The Khronicles

 The Bilingual Community Newspaper

'Η Δίγλωσση Τοπική Εφημερίδα Σας

Τα Χρονικά
    ISSUE NO. 35 MARCH 2009 WWW.KO-GO.GR    


The Khronicles

A division of

Ko-Go Επιχειρήσεις

Box 332
Kokkini Hani 71500
Web address: www.ko-go.gr
editor@ko-go.gr
Telephone: 2810-762748
Fax: 2810-762816

Publisher:

Sofia Klidi

Editor:

Lou Duro

Associate Editors:

Tony & Christine Bowes

Web Editor

John McLaren

Contributors/
Columnists:

Renie Spykerman, Petra Karreman, Maria Daskalaki, John McLaren, Bob Bayes, Father Dimitris Mihouthis, Father Leonidas Hatzakis, Vasiliki Alexaki-Hronaki, Michalis Vardakis, Niki Yiamalaki, Dr. Vangelis Athousakis, Nikolaos Papadakis, Spyros Hatzakis, Jasmine Farsarakis

Translations:

Ada Vamvoukaki

Photographer:

Sami Moudavaris

Layout & Design:

George Drakakis

Printed By:

G Detorakis

PETS WITH PETRA

By Petra Karreman
Director of Pet Planet
dpkakoudakis@yahoo.com


 Unwanted Pregnancies

Most people think a pup is very adorable and cute and a whole nest of puppies is even cuter and makes you want to keep them all.

Unfortunately, it is not always nice because, perhaps, the father is not what you had in mind for your female pet, or because there are never enough new owners for all the pups.

Then what?!

A female dog goes into heat twice a year and she can start from the age of six months. The period takes three to four weeks, and during this time there is a constant risk of mating and becoming pregnant.

The period starts with bloody fluid oozing from the dog's vagina, which will be a little swollen at this time. At first, it will be dark, but later it becomes lighter coloured as the period goes on.

If a dog mates, the chances of pregnancy are very high, but are not 100 percent. The vet can check the dog after 21 days with echo scan, and after about 28 days you can actually feel the pups inside.

Later on in the pregnancy, however, feeling the pups will become more difficult because as they get bigger, they feel like an intestine.

   

Until now there were not a lot of possibilities to stop the pregnancy. However, allowing the pups to be born is also not always a good solution. 

You need time to raise them until seven weeks which is the law in Greece before you can sell them or give them away.

Also, it can be expensive since the pups will need to be de-wormed, vaccinated, and, of course, they require special food.

What to do if the dog is pregnant and you don’t want the pups or can not have the pups?

Until now, there was the possibility to give injections to stop the pregnancy. These injections had to be given at certain days. This is only possible when and if you know that the dog has indeed mated.

Of course, the vet can sterilise the dog and remove the uterus and the pups at the same time. However, this procedure is not entirely without risk, but it is definite and takes away the chance for repetition.

Now there is a new product on the market which contains two injections which have to be given two days after each other. These injections can be given at any stage of the pregnancy up to 45 days after mating.

The best method is, of course, to sterilise your dog before all these problems begin. The dog will be infertile, no period with blood in the house, and the good side is that there is no further chance of any infections of the uterus and tumours of the milk glands.

Remember, sterilisation is a standard procedure which can be done by any vet without risk, in most cases.

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