Expert: Delores Beck - 4/6/2009

Question
Let me start by saying that I want to get our new dog spayed, but we have to wait because of her blood transfusion she had.  We rescued her and a male (a friend took him) from people that left them in a cage together.  They had so many fleas that when I washed her she had blood (it looked like red clay) coming off her.  This makes me just so sick because she is a loving dog and very loyal to us and we have only had her two weeks now.  

My question is that Brady (the male dog) came over for a day and they were in the back yard, both weak, but that afternoon we noticed that he was all over her.  Our first thought was that because of the blood from the fleas he was attracted to her.

We later found out that they had two litters of puppies together and the last one being a little over 4 months ago.  I don't want her to be pregnant because I'm afraid we will loose her and I'm mad at myself for believing the vet when he said she was just too weak from the loss of blood from the fleas for nothing to happen.

The vet said that she was too weak at the time to spay her and that we would need to wait at least two months.  As must as I want to wait I don't want anything to happen to her and I'm hoping and praying that nothing happened already.  

I'm in the process of looking for a new vet because this one said she was spayed and obviously she is not (no scar that we could see) and her teats are a little swollen and red but she has not had any blood and her private area is the same as it was two weeks ago.  

She was not fed a lot so she was very thin and we have her on puppy food right now to help her gain back the weight that the horrible people made her lose and hopefully that's the reason that she is responding this way.

Please help.

Answer
Oh dear.  These two must NEVER be alone together or she WILL get pregant.  I hope that's clear - never!  And don't leave her outside alone - male dogs will come from miles to get to a female in heat.

Get a capstar into her and that will clear the flea infestation.
If she's this weak, I wouldn't put any flea product on her.

Yes, get a new vet and I'd like to know what you're feeding her and how often.

Also - bath her again using a nice oatmeal based shampoo and rinse, rinse, rinse.

And bless your heart for rescuing these dogs.

Is it possible to find out from the previous owners who their vet is - and check with him?  How old is she?
Delores