i have just mated my girl for the third attempt to have a litter (yes she has superb hips 2:2 and is ch sired with faultless temperament and a stunning example of her breed) first attempt only slip matings - no litter (not that surprised really) second attempt different stud well proven, tied on day 13 & 14, no pups though very stong phantom. this attempt same stud again (free return) tied on day 15,16 & 17 at next mating attempt she was not very willing so left it at that.
She is now on day 34 and still bleeding! She continued to bleed to about day 28/29 last time and even longer this time so am worried this might be a sign she has missed again. She is very content and always hungry but it is too soon to expect any signs i know.
I would love to hear others experiences of prolonged bleeding after matings and the success rate of their girls being in whelp.

i wont be scanning either as last time i was told that he 'thought' she was and she went on to have none (though obviously there is the chance she was and then reabsorbed) so unless i am worried about my girl at all i will be keeping her happy and quiet at home

Look forward to hearing some experiences from the regulars on here (i have only ever posted 3 times but read on here everyday, very useful forum.)

I'd be concerned about her fertility TBH - it's unusual for seasons to go on for an excess of 30 days IME.  Possibly as a one off but not a repeat.

I do know of a GSD bitch local to me where her first two seasons lasted 6 weeks and were very bloody.  She was spayed and the vet advised the owner she would have been unable to whelp but I don't know what was found when they opened her up to reach that conclusion.

I've only mated the same bitch twice (as in two separate litters) and both times she stopped bleeding within 48 hours of mating (she normally bleeds watery blood right through until the end of her season).

Not much help probably - hopefully someone more experienced will be able to advise better.

Best wishes, Teri

I hate to say it, but the only time I ever experienced prolonged bleeding with one of my bitches was when she had cystic ovaries.  She had to be spayed.  She had no other symptoms other than the bleeding.

Debs

If this had been my bitch I would have had blood tests done to find when she ovulated.  I have previously had bitches either miss or have small litters and have had reasonable sized litters since using this method.  The bitch I recently mated I thought was too early, but bloods said otherwise - studs owner thought too early too.  We had matings with a days break between and she is now just over 6 weeks gone and looking huge!!!!

Should have also said one of the first signs my bitches have is that they are ravenous after about a week.  So perhaps it's third time lucky for you - fingers crossed all is ok.

My girl continued to bleed (but only very dark blood) for a week after mating and she went on to have 4 puppies so there is maybe a chance, but bleeding for 34 days sounds like a long time!  Have you had her checked by the vets?  Not necessarily to diagnose pregnancy but to rule out any other problem.

Hi
I cant advise on the length of bleeding but having just had my girl miss after being mated i can understand how you must be feeling and willing her to be pregnant. I didnt think i'd be as dissappointed and sad about it as i am.

I hope its 3rd time lucky for you and all is well.

try contacting KEITH SHEA   fit/fertile man he,s very good on these problems and it,s worth a try

Thanks for all the replies already!
yes i am now questioning her fertility, but i must mention that she has had a litter 2 years ago, 9 healthy puppies. i think that the timing was right as i have a proven stud here myself and he will only mate when the girls are ready and he only just started flirting on day 13, she went off to the stud on day 14 and he wouldnt mate until day 15 so it seems both boys knew their timing and as she happily stood for 3 days and then began to be awkward i would say the timing was right as generally i think the dogs know best. Therefore if timing was right then there must be another problem if she turns out not to be in whelp again, it is just the continued bleeding that makes me doubt that we will be successful, after 3 attempts it is very disapointing as we have a son of hers and we would now like a daughter too, not to mention that i have people on the waiting list who have waited for her to be mated again as they really want a puppy from her so feeling the pressure a little!!!!

Have bred 3 litters in the past and all bitches seasons seemed to finish within a few days of matings too, so not looking too hopeful, oh i will be soooo disappointed if we fail for the 3rd time. fingers crossed eh!

