When Should Labradors Stop Breeding

Do you know that female Labrador does not have menopause? Yes, they are not like humans. They do not have this biological transition in their life. You must also know when to stop the female Labrador from breeding too. This article is entirely written on the norms of health factors and your need to take care of the pet dog. It is not that you keep them available for breeding just because it gives cute pups. It is a living being and requires to live its life. The older age of Labrador must be spent in a relaxed life and not on labor pain. There is always a time when you must stop this breeding process.

When Should Labs Stop Breeding?

The prime question is, when is that you must stop them breeding? For this to be understood, you must know the complications that a female Labrador may undergo that may cause severe damage to its life. There is an ideal age for Labrador to breed, and this age must not be too less too. This is exactly like the humans, just because a 14-year-old girl can get pregnant, can you allow her to get pregnant? Same way, there is an ideal time for the dog to breed as well.

You cannot go lower than the age and also more than the perfect age for the dog to breed. Experts suggest that the age at which the Labradors needs to stop breeding is 7 years. But there are exceptions in this category. There are a few percentages of dogs that are healthy after breeding even after eight years. But these are rare case scenarios.

Many health complications may occur after seven years. And that age is not ideal for any female Labrador to breed. This is irrespective of the dog that has bred or not. If your dog has not undergone breeding for seven years, please do not initiate it after that. The health factors are closely connected to the age factor too. The dog cannot be the same as it was at the age of 3 and 4 years old. The organs might get weak. Of course, they cannot sustain the strain that they underwent when they were young as well. As such, pregnancy to any living being pushes the animal to the extreme pressure. When your dog is old, it cannot sustain that, and any of the organs shall give up on her.

Reasons for not allowing Labs to breed after 7 years of age

1) Calcified Pubic Girdle

It is usual that when the dog is young, the pelvic region is also healthy and can expand while releasing the puppies. This is not the same when it gets old. The ability to expand is reduced. This causes severe problems among dogs. There is a possibility that the puppies can get stuck in the canal. This shall put both the lives into risk. When the pelvic region does not expand, then the only way is the C-Section, which is highly expensive in the current scenario.

2) Old Age problems

A Labrador is more like a human. As it gets old, the pain and old age slowness also joins. You would have noticed that your dog shall get grumpy. And this shall be a surprise to you in 9 years. This is simply because of the pain that the dog might undergo. It does not have a way to vent its feelings. While this being one part, if you allow your old dog to breed, it gets into immense pressure and pain.

This is not something that the dog is meant for. It is a life, and it must be nurtured and not tortured. You may also find the dog to be aggressive too. At the same time, a mother dog instead of being caring and nurturing, shall be seen as very pushy and rude. Why do we have to go through this? There is an age for everything, and this must not happen after seven years.

3) Dementia

A female Labrador at its old age is prone to many eye problems. One such issue is dementia. This may cause partial blindness and, at times, completely blind too. You must be aware of this situation, and this happens after seven years of age. Labrador breeding after seven years and has such troubles shall not be helpful for the pups and you too.

If you are not reproducing the dog before seven years and doing it after that, there are many possibilities that you might have to feed the pups. Imagine you feeding six puppies multiple times using a feeding bottle. If you are planning to live a peaceful life and allow the Labrador to live its life, you will get into such complications.

4) Miscarriage

As we saw earlier, a dog is exactly like a human in certain aspects. One such is this. If the dog is allowed to breed after the ideal age, there are several complications that may include miscarriage too. This is severe damage to your pet dog’s health. It ruptures many internal organs, and even if there are treatments available, the damage has its impact aftermath too.

Further, the dog may lead to a catastrophic situation also. This is one of the significant problems that you might face when you use to breed them after seven years. The vital organs cannot support pregnancy after this age, and you must be careful too. But having said that, why would you trouble a dog in its old age?

5) Production of Milk Ceases

There are many reasons why you must not allow your Labrador to breed after a certain age. The hormone levels of the dog may be reduced as it ages. There are many thyroid issues that a dog may undergo. This shall not allow the dog to lactate most of the time. That means to say, and it shall not produce milk for its puppies. All you have to do is, lift all the puppies and feed them. Can you?? No, so stop breeding the Labradors after a certain age. More importantly, the puppies that are born may also be left malnourished, which is not needed too.

6) Urinary Tract Infection

Labradors are known for a few health complications in their older age. Pregnancy at the wrong age shall bring a lot of complications in the urinary tract areas. UTI is very painful, and it shall discharge bloody urine. It might have difficulty in urinating too. The worst part about UTI is, it may lead to bladder cancer also. It is not suggested to breed the dog after seven years. Such complications are dangerous and may cause instant death.

Conclusion

As we have seen, there are many reasons why you must not allow the dog to breed after seven years. You must stop them from breeding. This shall save your dog and also your peace. Also, the heat cycle shall prevail, and you must be careful during that period. Have an eye on the dog all the time during the heat cycle. As such, the Proestrus period shall not affect the dog as it might not be interested in male dogs at that time. On the other hand, locking them inside the house after a certain age also creates anxiety problems with your pet. Take care of them, balance every act of the dog, and allow them to lead a happy life.

One central aspect that you need to watch out for is the age. Take them to the vet regularly for check-ups. This shall save a lot of money when the situation is worse. Also, pregnancy being harrowing, it is suggested to handle it with care with proper vet care as well. At its old age, allow the pet dog to relax and do not strain them with any breeding process. This might put your dog into trouble. It does not stop there, and your wallet might be in trouble too.

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