How many babies do you see?
Thank you to the wonderful staff at Yorba Regional Animal Hospital for doing an x-ray on lovely Lyra. Dr. Williams, DVM is a well respected reproductive vet in SoCal and has been an invaluable resource when I do a breeding before, during and afterwards (she later does tails and dew claws when the pups are 2-3 days old). How many babies do you see?
Dr. Williams sees 6-7 puppies on Lyra's x-ray and while the vet tech saw 8 -- I am confident in a six-pack which is the perfect size for a first time mom (and her breeder!).
More on "why" I do radiographs on pregnant dogs.
- X-rays are generally done after Day 50+ of gestation, otherwise the skeleton hasn't ossified (calcified) enough to count the babies.
- You can usually count puppies readily on radiographs, again +/- one puppy. (Count skulls, not spines! Most people count BOTH). Even then, someone can be hiding behind another puppy or along mom's spine. This helps me plan for the whelp and know what to expect.
- The other advantage is that the skulls can be compared in size to the width of the dam's pelvis (not usually an issue with Vizslas).
