the woman who does my ultrasounds--sharon--likes to do them between day 28-35 for a head count. She is so good that if ther nhas been multiple breedings--lets say over a full weeks time--she is able to tell by the shape of the blobs exactly how many days prego she is. After day 35 the blobs are too big and crowded for a head count. However an ultrasound can still be done at a later period for other reasons--such as determining water babies. An ultrasoud can safely be done at any stage of pregnancy. The value of doing one depends on what you are looking for. An xray however should only be done the last day or so of pregnancy as the rays can be harmful to the developing fetus. Also an xray shows hard tissue like bones which are not developed until the end (doesn't even show cartilige well0 while an ultrasound shows soft tissue. An xray is good to determine if even 1 puppy is present if you are not absolutely sure if she is empty.

Miriam Olesen
http://www.omegabulldogs.shutterfly.com/

I always get a 2nd ultrasound and never had a bitch re-absorb their pups.A 2nd ultrasound tells u if all the pups are doing well, if the bitch is carrying to much water, if pups are in distress etc. It's such a valuable tool to have the 2nd ultrasound.

I had heard that you should not have ultra sounds after day 30 because it could cause the female to absorb her pups, but then I hear that it's fine, not a problem, so I wondered what, if anything, others had experienced. Thank you so much for your response. I decided to cancel her second ultrasound, just to be safe. I know she is pregnant and if we get more pups than we are told were seen, then it's a blessing.

Lottie, thank you for the information. What day did you have the second ultra sound done?