Single golden pup in the litter - pros and cons pls?

[Panicmode1]

I have been waiting to find out from the breeder (who is also a friend of mine) if her beautiful golden is pregnant - she's just had a scan and has told me that the vet thinks there is only one pup, which is a bit of a surprise for us both; as we were first to express interest, she has said that if all goes well with the delivery, we can have the pup if we want but understands if we don't - she was planning to keep one anyway.

I am a first time dog owner, have four children and so am a bit of a novice - I understand that socialising the pup will be even more important than it already is, and that it may be bigger than it would have been - are there any other reasons why it would be a bad idea to have the pup? All wise advise welcomed!

Sorry, I've no practical advice but this happened to a friend of my grandmother's and they called the puppy Solo, which I love! Surely as long as you make sure it's well socialised things should be ok?

Scans are not exact by any means, especially those done by vets, IME.

All vet scans I have had done have been quite significantly wrong with regard to number of puppies brewing. How many days is the bitch into her pregnancy? Is she a maiden bitch? Is your friend a novice breeder? How many pups per litter does the sire usually throw?

Great name! I would be doing all of the puppy parties/classes etc anyway - I have just googled and it says that onlies 'can' be a bit aggressive with other dogs because they don't know how to behave, but with four children, surely it will learn to be in a pack . The children have been SO excited about getting a dog, and this bitch is SO beautiful and has the most gorgeous temperament that I really would like one of her pups, but I don't want to make a mistake if there is a glaring reason not to have an 'only'!

There's some good information and some links in this thread that might be useful for you.

Bear in mind that scanning isn't an exact science and it's pretty common for vets to misjudge the number of pups, sometimes by quite a lot!

She is due on 20/10 so would that be about half way? She is a maiden bitch, yes, and yes this is the first litter for my friend (but she has had dogs all her life) - not sure on the last question - will have to get the answer!

So she is on day 36 ? Is that from date of first or second mating? And was she premate tested?

Children don't work as socialisation as anything other than socialising puppies with children.

Read the link above and it'll give you more answers...but the short answer is, it's more likely to not be fantastic with other dogs no matter what you do as it missed the crucial part in the beginning and it will probably be mouthier than a puppy that had other puppies.

And yes, vet scans are not reliable.

Second mating I think. Not sure about the testing but I know that she's done everything properly and by the book and the dog is from a very well known kennel.....

OK - U/S scans really are notoriously inaccurate and are only likely to have a chance of being accurate during a very small window of the pregnancy - days 26-31. And that is assuming the operator is skilled which tbh, vets tend not to be. By day 36, it is unlikely to be possible to get a clear, accurate scan result.

It would be worth finding a sheep scanner if you can - they are pretty bloody good at counting. Roughly where in the country are you?

However, singleton pregnancies are difficult, labour often doesn't start naturally, puppies are often far larger than usual often resulting in the need for c section. They miss out on normal puppy socialisation and learning which cannot be compensated for by children. If it is a singleton - and I am not certain it will actually be - I'd be more worried for the bitch than about what sort of pet it'd be though.

It is also possible to have an X-ray just before whelping to get an accurate count which will ensure your friend knows how many pups to expect during whelping. Does she not have a mentor?

That's all brilliantly helpful daisy, thank you. She's coming for lunch tomorrow so I can ask her all of these questions. We're in West Kent.

I think she is worried about the bitch - obviously there are more risks and complications for her. I am not sure about the mentor, but I know that her vet has a very good reputation.....I will get more detailed information from her tomorrow, but thank you so much for your help.

What I'm really saying is I think it is entirely probable the scan isn't accurate - mostly because it has been done too late, but also because its been done by a vet (mine will only give a yes or no, not a count because they know they don't do enough to be properly accurate), and because most scans are wrong by at least 25%.

If I were your friend, I would find a local specialist scanner - probably a sheep scanner - who has a good reputation for counting and visit them. I would also assume that an X-ray towards the end of pregnancy will be necessary for a definitive count IF the specialist scanner is doubtful about number.

Also, and I am no way dismissive of vets, they are the most skilled professionals - but they just won't be there to support your friend when whelping.

It's unusual to find a vet who is enormously experienced in pregnancy and whelping - they know the theory inside and backwards, but often have very little hands on experience. My experience is that vets like to be aware that labour has started, but that they will have no input unless something goes wrong - they don't act as midwives!

It would be valuable for your friend to get a mentor, someone who has whelped many litters over the years - what about the breeder of her bitch?

Had a brief text exchange with her last night - she said the lady she went to is known to be very accurate and she was very confident that there is only one.....

I spoke to the KC today - they were really helpful and said that it is really, really key to ensure that the dog is well socialised in the first 16 weeks, especially with other dogs, but that if we do that well, there shouldn't be problems.....

I know that she is being supported by the breeder of the sire - and possibly the bitch too - not sure about during whelping though although I know her vet is now keeping a close eye on her.

A friend of mine's bitch was scanned and she was informed that there were probably 6, maybe more....there were 2. The vet did say the scan wasn't infallible but seemed fairly confident by feeling as well that there were certainly more than 2!

if she is only having 1 pup, and only has the mum (no other dogs) I would be worried who she is going to socialise the pup with (dog wise)