# X raying pregnant goldens: Cancer Concern?



## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

I honestly don't know. I do not xray my pregnant bitches unless it is an emergency situation. I am trying to stack the odds as much as possible in long lives for my dogs, so it makes no sense to me to expose neonates to any amount of radiation except in extreme emergencies.

I usually will do an ultrasound but that is about it.


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## ServiceDogs (Apr 2, 2013)

Tahnee GR said:


> I honestly don't know. I do not xray my pregnant bitches unless it is an emergency situation. I am trying to stack the odds as much as possible in long lives for my dogs, so it makes no sense to me to expose neonates to any amount of radiation except in extreme emergencies.
> 
> I usually will do an ultrasound but that is about it.


I've only ever done one x ray on a pregnant bitch, and it was at the emergency vet at 3:00 after she stopped having puppies before we thought she was done. Sure enough there were 4 puppies left, 2 of which survived.


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## ServiceDogs (Apr 2, 2013)

Tahnee GR said:


> I honestly don't know. I do not xray my pregnant bitches unless it is an emergency situation. I am trying to stack the odds as much as possible in long lives for my dogs, so it makes no sense to me to expose neonates to any amount of radiation except in extreme emergencies.
> 
> I usually will do an ultrasound but that is about it.


BTW, I've been meaning to ask you, do you know Connie Miller? I was thinking your name came up in a recent conversation we (Connie and I) had, but couldn't remember for sure. We had been talking about breeding structurally correct goldens (not overly angulated and well balanced).


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

ServiceDogs said:


> BTW, I've been meaning to ask you, do you know Connie Miller? I was thinking your name came up in a recent conversation we (Connie and I) had, but couldn't remember for sure. We had been talking about breeding structurally correct goldens (not overly angulated and well balanced).


Yup  I think the world of Connie. Her boy Cory is behind every dog I own-I consider him the male foundation of my kennel. I still remember driving to Connie's in Madison to see Cory. There must have been 20 Goldens running around in the paddock, but Cory stood out like there was a spotlight on him. I picked him out immediately and all the other dogs just disappeared in my eyes.

Connie finished several of my dogs for me and had no qualms about correcting my grooming and handling errors 

I don't see her much any more, since I don't get to as many shows as I used to.


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## OnMyWay2MyDreams (Feb 13, 2011)

One xray late in pregnancy is not as bad as one may think..here is some info from Idaho State University. Some of these are different jobs/health hazards compared to radiation (occupational dose) as in people like me, a vet tech who take xrays. Also further below shows radiation from other sources as well as from xrays. IMO, I will do one xray late in pregnancy (after 55 days) to see how many pups there are in case during whelping their is an issue. To me that is important. 


Health Risk	Est. life expectancy lost
Smoking 20 cigs a day 6 years
Overweight (15%) 2 years
Alcohol (US Ave) 1 year
All Accidents 207 days
All Natural Hazards	7 days
Occupational dose (300 mrem/yr)	15 days
Occupational dose (1 rem/yr) 51 days

You can also use the same approach to looking at risks on the job:

Industry type	Est. life expectancy lost
All Industries 60 days
Agriculture 320 days
Construction 227 days
Mining and quarrying 167 days
Manufacturing 40 days
Occupational dose (300 mrem/yr)	15 days
Occupational dose (1 rem/yr) 51 days



