Worried about pregnant bitch

[Southernmama]

My neighbours shitzu is pregnant to her staffy- apparently she’s due next month and she’s been laying in the same spot for days and has been refusing to eat or drink.
I’ve suggested that she take her to the vet to have her checked out especially as the father is so different in size to her but she insists the dog is fine.
I’m at a loss- rspca aren’t interested and I can’t find any info online about whether it’s dangerous for a shitzu to be pregnant with staffy pups due to size.
Any advice on where to find info I can show her would be great.

Oh, I offered to take her to the pdsa but she declined that too 🤷🏻‍♀️

[DogInATent]

Are the neighbours experienced dog owners?

[AgathaF]

I'm not really sure what you can do if she refuses to seek help. It's unlikely to be an obstructed labour though, if she's not due for another few weeks.

[fivedogstofeed]

But if they're stupid enough to let their dog get pregnant do they even know when the pups are due? There's obviously something wrong :(

[DogInATent]

But if they're stupid enough to let their dog get pregnant do they even know when the pups are due?

That's a bit of a leap to judgement based on hearsay.

[Southernmama]

Doginatent I don’t think so- she’s only 19 and has 4 dogs including 2
Puppies.

Agathaf I really hope it’s not obstructed labour

Fivedogstofeed- She let them be together because she’s seen pictures of the breeds mixed and thought they were cute 🤷🏻‍♀️😩

I’ve called the rspca again as I’d forgotten to mention that mum is only 9 months old and they’re still
Not interested.

[fivedogstofeed]

That's heartbreaking :(

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Almost certainly the bitch is likely to need a section with that size difference. Though with a month to go just lying about my concern would be that the pregnancy is not progressing normally. The pups really only get big enough to slow the bitch down in the last two weeks.
If the bitch manages to go to term, survives labour I would then have concerns about hypocalcaemia due to the demand for milk that the size of pups are likely to have.
Does your neighbour have the £1500-2000 for emergency vets bills that she might need.
When people approach me about breeding I always ask them if they are prepared to give up 8 weeks of their lives, to send £2000 and possible end up with no bitch and no puppies - it happens.

[LittleBLUEsmurfHouse]

She is trying to breed "bullshits" with the bitch as the shih Tzu and not even fully grown herself?!

Unfortunately I don't think there is anything you can do until the bitch has died as a result of her refusal to get veterinary care, when you can report her to the police for animal cruelty.

Maybe tell her that you are worried mum dog could be loosing the puppies and should get a veterinary check up, to make sure the pups don't die. That has a financial incentive to get her to go. Loosing the pups will stop her making a profit off her "bullshits" and she might be more inclined to listen to that. She probably isn't willing to hear that mum is too young, too small and shouldn't have been bred with a staffie - that would mean admitting to herself and others that she did wrong.