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Chihuahua post natal bleeding for 5 weeks

18 13:43:22

Question
QUESTION: My chihuahua has been bleeding for 5 weeks, ever since she gave birth. It varies in heaviness, but its always a muccous like, stringy texture. The color is fairly bright red. She doesnt seem to have any other symptoms. She eats a lot, and has several BMs per day. She hasn't had much exercise since we live in an apartment, and she has been with the puppies most of the time. Is there any reason to go to the vet?  We hoped she would have stopped by now. This is the second litter, and in the 1st, she stopped much sooner.

ANSWER: Update:: According to your comments: I don't care what your vet said, it is NOT normal, and she needs to go to a different vet. Bleeding for 5 weeks after whlping is not normal. Ask other breeders. Ask the other experts here. Vets don't know everything, and if a vet is not a breeder themselves, they don't know a whole lot about it. Breeding is not taught much at vet school. Some vets are good with breeding dogs because they have a lot of breeders for clients. I'm not even worried about the rating, I don't care about the rating. I want this corrected here, so no one else reads this and thinks that it's normal, because it's not. I wish you the best of luck, and hope your girl is ok. I also hope that you change your mind and have her checked out by a different vet, for her sake.
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Hi Jamin. Yes, she definitely needs to go to the vet. This is not normal. She may still have something inside of her, or there may be a tear. Definitely, take her to the vet.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I called TWO different vets, and they both said the exact same thing. They said that as long as the blood doesn't have any strange coloration in it or smell, it is considered within the range of "normal" to go as long as even up to 7 weeks. As you are an expert, I'm a little surprised that you are so quick to discredit a Licensed Veterinarian.  Neither one even wanted us to bring our dog in to make sure. They said that as long as she seems normal otherwise i.e. eating, drinking, active, then she should be fine. I appreciate your feedback and advice. Although, it seems weird that you come across as if you are unequivocally right and they are absolutely wrong when they are the Doctors.

Answer
Hi Jamin. I can't answer questions that are asked in the comments section, so I'll answer it here. :-) I think that the dew claws are a personal choice. I personally do have them done, but I don't think a bit less of someone who doesn't have them done. I know a bit about how people react to that sort of thing. I'm in a breed where dew claws are removed, tails are docked, and ears are done as well. Don't let people make you feel bad if you choose not to do them. Like I said, it's a personal choice for you to make alone. I read your breed's AKC standard on the AKC web site, and I didn't read any mention about the dew claws. So, it's apparently not an issue. It's definitely not a disqualification. Most people have them done so that they won't be injuried later in life. However, my ex-mother in law Chihuahuas for years and never had dew claws done, and never had an injury. I do mine because they are big dogs who can get pretty rowdy. It is mentioned in my breed standard that they should be removed. So, it's really up to you to decide. Don't be pressured into having them done if you truely don't want it.

And I feel that I should apologize here. I really didn't mean to come off as all knowing and such. I get passionate sometimes, and really just had the best interest of your dog in mind. I hope you don't take offense, as I honestly didn't mean any. You went with your gut feelings, and that's what you should do. Again, I apologize. I still feel that bleeding for that long needs to be checked out. I promise that I'm not here to discredit vets. Shoot, read my past answers. I refer people to vets many times. I just strongly believe in second and third opinions. :-) I'm not trying to say that vets are stupid either. On the contrary. But most of their clients have nothing to do with breeding, so most of them don't know much about it. Unless of course they're actually a breeder themselves, or a repro vet. That's all I was trying to say. It may not have come off that way though. I'm glad that your girl is doing good. Good luck with the puppies! :-)