View Full Version : Can my 8 year old female dachshund have puppies
ktranch07
Mar 3, 2010, 03:38 PM
Our dachshund has never had puppies and we were wondering if she can have puppies.
ktranch07
Mar 3, 2010, 03:40 PM
Can our dachshund ave puppies, she is 8 years old and never had a litter.
shazamataz
Mar 3, 2010, 04:24 PM
NO
She is FAR too old not just for a litter of puppies, but for her first litter of puppies!
Having puppies can take a terrible toll on the mother, especially if it's a large litter. The growing pups take a lot of nutrients and energy out of the mother, and the actual act of whelping them isn't easy on her either.
Dogs don't 'need' puppies, they don't have a 'desire' to be a mother.
They are actually happier and healthier when spayed.
8 years is about my cut off limit for spaying (unless there is a medical problem) so I would get it done as soon as possible.
My mothers 6 year old poodle went in to be spayed a while back (she was a show dog hence the late spaying) and when the vet opened her up he found that her uterus was so infected and inflamed if mum hadn't had her spayed at that time she would have died.
This is called Pyometra and can happen to any unspayed female. There are often no signs or symptoms until its too late.
I'm not trying to give you a lecture about spaying but that's a story that changed my view on it forever.
I had my girl spayed when she was 1 1/2 years old and she is in perfect health now. No more annoying heats (yes they are very annoying to them, and can be painful, just like a human period)
Aurora_Bell
Mar 3, 2010, 06:14 PM
Yes 8 years is definitely far too old to breed. But if you were just asking if she could get pregnant because of her age, then the answer is as long as she still goes in heat, they yes, she can get pregnant. Should you breed her? no. Definitely not.