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How Accurate Are Ultrasounds?


britt3
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We have xrayed quite a few litters now and our vet has either been spot on, or under by 1 puppy. Of course, counting 5 or 6 on xray is a completely different proposition to trying to count 13 pups. We usually have a few people count (vet nurses love to have a go too) and then take the general concensus! In our litter of 13, we knew there were 11 for sure, more likely 12, but a few had counted 13, so we were prepared for 13. We also had to take more than one view as they were so crammed in.

But I consider it a worthwhile expense and it never bothers the girls, they enjoy the car trip :laugh:

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I have only ever used ultrasounds to confirm pregnancy at 4 weeks, our last one in March last year

we could see 4 puppies, we thought great !!

she had 8 healthy babies, :rofl:

wouldnt rely on them for numbers, lol

a friend had an ultrasound done at 6 weeks, couldnt see anything,

then a couple of days before her due date, she had her xrayed because she didnt

look quite right and was worried about something going on more sinister

it showed one pup

who was born by ceasar two days later, fit and healthy :thumbsup:

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I think it definately depends on the vet and their equipment. I had an ultrasound on my bitch at 31 days from first mating, they counted 6 and were very confident with their numbers. Sure enough 6 were whelped. I have referred friends there aswell and each time they have had an accurate count! Other people I know who have been to other vets have had inaccurate counts.

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How accurate is highly dependent on: (1) the skill of the person taking and reading the ultrasounds; and (2) the quality of the equipment they're working with. Expensive, modern machines read by a skilled tech can give pretty accurate counts and are getting pretty good at telling the boys from the girls, especially if you wait until the later part of the ultrasound window (eg, 34, not 24 days). The later you go, the harder it is to count, especially if there are lots of pups.

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