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A Bitch Caesarean with exhausting complications

(click here for the story in pictures)

We’ve had a happy event in the practice! After the customary 63 days of pregnancy a young dachshund has been delivered of two beautiful pups, but not entirely by the conventional route.

In fact, after several hours of unproductive pushing Veterinary intervention was required. With the bitch becoming more and more tired and no pups to be felt in the birth canal despite an open cervix things were getting a bit tense. After another hour of effort only a foot and a tail had managed to pass through the cervix so the decision was made to perform an emergency caesarean operation.

A short acting anaesthetic was used to reduce stress to the pups and the operation was performed as quickly as possible to ensure minimise anaesthetic time and 2 strong, healthy, male pups were delivered alive - the best possible outcome. The uterus was closed using dissolving stitches then the abdomen was closed using a hidden, dissolving stitch in the skin; much more comfortable than conventional skin stitches. The bitch made a rapid recovery and was reunited with her pups and a delighted owner shortly afterwards.

All went well until 9 days after the surgery when, with no warning, the bitch collapsed in the garden. She was rushed in to the clinic where an examination and blood tests suggested a severe gastroenteritis; potentially very serious, especially in a suckling bitch. Treatment was started immediately but within hours she was vomiting, unable to keep even water down. Things were getting very worrying and the possibility of taking x-rays or even carrying out exploratory surgery was considered.

The following morning she was still being sick, although not so badly and also had diarrhoea, she seemed brighter though and by the afternoon the vomiting had stopped and the situation was looking better. The outlook wasn’t as good for the pups however as they were still completely dependent on mum for sustenance and her milk had now dried up completely as a result of the gastroenteritis. So the owner had to take over the task of feeding the pups by hand. The safest way to do this is by passing a tube into the pup’s stomach and syringing milk down it, this greatly reduces the risk of milk ‘going down the wrong way’ which will cause a fatal pneumonia.

This had to be carried out in both pups every 2 hours, night and day - truly a labour of love, especially since this was the first time the owner had used a stomach tube. Still, as she said to me (between yawns), “after the 500th time it’s not so difficult!”. The pups had to be weaned early because of this set-back and by only 3 weeks old were starting to take small amounts of solid food. Very shortly after that they and mum were doing fine again although I’m not sure if the owner was ever quite the same afterwards!

- see below for the story in pictures...

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