breed or not to breed

Sometimes there is a need to intervene when it comes to whelping and the bitch needs a Cesarean section. I advise if you feel your bitch will need a section, not to allow her to become exhausted from trying to push puppies out and then opt for a section. The risk of losing your bitch due to operative complications increases with an exhausted bitch, plus your chances of getting live babies is also drastically decreased. In the cases of a singleton puppy being conceived, I would opt for an elective section. Chances are very high that the puppy will be too big to allow safe natural delivery and also, it has been proved that with a singleton pup, sometimes the bitch does not go into active second stage of labor because the right hormones are not released for this to occur. Consequently, the puppy dies and the bitch will still need to have a section.

What you will need in the case of a section is a bed in which your bitch can travel home in with warm blankets to cover her. You will also need a smaller bed for the babies, also with blankets and a hot water bottle to keep them warm. They will not be travelling home in the same bed as their mother. No doubts, she will still be feeling the effects of the anesthetic and unable to look after the babies herself. Also, if she is still drowsy, she may accidentally hurt one of the babies by lying on them or stepping on them in her attempts to stand up without proper balance. Most vets these days, use anesthetics that allow the bitch to be conscious very soon after the completion of the operation, but this in no way means that the bitch will not need proper care and supervision for at least a few hours post operative.

When you get your bitch and babies home, take her straight to her whelping bed and place her on clean fresh blankets and a heating pad if the weather is cold. The bitch's body temperature will be lowered at this stage and she may be shivering quite a lot. Keep her warm and quiet. If she is still very drowsy, you may cover her with a blanket as well until she is more alert. Keep the babies on a heating pad and blankets away from the bitch, but place one by one on to the bitch to suckle. You will have to be present all the time and on top of the bitch and puppies while nursing, do not leave the room and assume the bitch will be responsible for her actions. Sometimes, babies are also born a little sluggish due to also having been affected by the anesthetic. Keep them warm and stimulate them to wake up with gentle rubbing with a warm towel. You may have to guide them on to a teat and help them latch on and hold them until they have had a feed from their mother. This is an important part of the maternal bonding process and she must be made to know they are her babies as soon as possible.

Puppies should also be stimulated to open their bowels and to urinate.

Keep a check on the bitch by checking her gum color often. It should be a nice pink color, not white. If it is pale, this could mean your bitch is losing too much blood or is about to go into shock. Check the blood flow from the vulva, it should be moderate and may be red in color, but if it is bright red and there is a severe amount of blood loss, call your vet. Encourage your bitch to wake up as soon as possible after a section. Some ways you may do this is to gentle pat her and talk to her. You may also use a warm, moist face washer and gently wipe her face. Offer her a bowl of milk to drink, but do not become overly concerned if she does not lap it up. She may be feeling a little sick and may even vomit. Some bitches develop a slight cough from where the tracheal tube was placed down their throats; this will soon pass, but if it lasts for more than a day, offer her some warm milk with honey. Keep returning the puppies to the bitch to nurse, but take them away after allowing them to suckle for ten minutes. I do not advise leaving them with the bitch unattended. Once the bitch is completely alert and has accepted the babies, you will know this when you see her licking them, and allowing them to nurse, can you begin to relax and allow her the privacy to raise her litter. However, do keep checking on the new family often. Especially in the case of a maiden bitch.

If the babies are not settling after nursing on the dam, it may mean they are still hungry or that her milk has not come down yet. You will have to supplement feed them until this occurs. I give my babies a very dilute formula in a bottle if they are able to suckle, or I stomach tube feed until they are stronger. I use Pets Own No Lactose Milk, which I have diluted with boiled, cooled water by 50%, to this I have added glucose and Nutrigel vitamin paste. (See section on Hand Raising for more information). For the first few days post operative, I like to keep the mothers on a very bland diet. Generally I will feed them boiled chicken with rice and pasta. They relish this and will eat it even when they may refuse everything else. Make sure you keep up with her antibiotics, Calcium and other vitamins. In the case of nervous bitches, I have found that giving them massive doses of vitamin C usually helps them to settle down. During this period, the dam needs nutritional food, and also more meals than usual. The new family needs to be kept in a quiet room away from other people and pets. You will have to take her outside to eliminate several times a day but only for a short period of time as she will not like to be away from her babies for too long. Keep bedding clean and check the babies daily for all correct vital signs. (Refer back to Hand Raising section for more information).

It is important to keep a close eye on the wound. Make sure the suture line remains dry and not moist and red looking. Make sure that all sutures remain intact until it is time for them to be removed which is generally ten pays to two weeks post operative. It is a good idea not to wash the bitch during this time. If she happens to really soil the abdomen, gently wash the wound with a warm saline solution, dab dry and then blow dry the area. Keep puppies nails short to prevent scratches to the mammary glands and also to the wound site. Most bitches heal very quickly and without any fuss. Having a Cesarean section once does not mean the bitch will need this method of delivery every time. Bitches may have up to three sections safely but this is something which should be discussed with your vet.

Written By Anne Roditis –Muscat (c) copyright 2005