Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog giving birth but struggling - what to do?
By O'Neill, Dan G et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2019·The Royal Veterinary College, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Canine dystocia in 50 UK first-opinion emergency care veterinary practices: clinical management and outcomes.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A bulldog was brought to the vet for difficulty giving birth, a condition known as dystocia. In many cases like this, a cesarean section (C-section) is performed, and it was done for nearly half of the dogs studied. Bulldogs, along with Border terriers and golden retrievers, were more likely to need a C-section compared to other breeds. Some dogs were treated with oxytocin to help with contractions, while a few received calcium supplements. Fortunately, most dogs recovered well, but a small number did not survive the emergency care.
People also search for: bulldog dystocia treatment · cesarean section for dogs · why is my dog having trouble giving birth
Abstract
Canine dystocia is a relatively common veterinary presentation. First opinion emergency care clinical data from 50 Vets Now clinics across the UK were used to explore dystocia management and outcomes in bitches. Caesarean section (CS) was performed on 341/701 (48.6 per cent (95 per cent CI 44.9 to 52.4)) of dystocia cases. The bulldog (OR 7.60, 95 per cent CI 1.51 to 38.26, P=0.014), Border terrier (OR 4.89, 95 per cent CI 0.92 to 25.97, P=0.063) and golden retriever (OR 4.07, 95 per cent CI 0.97 to 17.07, P=0.055) had the highest odds of CS among dystocic bitches compared with crossbreds. Brachycephalic dystocic bitches had 1.54 (95 per cent CI 1.05 to 2.28, P=0.028) times the odds of CS compared with non-brachycephalics. Oxytocin was administered to 380/701 (54.2 per cent) and calcium gluconate was administered to 82/701 (11.7 per cent) of dystocic bitches. 12 of 701 dystocia cases (1.7 per cent) died during emergency care. These results can help veterinary surgeons to provide better evidence on the risks to owners who may be contemplating breeding from their bitches. In addition, the results on the management and clinical trajectory of dystocia can facilitate clinical benchmarking and encourage clinical audit within primary care veterinary practice.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30718270/