8 yr old pregnant female

Question
I'm getting conflicting info from everyone. My purebred male beagle pup and my purebred 8 yrd old female were locked and I'm told she could now be pregnant! But she hasn't been in heat for 2 years and never been pregnant before. I'm told to give her excellent vet care, which of course I am, but how much danger is my "baby" in?  Could she die? I'm very concerned.  Any info you could provide would be very much appreciated.

Answer
Hi. Well, any time a dog is bred, you run some course of danger. It is more dangerous for a dog of that age to give birth for the first time, but that's not saying that you're definitely going to have problems. Make sure she's on a good dog food, gets plenty of exercise, and have an x-ray done after 50 days in. This will tell you about how many to expect, and if there are any really big ones. Watch for danger signs, like a colored discharge before the birth of the first puppy, anytime during pregnancy. If you see a colored discharge, get her straight to the vet. if she acts off in any way, get her to the vet. I'm going to give you a web site that will be of some help to you. Good luck, let me know if I can help with anything else.

www.debbiejensen.com