Limits for Exposures Exposure Range
Occupational Dose limit (US - NRC) 5,000 mrem/year	
Occupational Exposure Limits for Minors 500 mrem/year	
Occupational Exposure Limits for Fetus 500 mrem	
Public dose limits due to licensed activities (NRC) 100 mrem/year	
Occupational Limits (eye) 15,000 mrem/year	
Occupational Limits (skin) 50,000 mrem/year	
Occupational Limits (extremities) 50,000 mrem/year	
Source of Exposure 
Average Dose to US public from All sources 360 mrem/year	
Average Dose to US Public From Natural Sources 300 mrem/year	
Average Dose to US Public From Medical Sources 53 mrem/year	
Average dose to US Public from Weapons Fallout < 1 mrem/year	
Average Dose to US Public From Nuclear Power < 0.1 mrem/year	
Coal Burning Power Plant 0.165 mrem/year	
X-rays from TV set (1 inch) 0.500 mrem/hour	
Airplane ride (39,000 ft.) 0.500 mrem/hour	
Nuclear Power Plant (normal operation at plant boundary) 0.600 mrem/year	
Natural gas in home 9 mrem/year	
Average Natural Background 0.008 mR/hour 0.006-0.015 mR/hour
Average US Cosmic Radiation 27 mrem/year	
Average US Terrestrial Radiation 28 mrem/year	
Terrestrial background (Atlantic coast) 16 mrem/year	
Terrestrial background (Rocky Mountains) 40 mrem/year	
Cosmic Radiation (Sea level) 26 mrem/year	
Cosmic Radiation (Denver) 50 mrem/year	
Background Radiation Total (East, West, Central US) 46 mrem/year 35-75 mrem/year
Background Radiation Total (Colorado Plateau) 90 mrem/year 75-140 mrem/year
Background Radiation Total (Atlantic and Gulf in US) 23 mrem/year 15-35 mrem/year
Radionuclides in the body (i.e., potassium) 39 mrem/year	
Building materials (concrete) 3 mrem/year	
Drinking Water 5 mrem/year	
Pocket watch (radium dial) 6 mrem/year	
Eyeglasses (containing thorium) 6 - 11 mrem/year	
Coast to coast Airplane roundtrip 5 mrem	
Chest x-ray 8 mrem 5 - 20 mrem
Extemities x-ray 1 mrem	
Dental x-ray 10 mrem	
Head/neck x-ray 20 mrem	
Cervical Spine x-ray 22 mrem	
Lumbar spinal x-rays 130 mrem	
Pelvis x-ray 44 mrem	
Hip x-ray 83 mrem	
Shoe Fitting Fluroscope (not in use now) 170 mrem	
Upper GI series 245 mrem	
Lower GI series 405 mrem	
Diagnostic thyroid exam (to the thyroid) 
Diagnostic thyroid exam (to the Whole Body) 
CT (head and body) 1,100 mrem	
Therapeutic thyroid treatment (dose to the thyroid) 10,000,000 mrad	
Therapeutic thyroid treatment (dose to the whole body) 7,000 mrem 5,000-15,000 mrad
Earliest Onset of Radiation Sickness 75,000 mrad	
Onset of hematopoietic syndrome 300,000 mrad 100,000 to 800,000 mrad
Onset of gastrointestinal syndrome 1,000,000 mrad 500,000 to 1,200,000 mrad
Onset of cerebrovacular syndrome 10,000,000 mrad >5,000,000 mrad
Thershold for cataracts (dose to the eye) 200,000 mrad	
Expected 50% death without medical attention 400,000 mrad 300,000 to 500,000 mrem
Doubling dose for genetic effects 100,000 mrad	
Doubling dose for cancer 500,000 mrad (8% per Sv, natural level at 20%)
Dose for increase cancer risk of 1 in a 1,000 1,250 mrem (8% per Sv)
Consideration of theraputic abortion threshold (dose in utero) 10,000 mrem	
SL1 Reactor Accident highest dose to survivor 27,000 mrem	
Three Mile Island (dose at plant duration of the accident) 80 mrem


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

While I have not had my own litter if and when I do, I think I will do a post whelp x ray if I have any question of if there are puppies left. I don't think x rays are accurate enough IMO to take an extra risk (radiation exposure) and a waste of money as the counts are often unreliable. Just my novice opinion. 


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## OnMyWay2MyDreams (Feb 13, 2011)

CarolinaCasey said:


> While I have not had my own litter if and when I do, I think I will do a post whelp x ray if I have any question of if there are puppies left. I don't think x rays are accurate enough IMO to take an extra risk (radiation exposure) and a waste of money as the counts are often unreliable. Just my novice opinion.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


We may have 1 or 2 that may hide..but to get a general idea and most of the time is close is nice to have. When you have a dog that is taking a long break and you are not sure if they are done, you could be losing precious moments that could potentially be a risk to mom and pup.


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

I never think twice about an X-ray on a pregnant bitch. By the time you do it, the pups are formed etc....


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