Healthy Pomeranian Breeding Tips

Pomeranian puppies begin life as tiny, vulnerable creatures, so having a healthy breeding program is crucial to their survival. Pomeranian lovers may think that mating their dog and raising pups is an easy way to make money, but the expenses, stress and time involved can be staggering. True Pomeranian advocates won't breed for "fun" and know that it's best left to the experts. If you can handle the tedious job of breeding, selecting health-screened, appropriately aged parent dogs is a good place to begin.

  1. Health Screening

    • The best way to breed a healthy Pomeranian is to start with healthy parents. This toy breed is subject to genetic disorders that can be passed from parent to offspring. According to the American Pomeranian Club, these issues include hypothyroidism, a slipping knee-cap disorder called patellar luxation and cardiac disease. Selecting a healthy dog to mate requires extensive medical screening by a veterinarian through blood tests and radiographs. This will determine if the dog you plan to breed has an illness that could be passed to future puppies. A clean bill of health for both parent dogs is the best way to start your breeding plans.

    Canine Brucellosis

    • Brucella canis is a bacteria that can be transmitted between mating Pomeranians and has severe health implications. According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, this infection causes the mother's pregnancy to abort between the 45th and 59th day. Canine brucellosis can also result in infertility. This bacteria is normally transmitted by vaginal or seminal secretions during mating and you should avoid breeding dogs that test positive for brucellosis. Veterinarians can test your dogs for the bacteria, but you should retest breeding dogs once a month for six months prior to breeding. Testing all other dogs in your home, even nonbreeding dogs, is also advisable since the bacteria can also be transmitted by the nose and mouth.

    Age

    • The age of your Pomeranians contributes to the health of your breeding program and the puppies that you produce. Veterinarian Ron Hines advises to wait until your dog is at least 1 year old and has had at least two regular heat cycles. This allows your Pomeranian to mature physically before enduring the stress of pregnancy and labor. Dogs too young to be bred can be poor mothers or become ill and die from the trauma of birth.

    Cleanliness

    • Remember to keep your home clean and free of disease. Puppies are susceptible to parvovirus, distemper and more, and these diseases can be transferred from adult dogs to puppies, tracked in the home on shoes or transferred by human handling. According to the Best Friends Animal Hospital, frequent hand washing, removing shoes and outer clothing before handling puppies and following a strict vaccination schedule for adult dogs is the best way to keep your Pomeranian pups healthy.