my chihuahua dog is pregnant

Question
QUESTION: my 9 lb chihuahua got pregnant on her first heat by my sisters pomeranian mix who weighs almost 20 lbs. We knew about how a larger male and a smaller female  could cause problem during whelping. So we did the best we can, we made sure she didn't get fat also made sure she took calcium pills which was suggested by the vet. When we brought her for her xrays the vet said the puppies might be too big for her so, she suggested to schedule a C section for my chihuahua. A couple days before her scheduled C-section she gave birth to three healthy beautiful puppies and she seemed  quite alright and had no problems she was up and eating not even an hour after she gave birth. Now i know its taking too long for my question i just thought I'd have to explain this first. See what happen is  that she's pregnant again with the same dog, we got him neutered but i guess he got to her a couple days before he went in to get fixed. My question is what are the chances of my chihuahua having even larger pups this time and would have to go for a C-section? I have no problem paying for a C-section but I certainly wouldnt wan't to waste a lot of money if she didn't need it. We are taking the same precautions as we did the first time and we do have the vet on stand by just incase( by the way she didnt get pregnant on her 2nd heat cycle she got pregnant on her 3rd heat cycle)? I know you might not be able to give a definite answer but anything to your knowledge would certainly help out. thanks in advance.

ANSWER: Hi Sebastian. You did a great job at explaining the situation. This is what I like. The more information, the better. :-)

If she delivered a healthy litter the first time, then I don't see why she wouldn't do it this time either. I mean, things do happen, so it's best to be prepared. I believe that you have done absolutely everything that you could to make sure mom and pups were healthy. Like you did the first time, don't let her get fat, and make sure she has plenty of exercise. I would get another x-ray this time as well. This way, you'll know if there's a really large puppy in there, one that's bigger than the last litter. Just keep a good eye on her when she goes into labor, and if something comes up, take her straight in. I don't see any reason why this time should be any different. You just do exactly what you did the first time. You did everything right. I'm not saying that she won't for sure need a c-section this time, every pregnancy and whelping is different. Just keep doing what you're doing, and it may help prevent her from needing one. Good luck!

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QUESTION: I totally appreciate your answer I feel much better now. My concern is for my dog I just don't want anything to happen to her. We got her for $200 from a guy who's selling her outside a walmart, 3 weeks later she caught parvo and ended up spending 6 days in an emergency pet hospital. Everything totalled to almost 4grand it was a lot of money but she's totally worth it. I just don't want anything else to happen to her. Another question if you don't mind, I should have done this after her first litter but how long after giving birth can I get her fixed so that she wouldn't have to go through this again? Too many dogs in the world that are in shelters that need homes I just don't want to take anymore potential homes from them by giving/selling the puppies. thank you again.

Answer
Hi! I'm glad that I could help. If something should happen, and she needs a c-section, then you can ask your vet to go ahead and have her spayed then. Some vets will, some won't. It's ok to do it if you can get your vet to. If she whelps naturally, then I'd wait until about 3 months after the birth of the pups before having her fixed. This will give her plenty of time to recoup from having puppies and nursing them. This is my own personal preference. There's no set time to have a dog spayed after giving birth, everyone has their own preference. I just like to give the dog some time to completely heal before putting a surgery on her. It will give you plenty of time to have it done before she goes back into heat. Talk to your vet. He may have a full schedule, and you may have to book a surgery date in advanced. I know that with my own vet, you have to make an appointment a month in advance for a spay/neuter.

I think that you have the right mindset for this, and are doing a really good thing for your dog. I also think that you have your dog's well being in mind. If I can be of anymore help, let me know!