I'd like to tell a story. This is a true story, and still unfolding. Things may happen yet, that have not been foreseen. But this is a story that I feel ALL BREEDERS-TO-BE need to hear, and determine whether they can handle what *could* happen.
DH and I have been on a breeder's waiting list for several years. This breed is a Scottish Deerhound, not a common breed, thus one we are willing to wait for. It is also a giant breed, and a very natural breed. meaning a Deerhound bitch *should* be able to mate, carry, whelp, and care for her litter with little assistance from her human. Pomeranians are not a natural breed, and often need assistance. They are not always good at whelping naturally.
In this case, however, a near-tragedy occurred. This bitch is deeply loved by her breeder/owner, who showed her to her American Kennel Club championship, did proper health tests for the breed (including thyroid, heart, and various blood tests), not just seeing a vet to make sure she's healthy.
She went into labor last week. 35 hours later, and a couple oxytocin injections later, she's still in stage 1 labor. Off to the vet she goes. She was delivered C-section, and spayed at the same time. The cause of the lack of natural birth was a puppy blockage. She almost died because of this, and if her breeder/owner had not known what to do, she would have. VERY PAINFULLY!
As it was, one puppy was weak and malformed. He had to be euthanized. This was a very difficult, painful decision that the whole family discussed.
The next day, the bitch had to go back into surgery, because she was bleeding internally. Thankfully, the bleeding was stopped, but again, she almost died.
As of today, the puppies are 11 days old, and growing every day. Mom has been wonderful, and has been providing them with enough milk that the breeder does not need to supplement them. But as I said above, things can still go wrong, though we are all praying nothing will.
In addition to all the things others have said about breeding to improve the breed, doing proper health testing, etc, this is something you NEED to consider. Can you bear to lose your bitch if the worst should happen? Can you live with yourself if she dies painfully? Can you afford all this vet care, if something should go wrong (we are talking THOUSANDS of dollars!)? Are you prepared to raise a litter by yourself if the bitch should die? This means feeding every two hours (even throughout the night), cleaning them as their mother would do, etc. It's hard enough to raise a litter if the mother does all the work. Imagine having to do all her work, plus your own! Are you prepared to do all this?