My young champion bitch did as yours, bled for over 30 days and missed last season.

I did have one of my previous bitches (her great grandmother) do this once, though not a season in which she was mated. 

The next season she was mated, and when being scanned the Vet thought he was checking for cystic ovaries, (due to the note on her file from last season) but they were fine and I had to tell him that I was wanting pregancy confirmed, there was none. 

She was mated at another season (3 years since her last litter) and had a litter of 4 by C section (previous two litters no problems whelping), and I lost one pup in first few days.

There appeared to be no sign of infection thsi time with my bitch, but the Vet suggested putting ehr on Antibiotics next season before mating.  I hope she takes this time as like you I want to keep a puppy bitch.

One of my girls bled from day one of her season till she whelped, my vet put her on Synulox for the whole of pregnancy and she whelped 7 healthy pups.  She had a normal pregnancy since without bleeding.

Oh blimey, well there is hope then, i will just have to wait and see but the waiting game is horrible, she is very hungry all the time so time will tell. She was given a 10 day course of synulox prior to matings just to ensure no nasties at the time of mating. She is very well in herself so am not concerned about her, just anxious waiting to find out if i will be a nanny again!

I also had a girl who bled from day 1 of her season until she whelped a huge (for a Lhasa Apso) litter of 9 , I had never had this happen before and it has not happened since. So fingers crossed and good luck !!

3rd time I would have at the very least been blood testing her.   Has she had any hormone testing done?

Hi blue, no she has not had any hormone testing, but as i said earlier i am not thinking that the timing may have been wrong as i feel that was spot on due to the dogs, if she had been blood tested and that indicated she was ready earlier or later the dogs would not of mated then as she was with him for a while and they chose the 3 days they wanted to mate and i think that with an experienced male and female they probably know best. i think if she turns out not be in whelp again it is because something is going wrong between fertilisation and implantation, there is nothing i can do now except keep my fingers crossed

That was my point

By doing the hormone testing you can see if and when the hormone is rising and if it was at a high enough level to make the onset of ovulation.  Hormone testing isn't just for the days it tells you a whole lot more about the bitch and the seasons.

there is nothing i can do now except keep my fingers crossed 
Perhaps not now  as it is too late   BUT I would definately not consider mating her again unless hand in hand with hormone testing. You may contribute to a pyometra otherwise.

I am not sure how pyometra comes into play as a pyo can happen after a season weather the bitch has been mated or not?

With a mating there is more risk of introducing/passing on infection causing bacteria.

yes i understand that concept but i dont see how the hormone level not being high enough is connected to the pyo? ALL matings risk introducing bacteria dont they

Though generally it is the scent of actual ovulation thats spurs on the lads so if both males where VERY interested at the same point then something was telling them that surely?

Hi Mandy,

yes i understand that concept but i dont see how the hormone level not being high enough is connected to the pyo? It isn't directly I don't think I actually said that but multiple matings with no puppies is not particularly great for a bitch.  The hormone rising is a key time for Pyo to trigger off. Multiple matings will introduce bacteria everytime.

Please don't take this the wrong way but I am not sure if you are asking us questions and seeking advise or telling us what you know!!  I am tryng to offer sound recommendations. Not being disrespecful , often we get people asking question but that never seem to want to know constructive answers

Though generally it is the scent of actual ovulation thats spurs on the lads so if both males where VERY interested at the same point then something was telling them that surely?

A dog will happily mate a bitch with an infection for  eeks if allowed to. Infection smell especially Pyo and it really attracts dogs. This is a Fact.

A bitch that has missed once and certainly twice should be tested for infections.  She may pass any infection ( if any) to the stud dog.

A bitch that has missed first time mated to a dog , at the very least for next mating I would recommend a course of antibiotics , I would be suprised if a vet didn't recommend it just the fact she has been mated and exposed to bacteria with no resulting litter.

Infections especially Pyo are triggered but the smallest amount of bacteria.

