Pregnant retriever??

Question
Hi, My 9mnth old golden retriever female went into heat while we were on vacation. My male golden retriever has "hooked up" with her according to my house sitter. We are planing on breeding them in the future to add to our family. My concern is that she is too young and this could prove dangerous. What are my options and should I let the pregnancy continue??

Answer
Hi Dusty

The problem with breeding young is that the female hasn't fully developed mentally and physically and will stop developing physically and won't reach her full potential.

Depending on how long ago they mated, you could take her to the vet for a shot of oxytocin to clean her out.  However, when you start "messing with Mother Nature", there's a chance that she won't be able to produce in the future.

Well bred Golden's are mentally sound and don't typically harm their off-spring. I would continue on as if she took.  Feeding a quality kibble, supplemented with vitamins and fish oils.  

Good luck