Litters affecting health - Page 1

Can anyone tell me if the amount of litters a bitch has affects her health negatively or possibly shortens life expectancy? We are thinking of getting one that is going to have had 3 litters when we get her. She is 3 years old. All of them went fine, but is there a toll this takes on her or is 3 litters an okay amount?

Not necessarily; it depends on the dog.  Only 3 years old is young to already have had 3 litters, glad to hear she's being retired from breeding. Is that the case? Just realized you didn't say that.

Anyway, depends on the dog. 3 litters can bring a dog down, but almost always they come back with rest. However, many bitches can look fantastic and have zero ill effects even after having more than 3 litters. That would not be uncommon at all, to be just fine after multiple litters.

Can you meet this dog first, or are you buying unseen?

So to specifically answer your question, no, 3 litters does not = poor lifelong health, UNLESS the bitch has other health issues or is a hard keeper herself.  Don't write her off just on the numbers.

i agree with tess,only 3 years and has had 3 litters already.i would only breed a gsd bitch for her first litter at 2 years old and then only one litter per year.the only exception i would make to this is if the bitch produced a small litter.(say 4,maybe 5 pups)anything above this,i wouldn,t mate on the next season.My bitches have in the main produced large litters for me,anything from 8 to 12 pups.Litters of this size must surely take their toll on the bitches.I would usally leave 18 months between litters of this size to allow my bitches to recover.I have once had 2 litters back to back from my foundation bitch in 1989,as the stud dog i wanted to use had been offered for sale (home or abroad)by 1 of a partnership that was breaking up.this dog did eventually stay in the uk.Cassie had her 1st litter of 11 in jan 1989,and her 2nd of 11 in nov.89.i did confer with my vet to see if she was fit enuf.before i mated her,but i will say the pups were not as substantial nor as even as the 1st litter,so i would say that she HAD NOT RECOVERED FULLY from the 1st litter .Would i mate a bitch back to back in the future NO,unless it was a litter of up to 4,then i might,but most probably wouldnt.Carole Spelman Rheinmeister gsds.

 OP, I beg your pardon

Noddi, and other dear breeders

1. Off genetics, do I understand from what you said that the quality of puppies may/can be affected by the health condition of bitch (specifically recovering from a previous birth)? You mentioned substance, can we ad to that ligamentation, maybe muscle softness too etc?
2. Also does too many mating of the Sire negatively affects the puppies?

Thanks
Ibrahim

Topics like these are good ones in my eyes. They make you think. My thoughts are three fold; Are you asking medically?
Are you asking because you're concerned for the health of the female? Or are you concerned for the health of the female to have more litters?
Are you asking breeders who have firsthand either done this, know firsthand or have seen this?
If medically then contact a vet or find out if anything has been documentated or researched. If you were looking for personal experiences then a few have spoken.
My thoughts are back to back can not be overall as good as bypassing a heat. But situation dictates. Would a back to back breed take away years on a females life? With no medical expertise I would say no ,as long as it is not continuos. Look at animals in the wild. At least with humans the enviroment is controlled to an extent.
I don't breed at this time but when the time comes, situation will dictate. The majority of myself says there will be a break in heats but what if the male I need is at one time and not the other? All I know is the bitch when  whelping will be treated like a queen and caterred to.

Depends on the bitch first... depends on the # of puppies second...  Depends on the care the bitch recovers after and during the litter.... and depends on the age.

It's fairly well accepted that the very very least requirement is that a bitch be OFA'ed or PenHip, which means at least 2 years of age... before being bred.  Normally it should be at  least a year  before she has a 2nd litter, which means she'd be 3.  I've had some females who looked like a wraith after a litter, and others who carried the litter and nursing without turning a hair.  That's where it depends a lot on the female, and the size of the litter, how it effected her condition.  Did she receive proper nutrition and exercise while carrying the litter, and while recovering afterwards??  If bred back  to back one time (no excuses for continuing to do so except $$$$$ which IMHO is the wrong reason for breeding) Then she needs to rest for one season.   All that's aimed at the person who bred her though, not at you....  You didn't say if you were purchasing her as a brood bitch, or as a  companion and/or competition dog. 

Ibrahim... as far as breeding males too often (or too seldom) it can and does effect the motility of the semen.  Exactly how often a male should be used, medically, depends on his fertility level.  If a male hasn't been bred in 6 months or so prior to being used it would be helpful to the semen motility to "refresh" those in the system prior to breeding him.

If the female is well cared for, I don't believe that litters take away from her lifespan.

I know of a bitch who had 4 or 5 litters who live to be 16. I have a bitch who is a healthy 12.5 who had a number of litters--but she was very healthy and strong throughout and always loved having litters and always maintained good weight throughout. She also *loved* having puppies--not all bitches do. And if a bitch doesn't enjoy the process, feels unwell when pregnant, doesn't particularly like dealing with her puppies--then IMO, it's not good to keep breeding her.

Vets who are reproductive specialists will often tell you to breed back to back as many times as you want to breed the female, then spay her--because of the risk of pyometra and also because the bitch's body goes through exactly the same hormone cycles whether or not she gets pregnant. That seems pretty extreme to me, though, and although I will do a back-to-back breeding on a female who is in good health and condition, it's with the plan of giving the female a year off afterwards.

The key, however, is how the bitch is cared for along the way.

As far as how the health of the male or female contribute to the health of the puppies, check out this article:

www.miller-mccune.com/health/the-bad-daddy-factor-25764/

i take my bitches to the vet before each breeding to assure that nothing is wrong, As i stated before we breed now, back to back, and have smaller litters and i think healthier pups. 6 to 8 is perfect. Keeping your animals healthy is the key to  having healthy pups. A lot of that starts with sanation !!!

Sable 59,i agree with yu in some respects(sanitation,keeping breeding animals healthy)and confering with the vet if a back to back litter is to be bred,but I WOULD NEVER EVER HAVE BACK TO BACK LITTERS IF MY BITCH HAD 6/8 PUPS IN HER LITTERS.The only reason i can see for mating bitches at every season is for MONETARY GAIN.May i ask the following questions.Are your bitches Kennel Club registered,are they hip and elbowed scored,tested for Juvenile renale displaysia,tested for pituitary dwarfism,eye tested,males haemophilia tested and passed as clear and suitable for breeding?In this day and age,where there is so many animals being put to sleep coz no homes can be found for them is so distressing that i wish our goverment would take the bull by the horn and make it law that one needs to apply to their local council for permission to breed any animal and permission only to be granted if that person has suitable conditions and knowledge.It really makes my blood boil when ppl.breed animals at each season,IMO.IT IS NOT GOOD FOR THE ANIMAL REGARDLESS OF THE FACT THAT THEY ARE CONSIDERED HEALTHY.Would a doctor recommend us women to be bearing children every 9 months.i doubt it very much and we have a choice,so why subject our animals,who DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE,to bear 6/8 pups every 4/5/6 months.yes some bitches do come in every 4 months as my ex landlords mothers 2 Shitzus females did a year or so ago.She proudly annouced to me she,d had 3 litters that year from each of her 2 bitches.IMO NOT SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF..Carole Spelman RHEINMEISTER GSDS.