# 1 year old german shepherd pregnant



## [email protected] (Aug 7, 2018)

Need some advice please.
I have a German shepherd female who 
had her first season (heat) start 2 days before her first birthday. 
Despite all our efforts to keep our male away from her during this time, we think that he may have got to her and she could possibly be pregnant. 
We were planning on breeding them once but when she was at least 2 years old.
If she is pregnant she would be 14/15 Months old at the time of birth.
I was wondering if anyone has had a female have a litter at this age and how they coped with it? If there were any complications during pregnancy/ Labour?
I've helped my mum deliver/raise litters with our family dogs before so I know what to do with the mum and litters but they were all older than my female is at the moment so just want to know what to expect if she is pregnant with her being a younger female.


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

[sigh] I hate to confess this, but for awhile, I worked for a breeder who bred both dogs and cats. Every animal was bred on its first heat, and there were rarely any complications. Worst thing that happened was a Akita that gave birth to (I think) 12 pups over the course of a day and a half, and lost them all. They were all born really weak and we had a very hard time getting them breathing and nursing, so I think the problem was unrelated to her young age. I think maybe there might have been one pup that held things up for too long, or maybe it was just too large a litter for all of them to develop properly. I don't believe it was age-related.

Mother nature has a way of working these things out. Just make sure she gets good nutrition, as she is still not finished growing herself, and take steps to make sure it doesn't happen again!

You need to be prepared for the birth, and find out what to do/what not to do if there are complications. This site has some very good information: Leerburg | Breeding & Whelping Puppies Q&A The bitch will need a clean, quiet, warm area to whelp in. I also recommend you find yourself a good vet, who's had experience with pregnancy and birth in dogs (It's harder than you might think to find one!)


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## Katsugsd (Jul 7, 2018)

I'm curious...what makes you think she is pregnant? Is there a possibility for a false pregnancy or something else going on?


I do not have an experience with whelping a litter, but I can imagine the risks for complications is always there regardless of age. Just be prepared to take her and the pups to an emergency vet if something does arise. I would recommend having an ultrasound (if earlier in pregnancy) or x-ray (later).


I'll leave specific suggestions to the more experienced people. Best of luck if your little girl does have a litter.


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

An ultrasound to determine if she's pregnant can be done after about 27 days. Now, this is where things get interesting...

When my female first came into season, I was very worried because the discharge looked really, really bad. It was dark brown and mucusy, and I thought she might have an infection, because she had previously been treated for pyometra. I wanted to get an ultrasound done. Two different vets told me it would be $600!! :surprise:

I decided to take her to Guelph (veterinary college). They did a vaginal smear and reported that there was no infection, so I went ahead and had her bred.

I then wanted an u/s to confirm pregnancy. I talked to a local GSD breeder, who recommened a clinic that had a reproductive specialist on staff. THEY charged only $100.00 for the u/s!!

Ridiculous, right??

Alas, there were no puppies... :crying:


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## Nurse Bishop (Nov 20, 2016)

Is the sire a GSD or some other?


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