|
||||
|
030602Singapore Silkie
Caesarian pet health and welfare, elective Caesarian Sections,
educational for dog breeders, from
Asiahomes Internet Tips for Pet Lovers, sponsored by
AsiaHomes Internet.
July 01, 2003 The breeder cried "wolf" It was past eleven o'clock on this cool June evening of June 2003 when my mobile phone rang. It rang for a long time and woke me up. Who would call at this late hour? I got out of bed and went groggily downstairs to pick up the phone left on the dining table. Who would be ringing? Normal people would have slept as the next day would be a hectic working day. The phone stopped ringing. Now, I was fully awake. The phone's shrill rings echoed off the high ceilings of the living area. "My Silkie needs a Caesarian Section," the breeder said. "One puppy was born more than one hour ago and no more pup was seen." "Are you sure you want a Caesarian section?" I asked the breeder. It appeared to be a stupid question. Would the breeder bother the vet if he did not need one? This was the second time he had phoned me in almost similar circumstances. They were both just before midnight and the bitch had given birth to one puppy. In the first instance, I left my home to rush to meet the breeder at the surgery. Halfway, he phoned to cancel the appointment since his Schnauzer had given birth to a pup in his car. He decided not to elect for Caesarian section despite my advice that his barrel-shaped Schnauzer had so many puppies and would be exhausted. The Schnauzer later had a Caesarian at three o'clock in the morning at another veterinary surgery. It had seven puppies. Thus the breeder had cried "wolf" and I was wary. Once awake around midnight, it was difficult to sleep soundly again. "She had two Caesarian sections previously," the breeder elaborated. "I do not expect her to deliver the other three or four puppies naturally." We met at the surgery. The breeder brought 2 carrier boxes but no towels. Towels would be needed for the puppies. The Silkie's rectal temperature was 38 degrees Celsius. Normal. I put the stethoscope on her abdomen. I could hear only faint foetal heart beats of one puppy. A solitary puppy in a Silkie that looked as if she had three or four. If there were three or four vigorous puppies, the heart sounds would be loud and cascading into a symphony of new life. This was bad news. "I hope there are live puppies," the breeder said. How many of the puppies have died? Had he waited too long? The mother was thin. Would her low body weight affect the health of the growth of the puppies. The first puppy was average in size. No cries even after ten minutes of vigorous rubbing and care. The breeder put it aside as he took the second puppy. It was large but the tongue colour was wet and pale pink, just like the first. Normal puppies cry within five minutes of being taken out of the amniotic sac but these two puppies did not cry till fifteen minutes later. The third puppy was much smaller. I blew air into its lungs to inflate them as I did to the other two puppies. A mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. I could hear the lung lobes opened up. There was an unusual sweet taste from the puppy's mouth. Could the mother be suffering from diabetes? I instructed the breeder to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation as I started to stitch up the womb and muscle and skin layers of the bitch which was sleeping peaceful under a 2% halothane anaesthesia. He was not too keen to do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) might have made him cautious about coronaviruses. The dogs do have vaccination against coronavirus which will not infect human beings. The breeder held the puppy at arm's length. He held the puppy face upwards, about 15 cm away and blew some air into it. This was not much use. The mouth-to-mouth resuscitation was needed but this act was too squeamish for him. The third puppy's tongue was also pale pink in colour. Normal healthy ones which cried within five minutes have a maroon red tongue. 
