hi im new to this forum and also a new dog owner,can i please have some advise?

[darrenstrong]

Hi i adopted cassie on the 19th august this year and have to say she is the softest most adorable dog i have ever met, to date i have only heard her bark once,and that was only only because she thought i was taking to long giving her her treat when i was trying to train her!
the previous owners told me they were moving to a flat and could not take her with them so that is why they had to giver her away,all seemed like a reasonably reason.
now here is the problem
for the last 3-4 days she has been asleep for all of about 2 hours each day, has been right off her food,her mamories are swollen and (unlike normal) dosnt like her belly being rubbed,she has also been shredding all of her bedding to make what appears to be a nest, when she has been awake she has been a bit hyper and unable to take even the most basic commands,
i was told by the previous owner that she came of her season a few days befor i had her so after research on the internet it has become apparent to me that there is every possibility she could be pregnant, the previous owner is now uncontactable i have been deleted from facebook, no answer from phone calls or calls to the house.
it is now my assumption that the story of moving was probably just an cover for the fact that she had been caught with a male and they wanted rid rather than take the responsability of having pups. she is booked in to be speyed in november but in the mean time there is every possibiity that my 1 dog could become several in the next few days
can some please advise as to weather my caclulations are correct and also if there is anyway of telling the difference between phanton pregnancy and the real deal.
aside from the obvious dangers to my beloved cass i am also greatly concerned about the stigma attatched to breeding staffs,it was never my intention and i despise anyone who does it as there are enough problems already with adding to them, if she is indeed with pups how do i go about rehoming them in a responsible way? i have never had a pet of any kind so am learning every day so any advise would be great thank you darren

ps there is also conflicting info as to her age, the previous owners told me should would be 3 in november this year however when i re registered her micro chip the paperwork sent to me had her year of birth as 2010,making her 2 this november not 3

[Kathy]

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[Kathy]

Hi and welcome to the forum from Rocky and me.

Do you have her registered with a vet yet? If so it may be an idea to get her there and get her checked over properly. They will obviously be able to tell you if she is pregnant or not.

[darrenstrong]

hi, thanks for your reply, i have not seen a vet yet,i have the details of a vet she is registerd with through the previous owners but they are not open until monday morning, problem is i have not had a pet befor,my wife is the the one with the experience but she is currently on holiday with her mum and not back for 10 days, so am a little nervous to say the least! i have no experience with dogs and have just had friend over who had a stff years ago and pointed out all of these things to me...now im im really worried!

[Kathy]

Is there not another vet in your area you could pop into for a checkover ?

[darrenstrong]

not that i can find as of yet,have tried several local ones but they are either closed or not able to see me today, i am working my way through the list as we speak!

[Kathy]

It could also be that she has just had a litter, although that may be unlikely given the previous owners story. The link below may help with some of your questions:

http://www.purina.co.uk/content/your-dog/life-changes/pregnancy-in-dogs/spotting-the-signs-of-pregnancy-in-your-dog

[Guest]

What is wrong with people do they really have no conscience?? At the very least they could give you vital information for the welfare of there abandoned responsibility

Is there not another vet in your area you could pop into for a checkover ?

Ohh you must be so anxious..

If u can find a vet in your area you really should take her.. If she is due to birth and not quite 2 yet there could be major birthing complications.. really she is only a baby herself, and if she is going to birth a litter you are going to have to learn a lot fast... I hope it all works out.. Please update us soon on how she is.. Goodluck

[Guest]

Does sound like she's nesting though I have to say I'm no expert . We do have plenty of people on here that can advise you when they come along so don't panic. Obviously it's a trip to the vet on Monday but as long as she is ok in herself I wouldn't panic at this point. Hopefully when someone else comes along you can discuss you options

Welcome to the forum from me and the kids BTW

[Guest]

Sorry, Welcome to you and Cassie..

Like Dave said there is a wealth of knowledge available to you on this forum, soon enough you will have all the information you will need You ahve definately come to the right place..

[darrenstrong]

thanks for the link kathytake2 not sure if it helped or made me worry more!!
im stilll unable to find any info on how you can tell the difference between phantom and the real deal, i have not managed to find anyone local that will see us today but aside from sleeping and being off her food she seams in good form (when she is awake!!) so hopefully no need to worry until after the weekend!

[Kathy]

Please try not to worry too much, that wasn't my intention at all, sorry. We do have breeders on the forum and I'm sure they will be able to answer your questions for you. Please keep checking in to see who is logged on, I think our moderator called Denise is a breeder so hopefully will be on here later.

[darrenstrong]

thanks for that

[Guest]

Denise or Caryll should be able to enlighten you from a breeder's point of view.
I do however feel you have been taken full advantage of by the previous owner. Thank god you are the new one who is taking a lot more responsible attitude to owning a dog.
My older girl had a phantom pregnancy a little while after her first season and did mimic this type of behaviour, however she'd been with me since 9 weeks so at least I knew it was not for real.
Can any of the vets you have contacted give you any info to ease your mind?

