Advice for a friend

Hi All

One of my good friends has just got a black lab puppy, and she is gorgeous. Unfortunately the dog did not come with any papers, and I don't know if any health tests were done.

Anyway, someone has given them advise that it is cruel not to allow a bitch to have at least one litter. I tried to tell her different, but she said it was decided.

I would like to create thread of advise for my friend, stating reasons why she should not breed from this dog, and also the work and expense that would be involved in breeding her, including a list of health tests etc that would be required for the black lab. My friend has never bred a litter of dogs before.

Thank you in advance everyone.
Lis x

I dont no what health tests a lab should have, but im guessing atleast hips and yearly eye checks!

Anyway with out tests, pups can go on to have problems, so her bitch would need to be tested, If parents were or not..

Breeding with no experience and no mentor to help, can result in the death of the bitch and litter - or very high vet fees!

If the bitch needs a c-section, then she would be looking at paying £1000..not to mention if its needed out of hours.

Puppies can not be registed, she hasnt mentioned health testing so any decent puppy buyer would stay so very far away from this type of breeder.

(Also i wonder why the bitch isnt registered, maybe her mum was registed but endorsed or sold to a 'pet' home with no papers herself..IE the mum may never should have been bred in the first place..)

Does she know if she breeds from a dog that has not been tested for tests avaible and a pup goes on to get this problem she can be taken to court by the new owners? (to right i say).

Puppies are not selling so much at the moment, so she would find it hard to sell pups with no papers, from parents with no tests..So she could be stuck with a litter of say 8 pups..Would she be perpared to keep them all??

Does she comform to breed standard..( that i doubt )..but i guess she isnt shown or worked, so why breed from a dog that has nothing to offer to the breed!

Does she have time and money to raise a well adjusted litter!??

what is the bitches tempermant like, having a litter can be stressful for them and CHANGE how they are forever.

Does she even know anything about the breed? as she is a pet breeder i guess not, a breeder should know there breed, lines, dogs ect inside out before taking the step to mating a bitch.

Could she cope with taking puppies back if new owners no longer could keep them?


Brining up a litter is not cheap, she needs to buy all the right whelping equipment;

For example - and there is alot more, just a 'few' basics' here;

Whelping box, some where safe the bitch can whelp her pups, and can keep them for the first few weeks!
Then she will need to move them some where bigger so they can move about, like a puppy play pen.

Heat pads/heat lamps, more so for winter pups - Just to make sure there keeping as warm as possible for the first couple of weeks.

Vet bed is a good piece of bedding for a breeder to use, because it soaks up any fluids and leaves mum and pups on clean dry bedding until the whelp is over and fresh bedding can be given.


ID tags to tell look a like pups apart.

"The book of the bitch" and have it to hand through out the mating, pregnancy and whelp of the girl.

She will need to get her hands on as much newspaper as possible.

Thermometer, so she can monitor the bitches temperature.

Stethoscope, for pups heart beats, while bitch is in pup.

Torch to hand, incase bitch decides to start giving birth in the garden, under a chair or anywhere else dark..until you can move her to her box.

Rubber gloves, some people wont touch stuff bare handed.

Clock to tell when each pup is born, and how far inbetween she is going..also pen and paper to write it all down on.

Lubricant, KY Jelly.

Scales, To weigh the pups once born.

Disinfectant

Antiseptic

Surgical scissors

Some sort of bucket/bag to dispose of the any placenta and the like that the bitch doesnt eat.

Dopram v:- This is a breathing stimulant.

Liquid life aid:- This helps to rehydrate pups that are suffering from dehyration.

Nutri drops:- Supplies weak pups such as one that cant suckle with energy..(there for convalescing pups or adults)


Glucose to give the bitch during and after the whelp..This is made up by one table spoon of glucose to one pint of water)..

Then there is the feeding equipment for any pups that may be rejected or to weak to suckle!
Bottles, syringes or tube feeders..Then what the pup will be feed!.

she would have to pay a stud fee to every she used, or a pup back.

and apart from all that be with the bitch 2weeks before she is due NEVER LEAVING HER ALONE, until the pups are about 4weeks old..
So sleeping down stairs with the bitch and her pups, getting up to ever little moan and wimper!

Breeding is time comsuming, hard work and heart ache..You cant go into it blindly.

Her bitch would need to be over 2years old before breeding also.

Nothing comes cheap in the world of dog breeding, and nothing should be taken lightly, just because a bitch 'can' have a litter it doesnt mean she would!!..
Maybe walk her around a few rescue centres so she can see how many dogs suffer from unethical, irresponsible breeding..does she want to possibly add to them numbers??

There are 3 types of breeders;

Back yard breeders - producing pups for no responsible reason, not thinking about the health or future of the breed, just supplying the pet market.. not tests are done, and no thought is put into the future of the breed or pups.

Puppy mills - that produce far to many puppies for the same reasons as the BYB just on a bigger scare.

and then a responsible breeder - who breeds for the betterment of the breed, has the odd litter from health tested dogs, with fab tempermants who they believe can offer something to the breed, they know there breed, lines and dogs inside out..and generally produce healthy, well adjusted pups that actually resemble the breed there ment to be..

Ask your friend what breeder is she?

There are many many things i have missed off that list, but i hope some one else can come along to and fill you in more..


and sorry if i have rambled and not actually put this in any sort of order, but i can stand people breeding for the reason your friend is, i tried to fit as much into this post as possible..but when people have the idea to breed in there head its hard to get it out..so good luck.

This is exactly what I am needing to show her. It's all stuff I have talked about in passing before (I can't stand bad breeders also, I have rescue dogs, so you can imagine my take on it). I just wanted it written down, from someone who knows the in's and out's of breeding. But this is perfect, thank you very much.

Whoever has advised them is talking a load of male cow manure

The most dangerous time in a bitch's life is when she is in whelp. I have a friend who has Great danes & she mated one of her bitches & ended up with a litter of dead puppies & worse still a dead bitch.

Labrador retrievers are the most poular dog in the UK & over 45,000 are registered every year with the KC & also an equal number bred from unregistered dogs. So each year 90,000 Labradors are looking for homes.

Labradors' need to come from a full pedigree(ie at least 5 generations)of hip & elbow scored & eye tested normal ancesters. The bitch will need to be eye tested, elbow & hip scored & there are also DNA tests that need to be carried out as well. If this is not the case with this bitch the owners are laying themsleves open to being sued if any of the puppies develop any health problems that can be tested for.

The best thing for this puppy is to have one season & then to be spayed three months afterwards.

Labrador rescues are full of dogs bred like this bitch. Does your friend realise that she is morally responsible for all the puppies from conception to death ???

No problem, glad i could have helped..Good luck with your friend, and let us know..hopefully next time you update us she has changed her mind! fingers crossed!!