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uterus/whelping question

Sent to Pet Experts June 26 06:44 PM

I had a bitch of mine have a c-section last week. My vet told me that the puppies were all lined up to come out, but that she had no uterine muscle tone. She may have said it was flacid. We based our decision to open her up because of her progesterone levels.

Someone wrote to me this "Did it occur to you that if you actually were 3 days early that the uterus doesn't start getting muscle tone until they actually go thru pre labor contractions?"

Is this true?

Thanks,

Lori Houha

 

Optional Information:
Age: 2; Female; Breed: GSMD

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Answer
June 26 7:00 PM (16 minutes and 2 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark
If the progesterone levels indicated birth should be going on and the pups were all lined up and the pups were fully formed (had hair and everything) they were full term.
If she had a lot of pups the uterus may well have been too stretched to allow contractions.
The uterus has muscle tone through out the pregnancy. Its one big muscle.
You may find this article on dystocia interesting reading
http://www.harcourt-international.com/e-books/pdf/974.pdf
It goes into causes of uterine inertia about halfway through it.
Hope this helps you!

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NancyH -- Pet Health Care, Rescue,Train,Breed -- 99% Positive Feedback on 7085 Pet Accepts
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June 26 7:12 PM (11 minutes and 19 seconds later)
         
Reply to Nancy Holmes's Post: This is what I need to know. My vet said that she had no tone, and would not be able to whelp. The puppies were born all within a few oz. of eachother- full term.

Is this next statement true?

Did it occur to you that if you actually were 3 days early that the uterus doesn't start getting muscle tone until they actually go thru pre labor contractions?
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Answer
June 26 7:17 PM (5 minutes and 11 seconds later)
         
ACCEPTEDCheck Mark
No it isn't. The uterus is one big muscle. It maintains tone through out the pregnancy.
It can, as can any muscle, become over stretched or have other medical issues causing it to not be able to work doing contractions the way it should. Other issues might include a calcium problem or electrolyte imbalance, a lack of proper exercise throughout pregnancy, a tissue problem etc.
But the most common reason is just stretching from the weight of the pups past what the tissue can handle and still be able to contract.
You do need to keep a dog properly exercised during pregnancy. But sometimes you do everything right and the dog just has a big amount or weight of pups and that is that.

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NancyH -- Pet Health Care, Rescue,Train,Breed -- 99% Positive Feedback on 7085 Pet Accepts
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June 26 7:27 PM (10 minutes and 26 seconds later)
         
Reply to Nancy Holmes's Post: I am accepting your answer. Just wanted to let you know that c-sections are very common in my breed. They are not good whelpers, and most do require c-sections. She had 12 puppies, but 3 drowned. They were more than ready.

Thanks for your help.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
June 26 7:28 PM (51 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark
Thanks and its good you were on top of it!
I loved most of the Swissies I've met :)

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NancyH -- Pet Health Care, Rescue,Train,Breed -- 99% Positive Feedback on 7085 Pet Accepts
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June 26 7:31 PM (2 minutes and 49 seconds later)
         
Reply to Nancy Holmes's Post: I am assuming you show. My one dog is BISS Ch foundation's IB The Doc. He was handled by Michael Brantley last year and was number 1 Swissy breed. He was not the sire of this litter, but I hope to use him next time.

Lori
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June 26 8:03 PM (32 minutes and 13 seconds later)
         
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NancyH -- Pet Health Care, Rescue,Train,Breed -- 99% Positive Feedback on 7085 Pet Accepts
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