Miniature Yorkie got pregnant by 14 lb Maltese Mix

Question
Hi, our mini Yorkie, she's 4.5 pounds got out and by accident and our next door neighbor's Maltese Mix who is 14lbs mounted her and tied up before anything could be done. Initially we were going to have her spayed and that would solve the problem if she had gotten pregnant, but the vet wouldn't do it 3 weeks ago, they said too much bleeding she was still in heat. We assumed she was not pregnant and put off getting her spayed (dumb). Well a week ago, we started being able to tell that she is indeed pregnant. She got tied up on 8/4, so today, she is 44 days out. Our vet said they could still spay her and abort puppies next week, but she will be 51 days. That makes me feel like I am killing them. I would be fine with having them, but my main concern is to not cause harm to Bailey (our dog). If she can safeley have them, then I would like to let her, but I have heard terrible stories about yorkies breeding with larger dogs....any suggestions?

Answer
Hi Angela:

First of all, please stop beating up yourself -- this was simply an accident, pure & simple and although I know you feel a lot of guilt on many levels try to know you're not the first to have encountered such an incident & at least you are doing everything possible to ensure the health & welfare of all concerned.

I can totally understand your feelings on having her spayed at this late a date. It's unfortunate your vet didn't simply do so earlier when it could have not been nearly so traumatic. The biggest problems you'll likely encounter are she'll probably require a C-section to deliver, since it's likely the puppies will be larger than she can deliver vaginally. Sometimes smaller dogs are able to whelp naturally even if bred to a much larger dog but I would recommend having an Xray taken by your vet when she's at 50+ days gestation so that the size of the fetal skeletons can be observed. Hopefully your vet will be able to determine their eventual size at full term & make a judgement as to whether or not a C-section should be planned or if a natural whelping should be attempted. I agree & understand your reluctance about aborting the litter at this late a date -- although I suppose it's purely a moral dilemma with which many people wouldn't find problematic, my opinion (for what it's worth) is that if Bailey were my dog I'd lean toward proceeding with the pregnancy. Of course by doing so there are still risks involved. Obviously with a C-section general anesthesia is used & anytime that's the case there's always a possibility of problems such as respiratory or cardiac arrest -- much is dependent on her age & general health. Thankfully veterinary medicine has improved dramatically in the past few years so the likelihood of her encountering such occurrences are less so than they would have been years ago. Also if you choose to proceed with the pregnancy & have the Xray taken, you'll get a good estimate of the litter size which will help you to better prepare. Hopefully it will be a small litter -- if not, then the next problem you'd likely encounter is her ability to nurse them adequately. You may very well need to supplement the puppies using goat's milk or a canine milk replacer such as Just Born or Esbilac. It is imperative, however, that the puppies receive at least for the first few days & as long as possible thereafter mother's milk, which contains colostrum, an agent produced by Mom containing her antibodies that naturally helps protect the puppies against a host of viruses. So even if supplementation is required at some point, allow as much natural nursing as possible.

Instead of jumping ahead & discussing additional details I'll simply stop here as the final decision as to whether or not to let the pregnancy continue is up to you. Your vet may be able to shed some additional light on this scenario but keep in mind he likely feels no moral conflict in terminating the pregnancy whereas you have a vested interest. However, if he feels continuing with the pregnancy would likely jeopardize Bailey's life then you'll have to put her best interests first. I realize it's an extremely difficult decision & I certainly wouldn't fault you if you chose not to proceed. However, if you do please know I'll do everything I can to help advise you & will be available to you. One final note -- if you decide to proceed with the pregnancy & a C-section is necessary, that would be an excellent time to have Bailey spayed. No sense putting her through two separate surgeries.
Please let me know of any additional questions you may have & I'll be wishing for the best for you all!