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- Main complications and problems in the bitch's delivery
- How to avoid the problems that can arise in giving birth to a bitch
If your bitch is pregnant, it is essential that you find out about everything that is important during the bitch's pregnancy, to know everything she needs and everything that can happen. So that when the delivery starts, you are fully informed about the problems in the birth of the bitch and how you should act as a responsible owner.
In this article we will inform you about the problems that can occur during childbirth and give you some advice to try to ensure they don't happen or how to anticipate them to act in time.
Main complications and problems in the bitch's delivery
If we have followed the pregnancy properly with the help of a veterinarian, it is difficult for problems to occur during childbirth. But there can always be a setback and it is best to be prepared. Next, we'll show you the most common problems in childbirth of a bitch and situations that can complicate it:
- dystocia: Dystocia is when puppies cannot get out of the birth canal unaided because of their position or some type of obstruction. It is primary dystocia when it is the puppy itself that is turned over and badly positioned so that it can be ejected correctly. In contrast, we speak of secondary dystocia when the impediment is caused by something other than the pup, for example an intestinal obstruction that greatly reduces the space in the birth canal.
- the puppy gets stuck: It may happen that due to the position of the puppy that is being born at this time or because the size of its head is too large for the bitch's birth canal, the puppy becomes trapped and cannot get out without the help of the owners or the veterinarian. It is important that you do not try to pull the puppy out by pulling it hard, this will only cause great pain to the bitch and easily kill the puppy.
- brachycephalic races: These breeds, like Bulldogs, have many respiratory and heart problems. Therefore, it is very common that bitches cannot carry out the birth alone. In addition to not being able to perform the effort normally due to the insufficiencies they suffer, it is more likely that, in the case of breeds with very large heads, the puppies will remain in the birth canal due to the size of their head. To avoid any complications, it is highly recommended that in breeds like this, a cesarean is planned directly at the veterinarian.
- Problems with getting the pup out of the amniotic sac and cutting the umbilical cord: It is possible that if the bitch giving birth is inexperienced or extremely exhausted or sick, she will have difficulty finishing the pups from her bag and cutting the string. In this case you or the veterinarian should do it, as it should be something fast once the little one is out of his mother.
- A puppy does not start to breathe: In this case we must act calmly and effectively. We must reanimate the newborn puppy to help him breathe for the first time. It's always better if an experienced veterinarian does it, rather than us at home. Therefore, it is recommended that the birth be assisted by a veterinarian, at home or at the clinic.
- reperfusion syndrome: Occurs when a puppy has just come out and the mother has excessive bleeding. It is not one of the most common complications, but if it does occur it is highly dangerous for the bitch, as she loses a lot of blood at the time.
- Rupture of the uterus: It is not the most common, but if it occurs, it endangers the life of the bitch and the puppies. Therefore, you should call a veterinarian as a matter of urgency. It can happen that the weight of the puppies is excessive for the mother. If this is the case, even though there is no rupture of the uterus, there could also be complications since the mother could not expel the puppies well because they are too big.
- Cesarean and postoperative problems: As with any operation under anesthesia, there are risks to the patient's health. It is unusual but there may be infections, complications with anesthesia and bleeding. After the cesarean there may be some problem with recovery, but if the bitch was in good health before delivery and there were no complications during the cesarean, recovery does not have to be complicated.
- Diseases prior to childbirth: If the bitch is already sick before giving birth, she will certainly be weak and that it will cost her a lot to carry out the birth alone. Furthermore, complications are likely to occur during childbirth if the mother has been sick for some time. If this is the case, the best thing is for the birth to take place at the veterinarian clinic with everything very well controlled.
How to avoid the problems that can arise in giving birth to a bitch
As mentioned before, the best way to avoid these problems is a proper pregnancy follow-up of our faithful companion. Therefore, you should take it to the vet every month, at the very least for a complete checkup to detect possible problems in time. Various tests such as ultrasounds and blood tests should be performed during these veterinary explorations. It's very important know how many puppies are on the way to take this into account at the time of delivery, because if they go out less and it seems that the process has stopped, you may know that there is a pup trapped.
As soon as you start to notice the first symptoms and signs that the bitch is giving birth, you should prepare all the necessary material like clean towels, the number of emergency vets, hand sanitizer and latex gloves, sterile scissors, silk thread to tie the umbilical cord if necessary, oral syringes to help the puppies expel the amniotic fluid, among more instruments. So we will be prepared to help our partner throughout the process and, in case of complications, resolve them properly. But we should not intervene in the natural process of childbirth if there are no complications or problems.
Even so, the safest thing for both the bitch and her puppies is that the childbirth is assisted by the usual veterinarian and preferably at the veterinary clinic with all the necessary material and knowledge at hand.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.