Parturition
The pupping usually takes place from the sixty-second to the sixty-fourth day; and the process having commenced, from a quarter to three quarters of an hour generally takes place between the production of each puppy.
Great numbers of bitches are lost every year in the act of parturition: there seems to be a propensity in the females to associate with dogs larger than themselves, and they pay for it with their lives. The most neglected circumstance during the period of pregnancy is the little exercise which the mother is permitted to take, while, in point of fact, nothing tends more to safe and easy parturition than her being permitted or compelled to take a fair quantity of exercise.
When the time of parturition has arrived, and there is evident difficulty in producing the fœtus, recourse should be had to the ergot of rye, which should be given every hour or half hour, according to circumstances. If after a certain time some, although little, progress has been made, the ergot must be continued in smaller doses, or perhaps suspended for a while; but, if all progress is evidently suspended, recourse must be had to the hook or the forceps. By gentle but continued manipulation much may be done, especially when the muzzle of the puppy can be brought into the passage. As little force as possible must be used, and especially the fœtus little broken. Many a valuable animal is destroyed by the undue application of force.
If the animal seems to be losing strength, a small quantity of laudanum and ether may be administered.
"The patience of bitches in labour is extreme," says Mr. Blaine; "and their distress, if not removed, is most striking and affecting. Their look is at such time particularly expressive and apparently imploring."
When the pupping is protracted, and the young ones are evidently dead, the mother may be saved, if none of the puppies have been broken. In process of time the different puppies may, one after another, be extracted; but when violence has been used at the commencement, or almost at any part of the process, death will assuredly follow.
June 15, 1832.
— A spaniel bitch was brought to my infirmary to-day, who has been in great and constant pain since yesterday, making repeated but fruitless efforts to expel her puppies. She is in a very plethoric habit of body; her bowels are much confined, and she exhibits some general symptoms of febrile derangement, arising, doubtless, from her protracted labour. This is her first litter. Upon examination, no young could be distinctly felt.
Place her in a warm bath, and give her a dose of castor oil, morning and evening.
June 16
. — The bitch appears in the same state as yesterday, except that the medicine has operated freely upon the bowels, and the febrile symptoms have somewhat decreased. Her strainings are as frequent and distressing as ever. Take two scruples of the ergot of rye, and divide into six doses, of which let one be given every half hour.
In about ten minutes after the exhibition of the last dose of this medicine, she brought forth, with great difficulty, one dead puppy, upon taking which away from her, she became so uneasy that I was induced to return it to her. In about a quarter of an hour after this I paid her another visit: the puppy could not now be found; but a suspicious appearance in the mother's eye betrayed at once that she had devoured it. I immediately administered an emetic; and in a very short time the whole fœtus was returned in five distinct parts,
viz
., the four quarters and the head. After this, the bitch began to amend very fast; she produced no other puppy; and as her supply of milk was small, she was soon convalescent.
Twelve months afterwards she was again taken in labour, about eleven o'clock in the morning, and after very great difficulty, one puppy was produced. After this the bitch appeared in great pain, but did not succeed in expelling another fœtus, in consequence of which I was sent for about three o'clock, P.M. I found her very uneasy breathing laboriously; the mouth hot, and the bowels costive; but I could not discover any trace of another fœtus. She was put into a warm bath, and a dose of opening medicine was administered.
About five o'clock she got rid of one dead and two living puppies.
2d.
She is still very ill; she evinces great pain when pressed upon the abdomen; and it is manifest that she has another fœtus within her. I ordered a dose of the ergot, and in about twenty minutes a large puppy was produced, nearly dying. She survived with due care.
I cannot refrain from inserting the following case at considerable length.
Sept. 4, 1820
. — A very diminutive terrier, weighing not 5 lbs. was sent to my hospital in order to lie in. She was already restless and panting. About eight o'clock at night the labour pains commenced; but until eleven scarcely any progress was made. The
os uteri
would not admit my finger, although I frequently attempted it.
At half-past eleven, the membranes began to protrude; at one the head had descended into the pelvis and the puppy was dead. In a previous labour she had been unable to produce her young, although the ergot of rye had been freely used. I was obliged to use considerable force, and she fought terribly with me throughout the whole process. At half-past one, and after applying considerable force, I brought away a large fœtus, compared with her own size. On passing my finger as high as possible, I felt another fœtus living, but the night passed and the whole of the following day, and she ate and drank, and did not appear to be much injured.
Several times in the day I gave her some strong soup and the ergot. Some slight pains now returned, and by pressing on the belly the nose of the foetus was brought to the superior edge of the pelvis. The pains again ceased, the pudenda began to swell from frequent examination, the bitch began to stagger, and made frequent attempts to void her urine, with extreme difficulty in accomplishing it. I now resorted to the crotchet; and after many unsuccessful attempts, in which the superior part of the vagina must have been considerably bruised, I fixed it sufficiently firmly to draw the head into the cavity of the pelvis. Here for a while the shoulder resisted every attempt which I could make without the danger of detruncating the fœtus. At length by working at the side of the head until my nails were soft and my fingers sore, I extracted one fore leg. The other was soon brought down; another large puppy was produced, but destroyed by the means necessary for its production. This was the fruit of two hours' hard work.
She was completely exhausted, and scarcely able to stand. When placed on the ground she staggered and fell at almost every step. Her efforts to void her urine were frequent and ineffectual.
At four o'clock I again examined her; the external pudenda were sore and swelled, and beginning to assume a black hue. It was with considerable difficulty that I could introduce my finger. A third fœtus irregularly presented was detected. I could just feel one of the hind legs. No time was to be lost. I introduced a small pair of forceps by the side of my finger, and succeeded in laying hold of the leg without much difficulty, and, with two or three weak efforts from the mother, — I could scarcely call them pains, — I brought the leg down until it was in the cavity of the pelvis. I solicited it forward with my finger, and, by forcibly pressing back the
labia pudendi
, I could just grasp it with the finger and thumb of the right hand. Holding it there, I introduced the finger of the right hand, and continued to get down the other leg, and then found little difficulty until the head was brought to the superior edge of the pelvis. After a long interval, and with considerable force, this was brought into the pelvis, and another puppy extracted. This fully occupied two hours.
The bitch now appeared almost lifeless. As she was unable to stand, and seemed unconscious of every thing around her, I concluded that she was lost: I gave her one or two drops of warm brandy and water, covered her up closely, and put her to bed.
To my surprise, on the following morning, she was curled round in her basket; she licked my hands, and ate a bit of bread and butter; but when put on her legs staggered and fell. The pudendum was dreadfully swollen, and literally black. In the afternoon she again took a little food: she came voluntarily from her basket, wagged her tail when spoken to, and on the following day she was taken in her basket a journey of 70 miles, and afterwards did well; no one could be more rejoiced than was her master, who was present at, and superintended the greater part of the proceedings.
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