breeding too soon after last litter

Question
Hi Ms. Allen,

I hope you can help me...I have a pair of apricot toy poodles...they are 27 months old...I have bred my female twice...the first time at her second heat and then again 9 months later.  It has been six months since the last litter and I am afraid she may have gotten preg. again...they only hooked up twice...the first time the vet gave her a shot within 24 hours and that took care of that...(someone else on here said that shot can cause her to be infertile...that it was very hard on her...I didn't notice any difficulty my female had in tolerating this shot...do you know anything about this shot?) this last time just happened the other day...the male had NO interest in her and I thought she was going out of heat...well, the very next day she appeared to be swollen a lot once again.  My question is if she is expecting again...should I have her spayed following this next litter?  I love her dearly and would never do anything to harm her...my neighbor scared me when she said that her uterus could fall out...sounds stupid...is she correct?

Answer
Hi Christine:

I think I've already addressed another question of yours posted but will cover this in case there is any doubt in your mind. I don't know exactly what injection your vet administered -- it may have been an oxytocin injection, which is a drug given in several different circumstances. In short, it causes the uterus to contract & is often used to terminate a dog's pregnancy or can be used to help with a slow whelping & is also used the day after whelping occurs to help the uterus to expel any remaining contents, such as a retained puppy or placenta. It's possible your vet gave her this as a "morning after" solution to the unplanned mating but, since she was obviously still in estrus, after a day or so her scent attracted your male & he was given the signal to breed again. It can sometimes be difficult for a female to endure this but I've personally never seen an unfortunate or adverse response. However, if it's given mid-gestation to terminate a pregnancy it can often cause the dog some pain as it does cause strong uterine contractions necessary to expel the fetuses. Choosing whether or not to terminate the pregnancy is your option and I would recommend to make this decision only with the input of your veterinarian -- he's in a better position to advise you as to your best course of action, since he's familiar with your girl & her health history. As for whether or not to spay her after this litter IF she is indeed pregnant, again I would advise you to discuss this with your veterinarian. If you don't want to have any future litters then yes, it would be advisable to do so as well as having your male neutered. By having both of them altered it will not only be beneficial for their health -- they'll not be able to develop any of the cancers associated with their reproductive organs, for example, but it will also make them both happier, more content dogs since the constant urge to breed will be eliminated. Again, your neighbor's information regarding a prolapsed uterus is far-fetched -- unless a dog has been overbred for years or has a health problem in that regard there's nothing to substantiate such a theory. She may have had an experience or know of someone who did but it's not a terribly common problem in normally healthy dogs. I hope this clears up any questions you have & please don't hesitate to contact me if you should have any additional concerns.