My services

The whole purpose of a scan is to determine whether or not a bitch is pregnant, but everyone wants to know' how many'! I will always give an estimate of exactly what I see on the scan, but this can never be 100% accurate. 

It is completely normal for more or less puppies to be born than are counted at a scan. This isn't the fault of the machine or the operator. My machine gives very clear images of the foetal sacs, and as such I will always point them out and you can come to your own conclusion as to how many you can see. 

Puppy skeletons start to form around day 38 of gestation. Earlier than this it is common for foetuses to fail to thrive and to then be completely re-absorbed by the bitch, leaving no sign that they ever existed. (The British Small Animal Veterinary Association estimate normal re-absorption rates at 5 -11%.) and a scan before 35 days may show foetuses that the bitch later re-absorbs. 

Bitches can re-absorb puppies, and sometimes an entire litter for many different reasons. She could have hormonal or physical reasons that she cannot maintain a pregnancy, she may be stressed or carrying an underlying health problem/infection.   

There could also be a problem with the foetuses themselves and some breeds are more prone to re-absorb than others. You should consult with your vet to rule out any underlying medical issues if your bitch re-absorbs an entire litter. A foetus cannot be regarded as 'viable' unless a heartbeat can be seen on the scan. 

Even then, there is no guarantee that a puppy will survive through to the end of the pregnancy, they have a long way to go to get to 63 days. After about day 35 the puppies have grown to a size where they start to overlap each other on the scan, and telling one puppy from another becomes increasingly difficult. Any one puppy may be counted twice, and sometimes hiding behind another and missed. 

I am a full member of the Animal Ultrasound Association having completed all the training they provide to reach a high standard of competency.