She is gorgeous BTW

[darrenstrong]

thanks for your reply lee ,i am feeling like that to! the last vet i spoke with basically said there is no sure fire way of knowing weather they are pregnant for real or if it is just phantom,they also told me as she appears to be in good form at the moment that if she is,then it is unlikely to be iminant so not wory about it, i am booked into see them monday afternoon so fingers crossed for a non eventful weekend!

[farmgirl]

Hi and welcome from Kia and me, sorry i cant be of any help, but im sure there will be someone along soon that can give you more info, there is lots of very helpful people on here.

[Guest]

Hi from me and the boys

[Dan]

Hello and welcome aboard

[darrenstrong]

hi all

[Gazagem]

Hi from Skye buster and me

I'm afraid I'm of no help our gsd had pups but that was 10 yrs ago and it was a planned mating so all I can say is at lest she is now in good hands
As for rehoming the pups there maybe a rescue near you that could help they wouldn't even need to go to the kennels and pups do go quick

[darrenstrong]

thanks for that,will see how things go at the vets monday and look into rescue centers ect if needs be, they will no doubt have proper vetting procedures in place so at least they will go to the right people if the situation arises

[Guest]

Hi & welcome.

Poor you, what a situation to find yourself in! I'm afraid the only sure way of knowing whether it's a phantom or for real is to get the vet to do a scan. That will show if there are pups present. However, there's no emergency - if she isn't then all well & good & if she is, it's too late to do anything other than a c-section to spay her & kill the pups. Personally, I wouldn't do that, but it is an option. I wouldn't chase around for a vet to see her over the weekend, monday is soon enough.

If she is pregnant & you decide to let the pups be born, then you have a lot of work ahead of you. It's no easy ride. The first thing you should probably do is get a copy of "The book of the Bitch". It's a really good, informative book & will help you prepare for the birth & initial care of the pups.
http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=8615441999&searchurl=bt.x%3D65%26bt.y%3D8%26kn%3Ddog%26tn%3Dthe%2Bbook%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bbitch

You will also need to either contact friends/relatives to see if any of them want a pup, or contact rescue centres (preferably with stafford experience) with a view to them taking the whole litter at 8 weeks.

It's been a long time since I bred a litter, but Denise may be on later with some advice.

Whatever happens, don't panic! It isn't your fault & all you can do now is do the best you can for your girl!

[Guest]

Welcome

I feel really sorry for you, if the owners knew (seems like they did), it's horrible of them to withhold vital information for their own selfish needs. At least she's with someone who actually cares for her well-being. I don't have any advice I'm afraid, but I do hope it all works out!

[darrenstrong]

thanks for the advice caryll, someone else suggested the book to me also so ordered that from amazon this morning, if worst happens i think the rescue centers are likly to be the best option, alot of my family unfortunatly are a little brainwashed by what they read in the papers despite seeing how soppy my cass is they still dont remain convinced she is not dangerous...think she is more likely to lick you to death than hurt you!!

[janey]

Hi and welcome from me and Moo, I am of no help sorry but good luck with everything and do let us know Xx

[Guest]

I know, the general perception of staffs can be quite bad!

The good thing, though, is if she is pregnant, puppies are usually easier to home by the rescue centres than adults, so hopefully there won't be a problem.

No doubt you'll get her spayed when the time is right, anyway!

[darrenstrong]

the vets said she has to wait 3 months after season to spey her,she is booked in for early november, if she does have pups do you know if this can still be done or will she still need to be in tact in order to feed? sounds like a daft question i know but not really in to dogs biology!

[Guest]

Just been doing a few calculations & I don't want to worry you, but if your bitch is pregnant, then she could be due her pups any time over the next week or so.

[darrenstrong]

that was my calculation also! thanks for the confirmation, kinda hoping that if she is she will hang on till my wife gets home from her holiday!

[Guest]

No chance! Sod's law - you're on your own!

If you have any problems, though, make sure your vet's on the end of the telephone & we'll always try & help wherever possible!

[darrenstrong]

sods law indeed! thanks for the advice its much appreciated,not just you caryll but everyone else on here who has offered help and suport you have been great, will keep you all updated

[Guest]

Hopefully, it's just a phantom!

[Thomos 2]

Hi Darren, Cassie is lovely and so lucky to have you, certainly if Cassie is this advanced in pregnancy you will see movement within her stomach, also if you place the palm of your hand on her tummy and be patient you will feel squirming under your hand. I know both times that our spaniel had pups, there was lots of washing of her lady parts and her tummy beame noticeably hard, nesting started with her about eight days before birth. Hope everything is fine, try not to worry and keep reassuring her, it will all be very strange for her, bless! Good Luck!

[Guest]

Hi & welcome to the forum ><

[Steve]

Hi & welcome to the forum

[Guest]

High and welcome from us and Suki

[Guest]

How are things going?

[Guest]

Hello and welcome from Tyson & me.

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