380. "Complications due to Caesarean" - report by the Breeder
Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore
The dam's tongue had turned deep purple under general gas anaesthetic before I could operate. Slow breathing rate. Was it too late? Had she died? The breeder watched from the top half glass door of the surgery room.
"Stop the flow of anaesthetic," I shouted to Nurse Anne. I disconnected the tube and blew air into the endotracheal tube connected to the lungs. Pressed the chest with my right fingers. There was breathing. The colour of the tongue was still deep purple. Emergency oxygen might be necessary. The dam blew breathing sounds of life into my right ear as I put the endotracheal tube end near my ears.
Stablised. The tongue turned maroon. Eye pupils no longer widely dilated as that would mean near death or in surgical anaesthesia. Breathing rates became normal.
On first cut, I nearly wanted to puke.
A foul stench. Like rotting meat in dark brown stools left in an enclosed air conditioned room. Big bubbles of gases popped out as dark brown yellowish fluid spilled out of the womb. A stiff Chihuahua pup enveloped by dark brown fluid. Decomposition had set in.
This is my 4th case of really stinking Caesarean. I put the dead pup into the towel and asked my nurse to take it away. Not to pollute the operating room air. Those must be gas-forming decomposing bacteria. How did the bacteria get into the 7th pup?
The first pup was born normally at 4 p.m the day before Caesarean. Enclosed in the water bag. The dam did nothing. The breeder broke the bag, swung and/or suck the puppy. It was normal delivery.
The second pup died just after birth. An easy natural no crying birth. The puppy just popped out. A beautiful big sized white Chihuahua. Much desired by the breeder. The breeder decided not to service the clients but to focus on the birth process.
The third pup died as the umbilical cord had strangulated him.
The fourth pup was pulled out by the breeder. It did not survive.
The fifth pup was the desired white colour. 2 cries. The breeder thought this pup would be OK. It died soon despite swinging the pup to get the water out.
The 6th pup did not come out after waiting 2 hours. It was 10 p.m. The breeder left the mother alone. A very dam. First birth but did not know what to do with the pups. Gentle and active. Much loved.
The next day, the 6th pup was born but had no head. The mother must have had bitten and swallowed the head.
The breeder felt a hard lump. He put his finger into the birth canal to check the status.
"Did you wash your fingers properly or wear a sterile glove?" I asked him on the 2nd day after surgery when I asked him to narrate the sequence of birth so that we could learn from the experience. I was there to vaccinate his puppies.
"I wash my hands with soap and water after the examination."
So, that might be a cause of introducing the gas forming bacteria into the womb. Or it could be due to other reasons. The 7th pup could have died sometime ago. This was a healthy plump dam. Should be strong and healthy.
"It would be better to have an elective Caesarean for 7 pups," I said. It was easy to be smart on hindsight.
"But the dam could give birth naturally," the breeder said. "Besides I don't know when she would be due."
"Was there milk in the dam?" I asked.
"Yes, for past 2 days."
"Did you take rectal temperature?" I asked. "Monitor every 3-6 hours. If temperature drops below 38 deg C and then rises, the birth will be due in 24 hours. So, Caesarean section would not lead to premature pups."
"I don't have any thermometer and I can't find any."
The breeder would stock up on thermometers.
I hope this episode would be useful to other Chihuahua breeders all over the world.
And to veterinarians.
What did the breeder's daughter write in the breeder's record of this dam?
Death due to "complications from Caesarean section."
She was not present at the Caesarean. When the dam dies after Caesarean, it was the fault of the veterinarian. So, the breeding community started telling each other how incompetent the vet was. It was the vet's fault.
I told the breeder's daughter. "The death was due to toxaemia. The dam died because the blood was poisoned by the gas-forming bacteria. Overwhelming large doses of poison. The dam went home but died a few hours later. I had told your father that the chances of survival were almost zero, from my experience. The dam had fluid therapy, antibiotics and oxytocin. But there would be kidney damage and maybe other organs being shut down by the poison. It was surprising that she did not die on the operating table.
The breeder signed, "I don't blame you. I saw the dam having breathing problems. She just looked at me, went to sleep and did not wake up after coming home. I don't feed her as Caesarean mums don't eat after surgery. You know, the Maltese dam is alive although the pup had died later."
