has had no issues) then it's not necessary. I had a bitch who aborted a litter of 2 with well over a week to go and after some research I requested she be prog tested weekly the next time I bred her...and so we did, levels dropped low enough in the coming weeks and we treated accordingly with prog injections. She delivered 8 healthy babies full term so it was a blessing for us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajacadoo Posted May 21, 2010 Author Share Posted May 21, 2010 Thanks everyone for your replies, I really appreciate it... Just to clarify, this is a maiden bitch, the mating was a natural, not AI. Her dam is carrying quite big litters to term, she is a wonderful free whelper, too . (Hope I havent jinxed myself there :D ). Icemist that is a very interesting example you gave with your bitch, especially to do with the bitches being AI'd possibly being a factor. Another thing for me to do some research on ;) ... Thanks for giving me the 'magical number' to keep an eye on. Im sure the Vet will know, but just in case... I really dont have anything that I im worried about, I guess Im just wanting to rule out all possible 'things' to do with losing the litter... I sometimes wonder if the more info you have, the more paranoid you become !!! tashnchief thanks for the story, glad that you also had a positive outcome, too. Aziah, I know its probably overkill, I just thought I would get it done, just to see. I guess if there is going to be a problem, I will be very glad I did. If there isnt an issue, then whats a few more dollars in the poor Vet's pocket :p ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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