# Advice needed regarding the injection to abort a pregnancy!



## Foxfolly (26 January 2009)

Firstly I don't want lectures on indisriminate breeding etc. etc.. we are prepared, we are occassional breeders and yes we have a list of people who are interested in the pups!! So please can I just have advice regarding the injection!

We intended to breed our Patterdale bitch this time round but unfortunately she has managed to get out and has been got by another dog before we had arranged for her to go to the stud dog.... Highly frustrating but its done and there is not a lot we can do now!!

We thought she was still to early so I guess there is a possibility she might not hold, this time which may be the best outcome!!

I wondered what experience people have had of the injection and what the pros and cons are?

OH has heard it can cause pyo's. If this is the case we would rather let this pregnancy go ahead if there is one, than to end up not being able to breed from her again in the future, she is a cracking little dog and a good example of the breed!!

It wouldn't be the end of the world if she did have them to the dog she was caught by as he is still the same breed, its just he is similar build to her and we wanted her to go to somthing a bit more athletic!!

All options / advice gratefully received!!


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## Vizslak (26 January 2009)

I have had to do this once, the only complication was an eventual phantom pregnancy which had to be treated. The bitch was fine and has bred since. I have to say in your situation i wouldnt be aborting though, as it was early she may not have taken but equally your timings may have been out. I would put her to the dog originally intended now and risk a split litter. In relaity I dont expect you will be able to tell, they are all the same breed so does type really matter??????! I dont think its right to put the bitch through it when you will have saleable puppies at the end of it anyway, its not like a fox got on her and as they will all be patterdales it hardly matters who sired which pup.


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## FinnishLapphund (26 January 2009)

Not about the injection but about the risk for her to have "taken", according to what I know, "best" time to mate is usually between day 12 and 16, but I've read about at least one bitch getting a full litter after being unintentionally-mated on day 2. Dog sperm are also rather long-lived and can live up to a week inside the bitch waiting for the eggs. 


In Sweden they have used "stuff" based on Oestrogen and it did have higher risk of causing pyometra but could also cause anaemia. 
Now I think they use something called 'Mifeprestone', it affects the increase of progesterone that takes place during the pregnancy and it *very rarely* cause any side-effects. The last thing I heard, it can be given at any time during the pregnancy, but she will need 2 injections with 24 hours in between.
So as long as I had made sure I knew what the veterinarian was using, I wouldn't choose to not use the abort injection only due to the risk of side-effects.


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## Skhosu (26 January 2009)

Not heard of any side effects, suspect that is scare mongering, 
the only issue is it doesn't always work, but thats just something you have to cope with I'm afraid.


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## FinnishLapphund (26 January 2009)

Don't think it's scare mongering TripleSandH, my veterinarian says the same that veterinarian says in some books I have. Bitches that got the earlier "treatments" that contained Oestrogen, did get more pyometras than bitches statistically have a risk of getting in consideration to the bitches age. There was(/is?) also the less known risk of it causing anaemia. 

But the "newer" "treatments" that affects the increase of progesterone that takes place during the pregnancy, *very rarely* cause any side-effects. 

So since there is numerous things that could go wrong with pregnant bitches, I don't think there is any bigger risk with using the "newer" "treatment" than the pregnancy itself.


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## TarrSteps (26 January 2009)

Any hormone is going to carry risks, surely?  After all, it's a delicate system to go messing with and hormone therapy carries risks in any other animal?

(Not saying it should or shouldn't be used, just that the more we find out about hormones the more medical science says treat them with high respect.  After all, we used to be free and easy with Regumate and no one thinks that's a good idea anymore.)


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## Skhosu (26 January 2009)

Ah rihgt, thanks FL, hadn't ever heard of it myself but you learn something new everyday!


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## TheBlackMoth (26 January 2009)

I am not an expert - but I can tell you my JRT bitch had this injection.  And 9 weeks later we had three lovely little boy pups!!!


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## Fallowfen (26 January 2009)

hello, we done this once when our lab got go our Springer, the Springer still produced a litter but all dead. Was very distressing all round and wouldn't do it again. When ringing the vet they said this is quite common!


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## FinnishLapphund (26 January 2009)

It's like P-pills and condoms Nuala, neither of them works 100 % either.


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## Dizzykizzy (26 January 2009)

We had to have the injections when the lab next door jumped over our gate. It was her first season and I didn't want her to have pups then. From memory I think she had 2 jabs and we had no side effects or problems at all and she went on to rear a healthy litter of 12 a year and a half later.
I think if you have homes for Patterdale pups and sire was Patterdale then you may as well let nature take its course.
The jabs were expensive too and needless to say the dog's owner never even asked how she was!


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## star (26 January 2009)

it's not scare-mongering.  repeated use of this injection can definitely cause pyos.  we recommend using it if needed and then spaying as usually the people wanting to use it dont want pups and really should have got the dog spayed anyway.  if you're not that fussed on whether she has the litter or not then i'd take my chances as she might not take anyway and the injection might not work also.  i'd let nature take its course.


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