For those that didn't know, I am in China for work through October 2nd. This meant a friend took Zene to the vet for her pregnancy x-ray on September 28th (Day 56).
Since relocating to Santa Barbara in June, I've struggled find a decent vet. My vet since 2010 is Dr. Williams at Yorba Regional Animal Hospital, but they're not readily accessible.
X-rays are an invaluable resource when whelping a litter. This time things didn't go smoothly, the x-ray is low quality and very hard to read. The local vet sees 5 puppies, but I'm not so sure. Once I return from Hong Kong, I'll decide if a second x-ray is warranted.
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).
I'll post the x-ray when I return to see what you all think! Stay tuned . . .
