OMG! PUPPIES! j/k...

OMG LOOK!  A PUPPY!

So you have a female dog, and she's the sweetest, most adorable, most loving creature on Earth.  There has never been, nor will there ever be, a dog remotely as wonderful and loving.  Ever.  So you think about having her have puppies.  Why not?  She isn't spayed, she's adorable, and about six people you know swear they'd love to have a puppy if your dog gets pregnant!  Plus, as an extra bonus, it will teach your kids/niblings/neighbor kids about the birds and the bees and the miracle of life!  And maybe, just maybe, you can make a buck or two in the process!  Not much, just a 'rehoming fee' to cover initial vaccinations or something.  Maybe enough for a night out with the significant other at the Cheesecake Factory, too.  Yeah....who doesn't love the Cheesecake Factory?

Well, there are a LOT of reasons why you shouldn't do it.  Lots of reasons.  I know it's really, really tempting to have puppies.  Believe me - I've been in the veterinary field for a long time, and I love little baby critters more than anyone I know!  But, seeing as we are all grown-ups here, we have responsibilities towards those we love.  And, if you truly love your dog, you won't breed her.  Here is a list of reasons why you won't breed her, and instead get her spayed at your earliest convenience.

1) You've heard this before from your vet (if you're a responsible pet owner and get your dog her shots), but spaying your bitch decreases health risks.  

this is pus coming from the uterus.  gross.

This includes cancer and uterine infections.  Specifically, I speak of a condition called Pyometra.  This literally means Pus Uterus.  One type of pyometra is a silent killer, and you won't know your dog is critically ill until she is either in shock or dead.  Cool, huh?  So you could be saving her life without putting it in danger just by spaying her.

2) Having a litter of puppies can increase the risk of cancers, and greatly increases the risk of pyometra.

3) Proper breeding costs money.

Dogs can get STDs just like humans, and Brucellosis (an STD) can cause illness and abortions.  Therefore, testing for Brucellosis is ideal prior to breeding.  Not only that, but you'd need to take your dog to the vet a couple times during the pregnancy to have her checked out.  Just to be sure that the pups are developing properly and mama is doing ok.  This generally includes an ultrasound and/or x-rays along with the normal exam.  And let's not forget that mama dog has to be properly vaccinated and have the proper flea/tick medication up to date.  You don't want flea-infested puppies that will either die of flea anemia or the topical flea killer you try to use on them...
After the pups are born, you need to take the whole lot of them in for a once-over by the vet within the first week to make sure they are healthy.  You need to invest in a scale that reads in ounces to be sure each pup is gaining weight properly.  And it is your responsibility to make sure all pups are vaccinated and dewormed prior to going to their new homes. Oh, and if you have a breed that 'requires' it, removing the dew claws is on your dime, too.

cleft palate and lip

4) Emergency C-Section surgery can cost about $3,000.  

No dog breed is immune to the possibility of needing emergency surgery to get the puppies out.  Since there is no sure-fire way to know if your dog will need a C-Section until labor starts and doesn't progress, it's best to be prepared.  Generally, pugs, English bulldogs, and many chihuahuas require a c-section simply due to their natural anatomy.  Large heads/shoulders and small pelvises.

mama eating the umbilical cord

5)The miracle of life is messy.

Lochia, the green, ubiquitous placenta-juice that gets everywhere during labor will stain your hands, your clothing, and everything it touches.  And it doesn't always come out.
Mama dog will also eat the amniotic sac, the fluid, and the placenta.  Probably not all at once, and its disgusting.  Sometimes, the mama will be so vigorous in her ingestion of these items that she can actually rip a hole in the tummy of the puppy.  In this case, the puppy will need to be taken to the nearest vet clinic, day or night, and euthanized.  Poor, poor puppy.  :'(

6) Mama dog may not take to motherhood.

Some dogs just don't take to motherhood.  Whether it's the first time, the third time, or what have you.  She may be afraid of the alien beings she just birthed, she may ignore them, or she may choose to attack and eat them.  That's nature.  Sad, disgusting, horrible nature.

7) How many in a litter?

how many do YOU count?

You can't know, prior to about 45 days into the 63 day gestation, how many puppies there will be.  There could be as few as 1 puppy, which would make the puppy huge by the end of the pregnancy and require a c-section.  There could be as many as 12, which causes headache in rehoming, vaccinating, worming, etc.

8) People are unreliable.

Six of your friends say they'd LOVE to have one of your puppies!!  But, this thing just came up, and they're suddenly broke.  Or they are moving soon and can't have one.  Or some other excuse.  Then you end up giving the puppies away on craigslist and they end up as bait dogs in a dogfighting ring and all you ever wanted was to witness the miracle of life and make a carbon copy of your dog....

9) Breed Predispositions.

umbilical hernia

If you have a purebred dog, you need to keep in mind the life you may want to bring into the world, and the ramifications of doing so.  Many dog breeds have diseases they tend to get, based on breed.  For example, golden retrievers are prone to cancers, cavalier king charles spaniels have heart disease, etc.  Here is a list of diseases each AKC-recognized breed is predisposed to.
If you don't have a purebred dog, you can't possibly know its potential for disease.  Best be safe, rather than sorry, and not breed your dog.  And don't even get me started on birth defects.  there are many.

10) You're murdering perfectly good, innocent dogs.

For every puppy that is rehomed out of the litter you want to have, a shelter puppy/dog dies.  I understand that this isn't 100% accurate, as some people who would take a dog from you won't go out and adopt one from the shelter.  BUT thousands of dogs die every day because there is a shortage of loving homes.  And having puppies means that you are bringing more dogs into this world that may be abandoned later in life, ending up as a stray at a rescue, and killed simply because there wasn't enough homes to go around.  Think about the footprint your litter of puppies is leaving on the world.

The best idea is to decide WHY you want to have a litter of puppies.

"I want (kids/niblings/neighbor kids) to witness the miracle of life"
**go visit youtube**
"I need money"
**you won't make money.**
"My dog is so adorable and sweet.  We need more dogs like her."
**no, we don't.  just look at the sweet, adoptable dogs being killed every day at the shelter.  also, no puppy is going to be a carbon copy of yours.  they are all unique.**
**stop being so selfish**
"I wanna see what the puppies would look like"
**use photoshop**

cleft palate