3099. An unusual Sunday emergency caesarean section - mummified foetuses.

Sunday Jul 16, 2017 


Emergency C-section phone call at 9 am. 2-year-old Corgi, 61st day pregnant, lst litter, passed out viscous blackish vaginal discharge.

So, rushed down to clinic. Breeder was there.
"This Corgi is the daughter of the Corgi that died after C-section by Vet 1," the Myanmar assistant told me. "This is her first litter. She was active yesterday, but today, passed out black vaginal discharge."  Breeders never forget any death after C-section and would avoid the vet. As for me, I had no deaths so far.


Unusual C-section.
The left uterine horn was filled with viscous black liquid enveloping 4 below-normal sized puppies. All 4 puppies were mummified and dead. One was very small in size. The right uterine horn had 3 well-formed pups but the placentas had "melted" and so the pups detach easily from the uterus. I gave them to the breeder who is hands-on and prefers to revive the pups himself as he said he is most experienced. Some vets would not permit him to do so.


Only isoflurane gas using cone first, before size 7.5 endotracheal tube intubation.




TIPS
The dam fought against cone anaesthesia vigorously. This is expected. "Take off the cone when the dam struggles, " I said to my assistant Judy. "Sometimes, the dam is choked. Let her breathe without the cone and put in again.  She did this. The dam was not struggling and became anaesthesized soon.


At my 2nd last stitch, the dam appeared to "choke". I said, "The endotracheal tube may be irritating the trachea, pull it out a bit." It is hard to know what causes this behaviour as she was on smooth anaesthesia. I stitched up the last stitch and got the tube out.

3 live vigorous crying puppies. The breeder saw the mummified puppies and was satisfied with having 3 live ones. As to the cause of 4 mummified puppies in one uterine horn, it is a mystery. In any case, the 3 normal puppies would have died if the breeder proscratinate another hour as the placentas had detached and melted especially for 2 of them. See video.