In the Maltese case, the Caesarean was done after a few hours. More than 2 hours of no birth. The pup was distressed. It would not move but it did cry weakly on taking out from the womb.
Well, it was good to get a discussion with this breeder for the good of all dams and mothers. At $1,500 per pup, the total loss would be 7x$1,500 or $10,500. The value of the dam was much more.
For Chihuahuas with more than 4 pups, I would think that elective Caesarean would still be the best way. This was an unusual uncommon case though. Who would expect the 7th pup to be decomposed? Was the bacteria from the breeder's fingers?
There was warning signs of things not going well when the 2nd - 3rd pup were not surviving. The toxins had travelled in the mother's blood stream to kill off the pups. If Caesarean had been performed after the 3rd pup, it was possible that the mother would still be alive.
Not died due to "complications due to Caesarean". The breeder's daughter agreed that death was due to "toxaemia" and that the 7th pup was badly decomposed.
Now you know why I don't like to perform Caesarean surgeries for breeders as they might misrepresent. A veterinarian's professional reputation is easily damaged if this breeder told others that the vet operated but the dam died due "due to complications of Caesarean." When the real cause of death was toxaemia due to belated Caesarean section request from the breeder.
Follow up: 7 days later. August 19, 2006.
The first pup was bottle-fed 3 hourly by the breeder's daughter. It had red paws on day 2 when I saw it. Active and produce good orange brown stools. No long hours of sleep for her.
However, the breeder's daughter telephoned me to ask for amoxicillin antibiotics as recommended by her Australian breeder friend because the puppy had runny stools.
"It is not just giving antibiotics," I said. "Did you keep all equipment clean or did you change the management of the puppy meaning did somebody feed the puppy?"
"I kept everything clean," she said. "Mum took over the feeding earlier."
"So the feeding management or milk formula was changed," I said. "Observe for the next few hours and stablise the gut."
I did not hear from her for the next 24 hours. I presume this pup would be OK. For breeders, it is best not to do unclean digital examination of the cervix of the dams.
The dam's tongue had turned deep purple under general gas anaesthetic before I could operate. Slow breathing rate. Was it too late? Had she died? The breeder watched from the top half glass door of the surgery room.
"Stop the flow of anaesthetic," I shouted to Nurse Anne. I disconnected the tube and blew air into the endotracheal tube connected to the lungs. Pressed the chest with my right fingers. There was breathing. The colour of the tongue was still deep purple. Emergency oxygen might be necessary. The dam blew breathing sounds of life into my right ear as I put the endotracheal tube end near my ears.
Stablised. The tongue turned maroon. Eye pupils no longer widely dilated as that would mean near death or in surgical anaesthesia. Breathing rates became normal.
On first cut, I nearly wanted to puke.
A foul stench. Like rotting meat in dark brown stools left in an enclosed air conditioned room. Big bubbles of gases popped out as dark brown yellowish fluid spilled out of the womb. A stiff Chihuahua pup enveloped by dark brown fluid. Decomposition had set in.
This is my 4th case of really stinking Caesarean. I put the dead pup into the towel and asked my nurse to take it away. Not to pollute the operating room air. Those must be gas-forming decomposing bacteria. How did the bacteria get into the 7th pup?
The first pup was born normally at 4 p.m the day before Caesarean. Enclosed in the water bag. The dam did nothing. The breeder broke the bag, swung and/or suck the puppy. It was normal delivery.
The second pup died just after birth. An easy natural no crying birth. The puppy just popped out. A beautiful big sized white Chihuahua. Much desired by the breeder. The breeder decided not to service the clients but to focus on the birth process.
The third pup died as the umbilical cord had strangulated him.
The fourth pup was pulled out by the breeder. It did not survive.
The fifth pup was the desired white colour. 2 cries. The breeder thought this pup would be OK. It died soon despite swinging the pup to get the water out.
The 6th pup did not come out after waiting 2 hours. It was 10 p.m. The breeder left the mother alone. A very dam. First birth but did not know what to do with the pups. Gentle and active. Much loved.
The next day, the 6th pup was born but had no head. The mother must have had bitten and swallowed the head.
