Puppies?

[britesidefarm]

I have two Great Danes, a male and female, both unfixed. The female is 3 or 4 years old, and the male is about 7. About a month ago, early December, our female went into heat whole we were away. The only reason why both have not been neutered/spayed, is that a while ago we had a vet tell us to breed them at least once because our female, Nova, had a series of hormonal issues that was said to be fixed if we bred the two. We didn’t think they managed to breed together because our male, Eornie, is so old and Nova is too curious to see what he’s doing, to stay in one spot. Well now we’re noticing her behavior change to extremely needy and less “crazy”. She also has widened from the top view, and has been running slower and slightly with a waddle. Now her nipples are a lot more swollen, but we don’t see any actual growth to where a normal dog would be at this late in the stage. What do you think? Possible puppies?

(happy dog being goofy )

(And happy old man Eornie)

 

[cassie]

You could take her in and get her X rayed, but she is either pregnant or she isn't and you will find out soon enough. Spaying a female before her first heat goes a long way in preventing mammary cancer.

 

[britesidefarm]

She’s just began to lactate, so I think it’s safe to say we’ll have a few puppies in the next few days to two weeks

 

[User105877]

Kinda just looks like fat but I don't know what she was built like before.

Like I said, we always spay/nueter our dogs when they’re pups unless suggested by a vet, which was the case here

No real need to defend yourself. She's your dog. Whether you want to spay her or raise pups, she is yours and that's your decision

 

[britesidefarm]

Also some baby pictures because my pups are getting older

 

[Weeg]

Either she is pregnant, or she isn't. Too bad your parents can't see firsthand what happens to unwanted dogs and puppies in the pound. Maybe if they actually saw these poor dogs being put to sleep, they might decide to do the responsible thing and get the dogs spayed or neutered.

I personally do not think it’s irresponsible to keep an intact dog. I actually think any responsible pet owner should be able to keep an intact dog without issues. Seems op has done that.
Anyway, not looking to ruffle any feathers, just an opinion. Desexing also puts the pet into instant menopause, which causes lots of health issues. Yes, eliminates reproductive cancer and pyometra, but it does not come without increasing other problems. I think the pros of intact outweigh the cons.
https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/health-risks-of-early-spay-neuter/?utm_source=klaviyo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CONTENT: Omelette + stuff (UULV89)&_kx=aLpu1CaD4r2NpNcGSykQ3C9EWU3u1wEVaZ5OFDlIE44=.C4YyV9



Anyway, this is off topic. Just wanted to put my two cents in the bucket. Carry on.

Edit: not to say that irresponsible pet owners with unwanted pregnancies aren’t part of the problem, but they certainly aren’t the only, or biggest problem.

 

[britesidefarm]

Kinda just looks like fat but I don't know what she was built like before.

No real need to defend yourself. She's your dog. Whether you want to spay her or raise pups, she is yours and that's your decision

I’ll try and find pics of her from a bit ago

Not trying to defend myself, just giving people an explanation to the reason why they aren’t fixed in case someone tries to tell me off for it (has happened before)

 

[britesidefarm]

Kinda just looks like fat but I don't know what she was built like before.

No real need to defend yourself. She's your dog. Whether you want to spay her or raise pups, she is yours and that's your decision

This is the best photo I could find of a few months ago, but I should find more in a bit

This was earlier today

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Because, a chicken forum know more about dogs then a vet who trained for 8 years for this does.

 

[tripletfeb]

Sorry, tiny phone keys. Editing.

On a giant breed dog, who is 4 years old, and has hormonal issues, spaying would be the proper course of action. Just my opinion and I am not a vet but no one on this thread is