That is a reality and, if you decide to breed, you must accept that. WHEN YOU DEAL WITH THE CREATION OF LIFE YOU ARE ALSO DEALING WITH THE CREATION OF DEATH. If you don't think you can handle it, then don't start. It isn't fair to the dogs to go in ill-prepared and ill-informed.

There are a great many things that can cause a pregnancy to go wrong. That is the point of this article. To give people an idea of the things that can go wrong when they decide to breed their Chihuahua.

Have you ever heard the old saying, "Just when I learned all the answers someone changed all the questions!" That can be applied to dog breeding. You never reach the point where you have seen everything or know it all.

Here is a list of problems that contribute to newborn losses and/or C-section births.

ONE BIG PUPPY - (the singleton) This one is self-explanatory. A bitch carries only one puppy, it gets all of the nutrition in her system, and is too big to be whelped without a C-section.

TOO MANY PUPPIES - Sometimes the bitch will conceive a huge litter, run out of room to carry them. They either have the litter a week to ten days early or have a C-section because there is absolutely no room for them to move down the uterine horns or take up the position for natural birth.

MUMMIFIED PUPPY IN THE WAY - In this case a puppy dies early in the pregnancy, mummifies, and then blocks the birth canal at the time labour occurs. Sometimes it will pass and normal birth will progress but often the dead puppy is the wrong shape to pass through the pelvic rim. Often a C-section is the only option in this case.

SEPARATED PLACENTA PUPPY - This is a case where the placenta of one of the pups in a litter peels loose in the uterus. The telltale sign is dark green fluid discharge before the first puppy is born. A C-section is usually necessary if this occurs.

ANAESTHETIC OVERDOSE - Any time a Chihuahua is put under anaesthetic there is a risk that the dog's system won't cope. A long procedure under anaesthetic can cause anaesthetised puppies with depressed breathing and heart rates this can cause puppy deaths.

RETAINED PUPPIES - A puppy does not come down the uterine horn for some reason. If your bitch whelps and you think she still has a puppy unborn, get her to your vet. Sometimes it will turn out to be a uterine lump, it will disappear in time. Also you may feel the uterus contracting and the ridge that it makes will feel like a puppy. This "puppy" will disappear later, also. Experienced breeders learn to "palpate" a dog to tell the difference. However if it is a puppy she may have to have a Caesarian for the last puppy to be delivered often stillborn.

FAILURE TO PRODUCE MILK - Sometimes a bitch will have no milk at the time her puppies are born. A shot of Oxytocin & Calcium is customary after whelping to clean out the uterus and help bring in the milk but sometimes this is not successful. Your only options are a foster mother and/or supplement feeding. Chihuahua newborns are often difficult to raise on supplemental foods. Their mouths are often too small and their suckling too weak for most artificial teats. Then there is the problem of which milk replacement they will tolerate. Some breeders use goat's milk as a supplement.

MASTITIS - Infection of the breasts may occur and causing painful swelling. Sometimes they get so sore that the bitch will not let her puppies nurse. She needs antibiotics and you may be required to take the puppies away from her for awhile.

METRITIS - This is an infection of the uterus that may occur after the whelping process. It usually occurs when some debris is retained and infection results. The oxy/cal injection will help ensure that this doesn't happen. If your bitch seems unwell after whelping and/or develops a foul-smelling discharge, consult your veterinarian. Uterine infections are difficult to treat and often lead to spaying.

PUPPY SEPTICAEMIA - Sometimes a bacterial infection in the uterus will affect the puppies they die. The breeder may have no way of knowing, depending on the stage of pregnancy. At some stage the uterine content, if not expelled will begin to decompose. Sometimes the bitch will have a foul-smelling dark discharge, and a high temperature, the vet will have to do a Caesarian, to find dead puppies that have been slowly dissolving into "jelly".

ECLAMPSIA - "MILK FEVER" - as it is called, occurs any time after whelping, the pups are literally taking all the calcium from the mother's system. The dam will be restless, pace stiff legged, pant, have twitching, trembling muscles and eventually will lapse into coma and die. It is an emergency and veterinary attention is needed immediately. The vet will need to inject calcium into the dog's vein to save her life. In some cases the puppies then need to be hand raised.

BITCH WON'T TAKE CARE OF THE PUPPIES - Often a bitch will refuse to have anything to do with her puppies. Occasionally it takes time for maternal instinct to kick in. You should have a backup plan in place, though, just in case. If she does not settle with the pups within 24 hours of delivery then it is unlikely she will, in which case you will have to hand raise them.

HYPERACTIVE MOTHER - A hyperactive mother is one that is continually active, jumping back and forth in her pen and seems to be in constant motion, no matter what the situation. They may let the pups nurse but will jump up and trample on them when someone walks into the room or if they hear a strange noise. Often her pups will die due to her neglect, it is best to cull this type of bitch from your breeding program.

BRUCELLOSIS - This is a disease of the reproductive tract that can put you out of business. It causes sterility and aborted litters. Males and females can carry it. Dogs coming into contact with vaginal secretions from affected bitches spread it. You can have your stock tested for this before including them in your breeding program.

ABSORPTION OF A LITTER - There are reported cases where a bitch will be pregnant but, for some reason, will absorb the entire litter or part of a litter into her system. A bitch will often whelp one to two live puppies and have one or more dead ones in various stages of decomposition.

HERPES VIRUS - This virus is carried by the bitch and infects the puppy during the birth or shortly after. It does the bitch no harm but causes the puppies to die prior to three weeks of age. There is no cure for the virus, which lays dormant in the bitch until times of stress. It only kills puppies in the stage before they can regulate their body temperature.

FADING PUPPY SYNDROME - This is when strong healthy puppies stop thriving, fail to gain weight, weaken, and die between 1 and 3 weeks of age. Its cause is unknown and on post mortem, often nothing is evident. Occasionally herpes virus or some other viral or bacterial infection can be found but not always.

PUPPY DEFORMITIES - These are many and varied some are genetic some are acquired in the uterus. Some cause puppy deaths others will require your veterinarian to euthanase the puppy.

If you have read through this and still want to join the ranks of dog breeders, we wish you well.

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