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Absorbing Puppys Why Does This Happen


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I have had this happen to me in the past with different bitches, it is heartbreaking especially when no one can give any answers

so I would be interested also in any thoughts anyone may have...

Will also add my girls progesterone levels did not drop at all so this wasn't their problem..

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Progesterone levels are wrong

Infection (doesn't even have to be very serious)

Something wrong with a couple of the pups, start to reabsorb them then the system doesn't stop and takes the whole lot

Stress on the bitch - even something apparently non-threatening can stress out a bitch at this time

SOME would say the ultrasound itself could be a cause.

Edited by Sandra777
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Sorry about your girl!

Is she a maiden?

Maybe she had a low grade infection or possibly something genetic are a couple of things that spring to mind. Hard to know for sure why puppies die and are then absorbed. In my girl's first litter she had 6 puppies implant with 2 dead and 4 live at 4 week scan. She went on to whelp the 4 pups.

Better luck next season.

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Here's a vet's answer . . . from http://www.vetinfo.com/dfetsorb.html

When I palpate bitches I suspect that the most common cause of suspected fetal resorption is imaginary fetuses in the first place! Some people are better at this than I am, though. Fetuses will normally only be resorbed if they die during the first 1/2 of the pregnancy. It is possible for a bitch to resorb only some fetuses while others go on to be born.

The most common causes of fetal resorption are inadequate progesterone levels in the bitch, maternal infectious disease (such as brucellosis and canine herpesvirus), endometrial disorders, developmental defects in the fetus (unlikely to affect a whole litter).

Testing progesterone levels in the bitch can be done after estrus even if she isn't bred, due to the persistance of the corpus luteum in bitches. This is convenient, since you don't have to breed her in order to test for this problem. A complete physical exam with a general blood panel is a good idea. Testing for brucellosis and canine herpesvirus might be useful, although most bitches who lose litters to herpesvirus will have normal subsequent litters. Bacterial cultures of the vagina may be useful and in some cases uterine biopsy will be necessary to diagnose a problem.

There are reproductive specialists in veterinary medicine, known as theriogenologists. They can usually be found at veterinary schools.

It would be a really good idea to explore possible causes of not getting bred in the first place, since I am not the only vet who has palpated puppies who weren't there!

Read more: Reproduction - Fetal Resorption

Hi everyone I have recently had my bitch go in for a ultrasound it looks like all the puppys have self asorbed can people tell me why this happened always had lovely healthy litters in the passed :laugh:
Edited by sandgrubber
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Thank you for that and some reading for me too do as well, yes its upsetting and when its never happened before we have always progesterone tested in the past but this time we didn't and my vet has suggested a AI next time.

He also said it can be that the DNA is not compatible?

Looks like it can be a few things and all we can do is try again next time. :laugh:

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Hi everyone I have recently had my bitch go in for a ultrasound it looks like all the puppys have self asorbed can people tell me why this happened always had lovely healthy litters in the passed :o

How far along was she at the scan?

Very sad for you ;)

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I spoke to my vet about this as my girls scan showed 4 re absorbs and at least 8 or 9 live pups. She said that it can be infection (my girl was swabbed at day 9 of her season and was clear, though could be a deeper or mild infection), can be abnormalities in the pup or uterine wall or a weak or no implant to the uterine wall, or stress.

She told me they had recently biopsied a bitch that continuely re aborbed pups and found that the re absorbs were sacs of pus & muck and in a moist warm envioronment bacteria will grow easily and can effect other fetus's.

My girl was put on anti biotics and rescanned a week later and no more reabsords to be seen. Fingers crossed all is still well in there

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