I could hear the wheezy sound in its chest as it breathed a few shallow
breaths. I placed a drop of Dopram, a respiratory stimulant drug put
on its tongue. I rubbed its neck vigorously and swung it downwards
to release the water in its lungs. It did not respond and half an hour had
passed.The breeder wanted to go back. "Too much water in its lungs," he said. "Maybe the puppy would wake up when I reach the breeding kennel." "It would be dead," I said sadly thinking how it would be alive if the breeder had opted for an elective Caesarian section. At least the mother was alive. I washed her back. There was some red and deep green vaginal discharge. I gave her the oxytocin and antibiotic injections. Two pups were crying now but it took more than fifteen minutes to get them crying when normally it took less than five minutes. I could not help feeling that the third puppy would live if the breeder had an elective Caesarian section instead of waiting till the first pup had been born naturally. The Silkie had 2 Caesarian sections and it would be futile to hope that she would give birth naturally. "Why not plan properly, noting the date of breeding and getting the bitch operated at the 63rd day from first breeding after checking other signs like milk production, change of behaviour indicating imminent birth and taking rectal temperature?" I suggested. I knew I was talking to deaf ears. "The puppies may be immature if an elective Caesarian section is performed," the breeder replied. This remark indicated that he would need to suffer losses before he becomes aware of the cost-benefits of an elective Caesarian.  Proper breeding records which are seldom kept by the Singapore dog
breeder and careful observations of imminent parturition would eliminate
the worry about premature puppies. The business of breeding is like any business. In dog breeding, the aim is to get the highest number of live puppies per bitch at the time of sale. Each Silkie puppy was worth around $800 and in any commercial dog breeding operation, the loss of several puppies due to dystocias can adversely affect the profitability of the business. The business is not sustainable in profitability if the operation does not maximise its production especially in an SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) era of deflation, rampant price under-cutting and lack of spending power. The dog breeder must produce the maximal number of live healthy and vigorous puppies to cover his overheads. Unfortunately, the concept of elective Caesarian sections to obtain vigorous and strong puppies is alien to most of the Singapore dog breeders. They had not heard of such management terms as the "cost-benefit analysis." Would the $250 Caesarian section be worth paying for a planned elective Caesarian section in which all puppies are produced alive and strong? Would one puppy saved cover more than the veterinary bill? They usually wait a few hours till the bitch cannot give birth or has given birth to stillborn puppies before opting for the Caesarian section. By then, the puppies are dead or have suffered great distress and become half dead when delivered by Caesarian section. In this case, the breeder decided on an elective Caesarian section based on his feelings that the Silkie would never be able to give birth normally after delivering one live pup. This was because she had two earlier Caesarians. This feeling led to one dead pup and two weak ones when he could have three strong ones if he had planned ahead. If he waited till 3 a.m., he could have 3 dead puppies and a compulsory Caesarian section to save the mother as dead puppies would decompose and cause the death of the mother. Canine breeding is a business in Singapore. There are high rentals and overheads as the authorities ply on more taxation and regulations while the Landlord increases rent to market rate. Canine breeding in Singapore is generally ruled by feelings of the heart rather than cold accounting dollars and cents. Many times, sentiments erode the profitability of the canine breeding business and lead the breeder to scrimp on veterinary services when they are needed. There are breeders who do not vaccinate their bitches at all and then they wonder why they have so many puppies dying or suffering from severe coughing at around six weeks of age when they are weaned. This would be the time their viral antibody levels had diminished and they get infected. It is hoped that this article would be of interest to canine breeders all over the world. Labor consists of three different stages. Stage I (lasts from 6 - 24 hours) begins with the first contractions of the uterus and ends when the cervix is completely open and ready for puppies to pass out through the birth canal. The bitch may exhibit panting, restlessness, vomiting, anorexia (loss of appetite) and nesting behavior. Most owners can't see the uterine contractions. Stages II and III alternate with one another: Stage II ends with the delivery of a pup. Stage III ends with the expulsion of the placenta. It may take between 15 minutes and 4 hours between the deliveries of one pup and his placenta and the next. Contact your veterinarian if your bitch has not delivered a pup after 4 hours between the delivery of one pup and the next. If your bitch strains for more than 30 minutes without any puppy being born, consult your veterinarian immediately. An education article for Singapore canine breeders Contributed by: Dr Sing Kong Yuen, Toa Payoh Vets June 3, 2003 3.44 a.m drsing@asiahomes.com |
