I am beside myself right now. My Gordon Setter kharma is in the 2nd week of her heat cycle, at her most breedable. My male Nick has gone into hyper-sex drive. I have been OH!!-so careful to keep them apart… but today all the precautions I had used went to hell in a handbasket, he busted the gate down and IMMIDIATELY had mounted her and they had an almost 40 minute tie. :eek:
Neither of them have had their hips or elbows X rayed, or any of the other ususal health checks; I simply was not planning to breed them yet. Add to that the fact that I am unemployed again right now… I CAN NOT afford a litter right now. Period.
So I took her to the vet and got her a mismate shot. My vet tried to talk me out of it, telling me all the possible health risks; we talked for almost a half hour, but in the end, I simply could not chance her having the litter, the possible complications, C section, etc. As he gave her the injection, I cried for the puppies we were killing.
He said there is about a 50/50 chance she will have problems with this shot. Pyometra(Uterine infection) is a good possibility, and she could be rendered sterile.
Have any of you have experience with a mismate shot, and offer me any facts on what I can expect?
Did you do a vaginal cytology or some hormone testing to check exactly in which part of estrus she was?
If it is the shot that is given during estrus, from what my teacher told me this week, the only complications he has heard are when the shot is given outside of estrus (a nono, they should’ve used another drug) or the shot is given more than once during the same estrus cycle (dose-dependent toxicity). So keep her separate from the male so that no more breeding can occur.
If you want to breed her (won’t ask)… breed her on the next cycle, then.
There’s also the small chance that (even if you hadn’t given the shot), she wouldn’t have gotten pregnant. You never checked her status, so you don’t know in what part of her cycle she was… even if she was fertile, you didn’t check the male to see if he was fertile too (and deposited fertile semen). And lastly, conception from just one breeding is 80%… very high, but still a small chance that no pregnancy occurred.
I have kept very accurate records of her estrus cycle. She was on day 12, at the height of her most fertile. No, I didn’t have the male checked, because it was largely a moot point for me at this time. Yes, I hope to breed someday…not just a random breeding by any means, not just ‘I happen to have 2 of the same breed let’s have puppies’. I have owned/shown/trained Gordon Setters since 1982, and done EXTENSIVE pedigree/bloodline research, and these two dogs were bought specifically because their bloodlines match up beautifully on paper. If I was not concerned with the betterment of the breed, I would have let her carry this litter and sold them simply to make a profit.
That is not what I am about. The welfare of my dogs comes first.
They are not just show dogs, not just pets. They are my family.
I’m not trying to judge you, and I hope things go okay. Don’t let him get near her for the rest of heat!
I was just wondering if you had a vaginal citology done or some hormonal test runs because if you’re just counting estrus when you first see signs, you may not be accurate about when she’s most fertile or not. Again, a citology would confirm if she was in heat, and a hormone test would check when she’s approaching ovulation. Just information for next time…
If this is the drug given during estrus (and I do hope that they checked she was in estrus), one of the sign effects is indeed pyometra, but again, it occurred when it was given outside of estrus. And definitely keep her away from the male…
There are other alternatives available, but they require confirmation of pregnancy before use… I guess that is why you didn’t use them?
My sympathies on the problem. I had an accidental litter once. I didn’t even know the stud had got her (wasn’t at home when it happened, and she got loose and went to him, because he was secured; she jumped a 4’ gate, and went back over it afterward).
If you start feeding her yogurt, it will help greatly to keep her healthy. It doesn’t take much; a couple of tablespoons daily should be enough. I used to buy the big quart tubs of Dannon plain or vanilla flavored for my old girl.
Pyometra is usually caused by anaerobes. The lactobacilli from the yogurt keep the plumbing, all of it, too acid to make a good culture medium.
If she’s in standing heat and the dogs had a 40 minute tie - it’s safe to assume (even without vaginal cytology) that yes, she’s fertile right now and that if all the parts on both dogs are working there’s a high change she’ll get pregnant without intervention.
You migt consider taking her temperature twice a day. A fever will give a heads up if any infection is going to occur.
Good thinking. I’d have suggested it if I’d thought of it. The yogurt should help prevent infection, but it’s good to do as many different useful (and inexpensive or free) things as you can find to do that will help you know if anything’s going wrong - especially since you’re jobless right now.
Thanks guys! I have been taking her temp twice a day, so far it is staying right were it should be… Kharma is a little confused as to why I am doing this… but she’s being very good about it, she lays on the bed on her back and gets a tummy rub while I am taking it.
I will get her yogurt tomorrow, I hadn’t thought of that. Great idea!
And thanks for the well wishes on job hunting… it’s not pretty right now.