Yes mating exposes a bitch to bacteria BUT if she has a litter her body naturally expels most things. That is how nature intended it

If it were my stud I personally wouldn't accept a bitch that had missed twice without testing and antibiotics.

Just food for thought. 

Breeding isn't easy at times

Hi Blue,

Thanks for the comments, yes i am looking for other peoples experiences, i did not want to start a war its just that you spoken about the hormone level and then went on to say about pyo so i naturally assumed you were conecting the two.

My girl was as i said put on a course of AB's from the start of her season this time so hopefully covered that

i would love to hear any advice as that was the point of my original post, maybe she will go on to suprise me who knows

Breeding certainly isnt as easy as some people may think, it is hard work and very emotional eh!!!

Thanks and i hope i have some good news in a couple of weeks, we will see and if not then i will of course be having a good long chat with vet

Mandy
I had one of my girls have a long season.  She was not intended to be mated at this particular season, so had been kept well away from my boys.  I took her to my vet on DAY 28!!  I had never known such a long season, and was concerned about pyo.  She had previously had one litter with no problems.  My vet thoroughly examined her, looked up inside her, and said that everything appeared perfectly normal, no bleeding from the cervix, no infection.  He only gave me antibiotics because I wanted them.  I got back from the vets, let all the dogs up the garden, and went in the kitchen to put the kettle on.  Only to find my bitch tied!!  I decided to go ahead with the litter, and when I discussed it with my vet at a later date, he did tell me that he wouldn't have given the injection, as he would have honestly told me that she couldn't be pregnant.  She gave birth to 5 healthy pups with no problems.  She has since had a perfectly normal season.  You may have puppies yet!!  Good luck.  Jean

Hi Jean,

Thanks for your post, wow a day 28 mating, see they are not as rare as some people think, these girls just dont read the books!
oh i hope that my girl is but she is now on day 36 and still bleeding but is perfectly happily in herself and eating EVERYTHING!
Well i hope that we are successful this time and we will know one way or the other in a few weeks
Thanks again. Mandy

Totally agree with you Mandy that they don't read the books.  I've had breeders tell me that a girl is far too early to be ready, and they've been wrong, and I tend to let the dogs tell me what is right.  I have a girl that has very short seasons and bleeds for 3 or 4 days.  She has had two lovely litters, and is ready to stand at 7 days.  Never say never!!!!   I fully realise why my vet said the injection wouldn't be needed by the girl who tied on day 28, but there you go!

> ALL matings risk introducing bacteria dont they

Yes, that was the point being made.

Hi Sedona,

Thanks for the encouragement, was your girls blood like a season blood as in not particularly lots of it just the odd drip when she gets up from laying down for a while. Have spoken to my vet and as she is happy, eating and drinking normally, peeing and pooing normally and has no temperature and the blood is not think or smelly (sorry!) there is nothing he can really do unless things change. There is no need for AB's as there is no sign of infection (obviously i will keep a VERY close eye on her and if things change she will be visiting my vet.
If she is losing any litter that was concieved then there is nothing that can be done now so it is just fingers crossed.

Did your girl have any medication or did you just leave her be as she was well in herself?

Well i am glad you had a happy outcome and i am praying that me and my girl do too.

Thanks again
Mandy

now on day 39 and there has been no change at all in the colour and amount of blood she is losing - fingers and toes crossed!!!

Hi Mandy ,
It sounds just the same as my girl did , she just left marks where she had been lying , everytime she hopped over the doorstep she would lose a few drops , it was red blood just like she was in season , no smell and she was really well in herself,eating well and perfectly happy. I did get her checked by my vet and he said as there was no sign of infection he felt it was ok to leave her as it could possibly be caused by pressure on a blood vessel. I worried myself silly for the whole 9 weeks and imagined the worst , like you I felt that she must be loosing at least some of the pups but she was fine and it all turned out remarkably well , hope the same happens for you.