Difficult pregnancies

This week Sally had six puppies. What made it different from so many other successful births is that five days earlier Sally had come very close to dying.
Sally is a tiny Yorkshire terrier. I met her a few days ago when her owners rushed her to the clinic in what could only be described as a ‘titanic’ fit of panic: all four of her limbs were fully extended and the neck arched all the way back. Her breathing was also very fast and shallow.

All vets are accustomed to occasionally seeing this condition in small breeds of dog when the mother has been giving milk to a large litter of about three weeks; the condition is technically called eclampsia.  The muscle spasms are caused by the low levels of calcium in the blood, which the mother has been feeding her pups through her milk.  Since calcium is essential in the normal process of muscle contraction, a shortage of it in the blood results in violent spasms. In Sally’s case it was the fact that she was so small and was carrying six puppies that had caused her calcium levels to go down so soon.  Despite Sally not yet having given birth, I felt the first thing I should do was to give her an intravenous calcium injection.

Within five minutes, Sally was up on her feet displaying hardly any evidence of her dire situation just a few minutes before.  It’s great when serious problems can be solved so quickly, but it’s always better to prevent the situation from becoming so serious. A visit to your vet during your dog’s pregnancy is always recommended.

The best time to call would be when your dog is just into her fourth week of gestation, since it is at this time that puppies can best be felt by palpation. Palpation is when the vet examines the dog by exerting gentle pressure of the fingers around the belly.

If need be, your vet could also recommend confirmation by ultrasound and/or blood test. During this first visit, nutrition for the rest of your dog’s pregnancy as well as management for a successful birth can be discussed.  This week Sally had six puppies by Caesarean section, yet that will have to be another story...

Dr. Martin Debattista
Veterinary Surgeon
thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com