The breeder felt a hard lump. He put his finger into the birth canal to check the status.
"Did you wash your fingers properly or wear a sterile glove?" I asked him on the 2nd day after surgery when I asked him to narrate the sequence of birth so that we could learn from the experience. I was there to vaccinate his puppies.
"I wash my hands with soap and water after the examination."
So, that might be a cause of introducing the gas forming bacteria into the womb. Or it could be due to other reasons. The 7th pup could have died sometime ago. This was a healthy plump dam. Should be strong and healthy.
"It would be better to have an elective Caesarean for 7 pups," I said. It was easy to be smart on hindsight.
"But the dam could give birth naturally," the breeder said. "Besides I don't know when she would be due."
"Was there milk in the dam?" I asked.
"Yes, for past 2 days."
"Did you take rectal temperature?" I asked. "Monitor every 3-6 hours. If temperature drops below 38 deg C and then rises, the birth will be due in 24 hours. So, Caesarean section would not lead to premature pups."
"I don't have any thermometer and I can't find any."
The breeder would stock up on thermometers.
I hope this episode would be useful to other Chihuahua breeders all over the world.
And to veterinarians.
What did the breeder's daughter write in the breeder's record of this dam?
Death due to "complications from Caesarean section."
She was not present at the Caesarean. When the dam dies after Caesarean, it was the fault of the veterinarian. So, the breeding community started telling each other how incompetent the vet was. It was the vet's fault.
I told the breeder's daughter. "The death was due to toxaemia. The dam died because the blood was poisoned by the gas-forming bacteria. Overwhelming large doses of poison. The dam went home but died a few hours later. I had told your father that the chances of survival were almost zero, from my experience. The dam had fluid therapy, antibiotics and oxytocin. But there would be kidney damage and maybe other organs being shut down by the poison. It was surprising that she did not die on the operating table.
The breeder signed, "I don't blame you. I saw the dam having breathing problems. She just looked at me, went to sleep and did not wake up after coming home. I don't feed her as Caesarean mums don't eat after surgery. You know, the Maltese dam is alive although the pup had died later."
In the Maltese case, the Caesarean was done after a few hours. More than 2 hours of no birth. The pup was distressed. It would not move but it did cry weakly on taking out from the womb.
Well, it was good to get a discussion with this breeder for the good of all dams and mothers. At $1,500 per pup, the total loss would be 7x$1,500 or $10,500. The value of the dam was much more.
For Chihuahuas with more than 4 pups, I would think that elective Caesarean would still be the best way. This was an unusual uncommon case though. Who would expect the 7th pup to be decomposed? Was the bacteria from the breeder's fingers?
There was warning signs of things not going well when the 2nd - 3rd pup were not surviving. The toxins had travelled in the mother's blood stream to kill off the pups. If Caesarean had been performed after the 3rd pup, it was possible that the mother would still be alive.
Not died due to "complications due to Caesarean". The breeder's daughter agreed that death was due to "toxaemia" and that the 7th pup was badly decomposed.
Now you know why I don't like to perform Caesarean surgeries for breeders as they might misrepresent. A veterinarian's professional reputation is easily damaged if this breeder told others that the vet operated but the dam died due "due to complications of Caesarean." When the real cause of death was toxaemia due to belated Caesarean section request from the breeder.
Follow up: 7 days later. August 19, 2006.
The first pup was bottle-fed 3 hourly by the breeder's daughter. It had red paws on day 2 when I saw it. Active and produce good orange brown stools. No long hours of sleep for her.
However, the breeder's daughter telephoned me to ask for amoxicillin antibiotics as recommended by her Australian breeder friend because the puppy had runny stools.
"It is not just giving antibiotics," I said. "Did you keep all equipment clean or did you change the management of the puppy meaning did somebody feed the puppy?"
"I kept everything clean," she said. "Mum took over the feeding earlier."
"So the feeding management or milk formula was changed," I said. "Observe for the next few hours and stablise the gut."
I did not hear from her for the next 24 hours. I presume this pup would be OK. For breeders, it is best not to do unclean digital examination of the cervix of the dams.
posted by Photography by Sing Kong Yuen | 7:06 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home