Breeding dogs or cats comes with a lot of responsibility and will need clear judgment when it comes to dealing with the life and care of animals. While most of a breeders’ job involves day-to-day care, there will be moments when the breeder must step back and let veterinary professionals step in and take over.
Understanding when to call a vet could spell the difference between an animal’s life and death. In this article, we will discuss key situations when you absolutely should get veterinary care.
1. Pre-Breeding Health Checks
Before you decide to mate a male and a female, it’s advisable to get a full health screening from your vet. This will help you rule out inherited conditions that could be passed down to the offspring. They will also need to perform reproductive exams to check whether the dam is safe to get pregnant. Your vet will also confirm vaccine and worming schedules, and run some blood tests to check for genetic carriers.
For dogs, a Brucellosis test is vital. In cats, retrovirus screening (FeLV/FIV) is often required. A vet’s early involvement helps breeders avoid health risks that can affect entire litters.
2. Pregnancy Confirmation and Monitoring
Some breeders rely on experience to gauge the pregnancy stages, but it’s important to get confirmation from a licensed veterinarian anyway. Veterinary tools like the ultrasound should be done on day 21 to check for pregnancy (and rule out a false one), and x-rays should be done after day 45 to give precise data on the litter’s development.
Beyond confirmation, ongoing veterinary care can detect:
- Singleton pregnancies (which may require C-section)
- Retained foetuses
- Infection or poor weight gain
Routine monitoring will also allow a vet to assess pelvic size in smaller breeds and plan ahead for whelping complications.
3. Whelping or Queening Complications
When the dam goes into labour, things can go south quickly if not tended to properly. Here are some signs to look out for:
- Active labour without birth for over 30 minutes (after strong contractions)
- More than 2 hours between puppies or kittens
- Green or foul-smelling discharge without a pup or kitten
- Weak or distressed newborns
If you see any of these signs, you’ll need to contact a vet that can provide oxytocin, assist with manual delivery, or perform a C-section if needed. In many high-risk breeds, scheduled C-sections are routine veterinary decisions – not emergencies.
4. Post-Birth Emergencies
After the birth of the puppies, veterinary care may still be required due to postnatal complications. Here are some things to watch out for:
- Mastitis – painful, inflamed mammary glands
- Eclampsia – calcium drop leading to tremors, fever, or seizures
- Metritis – infection of the uterus, usually with discharge, fever, and depression
- Failure to nurse or lack of maternal behaviour
In these cases, delaying care can risk the dam’s life and jeopardise the litter’s survival.
5. Neonatal Support and Mortality
Even after a healthy delivery, some newborn puppies may still struggle to latch on to their moms and drink successfully. If you see any signs of struggle, if your puppy looks cold or limp, or if you notice any diarrhoea or belly bloating, contact a veterinarian right away.
Veterinarians can offer hydration, antibiotics if there’s an infection, and tube feeding assistance, if needed. If one of your puppies passes away, a vet may suggest necropsy to rule out any contagious illnesses that could affect the rest of the litter.
6. Infectious Disease Management
If there is any outbreak of disease, you will need to call your veterinarian immediately. If you notice any respiratory or gastrointestinal issues, or if any of your animals gets sick without any clear cause, you’ll need the advice of a veterinarian on how to treat the issue.
Tests like faecal PCRs, nasal swabs, and blood panels will allow vets to detect the disease and treat it effectively. They may also recommend quarantines and disinfection.
7. Breeding Soundness and Infertility
When you can’t seem to get your dam pregnant, consult with a veterinarian to find out the cause. Some of the potential issues that could prevent a pregnancy are:
- Timing issues
- Poor sperm count or morphology
- Structural abnormalities of the reproductive tract
Reproductive vets may use vaginal cytology, analyse semen, or use artificial insemination to increase reproductive rates. They can also give you guidance on when it’s time to give your breeding animal a break.
8. Vaccinations and Deworming for Breeding Stock and Litters
Every breeding program needs a health plan and schedule tailored according to your pet’s breed and age. A veterinarian can create a plan that covers core vaccination schedules, puppy or kitten vaccination schedules, flea, tick and worming treatments, as well as the timing of treatments during pregnancy.
Not planning this out carefully can lead to illness, parasites, or failed pregnancies.
Final Thoughts
Veterinary care is crucial for the health, safety, and success of your breeding program. It also improves the survival rate of your parent animals and puppies or kittens. Breeders who work closely with their veterinarians often have healthier litters, smoother pregnancies, and happier animals and buyers.
If you’re unsure of whether you need to visit a vet, it’s better to be safe than sorry. The cost of a vet consultation is far less than the cost of a preventable loss.
