C-Section in an English
Mastiff
Many Mastiffs usually do not free whelp
for various reasons, because the birth canal is too long and their heads are
very large. Puppies of Mastiff, and bully type dogs are more often than not,
born via C-section.
An English Mastiff being prepped for a
C-Section
Make sure your vet is aware that some
large breeds are sensitive to many anesthetics. For this procedure, 2 vets were
present, and 2 Vet Tech anesthetists, and 2 assistance, PLUS myself and one
friend to catch the puppies, and get them going.
Sassy is put under as LIGHT as possible, also taking note
that a dog of her size, IF she came awake, and decided to try to get up with her
size , would spell big problem.
Are you READY Bev.? Pups are coming.
I am ready with stacks of Towels on the warmer, hemostats and scissors for
cords. etc.
First puppy out, this puppy was in the birth canal.
Sorry NO photos for the ca-os after this, first 3 puppies
were spread, as one in the birth canal, 2 in one horn, and 9 puppies in the
other horn, (if she tried to deliver the chances she would have torsioned were
high). WE got NO more photos after this, as my camera girl was needed, pups were
coming to me so fast, I couldn't even clamp cords, or cut, we just were getting
them all breathing, and dealt with cord care later.
So far everything is going well. Only one
puppy needed a bit of a kick start, and one small puff of mouth to mouth
PHWEW ! ! ! that was the Busiest I ever been...WOW. 12
puppies, all breathing, all thriving.
Now we can do cord care, and count sexes... 8 girls, 4 boys, all is good. (so
far)
The Operation is a success, Sassy, the
English Mastiff had 12 puppies
Sassy is pretty out of it for a couple days, Especially
the first day.
BUT, Pups MUST suckle
Pups MUST have heat
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Extra care should be taken to watch over dams
who have had C-sections. If the mother is put to sleep, then has a
c-section, she'll wake up, at the vet, and then, you are going to
introduce her to the pups, who, she is NOT going to believe or
understand, that they are hers. |
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Then you are going to put them on
her teats, and let them suck, and she may NOT like this. You MAY
have to hold her down. 100% supervision is a must, after a
c-section. But after the pups nurse for 48 hours, her hormones
should kick in, at least 80% of them do. It is an important step in
whelping, that certain hormones are released during the birthing
process. These hormones coupled with the sight of the pups arriving,
and then licking the membrane, or eating part of the placenta, all
play a vital role in the process of becoming a good mother. When
these steps are skipped, like in the case of a section, the dam
often feels estranged with the pups, she misses vital steps in the
natural process, and that's what can cause dangerous episodes to
occur.
IE: it has been noted in some breeds, that a
dam could kill and eat her pups, but Rejection is the most common
occurrence in all breeds, so you need to assist to teach them to be
a good mom, as it will not always come naturally, after a c-section.
Also from sedation, you cannot leave the pups with the dam, as even
the BEST mom, could lie on one, and not realize it, in her drugged
up state. C-sections are sometimes necessary. If your dam needs a
c-section stay with her and the pups and carefully monitor their
interaction, this should be done even with natural whelping, however
extra time should be spent when a c-section has been performed.
After a section, keep the pups in a warm box, and the Dam separate,
unless you are in the room.
Courtesy of MistyTrails Mastiff's
Although this section is based on a
whelping of an English Mastiff, it also contains good general whelping
information in large breed dogs. You can find more whelping information in the links above. The links below
tell a story about Sassy, an English Mastiff. Sassy has a wonderful temperament.
She loves humans and Adores human children. An all around mild mannered,
wonderful Mastiff. Sassy however is not the best mother towards her puppies, she
is not rejecting them, she will nurse them when a human places them on her to
feed, however she will not clean the pups or pay any attention to them. It is as
if, they are not her puppies. This litter is getting moms milk, with major human
interaction, manually giving each and every pup what they need. In return, the
pups will be super socialized and will make remarkable pets, however the work
involved is astounding. It takes one dedicated breeder to keep this situation
healthy. Thankfully this litter has just that, a dedicated breeder. Read the
links below to get the full story. There is a wealth of info that everyone can
appreciate and benefit from.
C-Section in a Large Breed Dog
Newborn Puppies... What you need
Whelping Mastiff Puppies One to Three Days Old
Things do
not always go as planned (imperforate anus)
Orphaned Litter (not the plan)
10
Days Old Plus ++
3 Week Old Puppies
Puppies 3 Weeks - time to start
potty training
Puppies 4 weeks old
Puppies 5 weeks old
Puppies 6 weeks old
Puppies 7 weeks old
Socializing the Puppies
Mastitis in Dogs
Whelping Large Breed Dogs Main
Whelping, a new
found respect
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