Dear Dr. Forsythe: Can you please help me with a problem that started when I brought my 2-year-old Border collie with me during a visit to Sonoma for the weekend after Thanksgiving. She was out in the yard for just a few minutes when a large stray got at her and they started breeding. Before I could get out and try and stop things, they were in “full swing” and now I’m afraid she could be pregnant. I think the male was some sort of lab mix with pit or shepherd. “Maggie” seems fine, but I was wondering if there was a pill I could give her, or do I need to plan for a litter coming some time soon?
Foolish mom
Dear mom: I’m sorry to hear about your little Maggie’s likely unplanned pregnancy. If she was in heat (which is likely considering the fact that she stood for breeding) and she completed a “tie” with the male, there is a better than 50/50 chance that she could be “with litter”. You have several options to discuss with your veterinarian.
• You could do nothing. If she is not pregnant, nothing will happen, and a tincture of time will heal things. Even the memory of your pretty girl doing “the nasty” with that stray dog will diminish over the months. If she is pregnant, she will have a litter about 60 days from when she was bred.
• You could have your veterinarian run a blood test for a hormone called Relaxin. This is a hormone that is present in pregnant dogs after 28 days of gestation. The hormone develops in order to allow the uterus to relax and expand to accommodate fetuses. This hormone is present after 28 days of pregnancy and the test is both sensitive and specific. Knowing whether or not Maggie is pregnant or not will allow you to make important decisions about her family planning.
• You could have her spayed. Although there is a slightly higher risk of complications having the operation when a pet is pregnant or recently in heat (due to bigger blood vessels and fluid in the uterus), you would be avoiding the problems of Maggie carrying a litter or having additional heat cycles.
• There is a “morning after” treatment for pregnant females that causes abortion, however most veterinarians do not recommend this because it is quite painful for the pet to go through. It can be a long and painful process for the pet and some pets develop uterine infections after going through this.
I should stress that whatever you choose is between you and your veterinarian. I’m not here to advocate one particular method or way of handling a difficult and emotion-filled predicament. Good luck taking the best care of Maggie. She sounds like a little dynamo, and definitely one to watch carefully at all times.
Dr. Forsythe
Dear Dr. Forsythe: My cat Sinclair has recently taken up darting up to someone in the house, standing up on his back legs, punching him, then darting away. What could this be? Is he going crazy? Is he losing his mind? He does it to my wife, dog, our company, and me. He even does it to the houseplants.
Sam, Sonoma
Dear Sam: it sounds like Sinclair is begging for attention. No, I do not think he is going crazy. He may be a little loopy, but only in the good way cats get. He wants attention, so I suggest cat toys, and plenty of them. I think he wants to play fetch, to catch and to engage. He sounds like an engaging lad, and he needs more play time with his “public”. Have fun with him and enjoy.
Dr. Forsythe
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