day, the day of service being included; but some will pup on the
sixtieth day, or even a day or so earlier, and the puppies may be fairly
strong; but when born before the fifty-seventh day they seldom live. On
the other hand, many, especially those of the larger breeds, will go two
or three days over the specified time without inconvenience; and I have
known one to go as long as seventy-three days, and then to have a litter
of strong, healthy puppies, but this does not often occur when there is a
large litter.
One who is accustomed to dogs can tell within a few hours when a bitch is
going to pup. There is disinclination for food, the vulva is swollen, and
there is a discharge of thick mucus from the vagina, and, as a rule, she
seeks a quiet spot to be alone.
At this time, after making the bitch comfortable with a nice clean straw
bed—there is nothing better than straw, which should not be supplied
too plentifully—she should be left by herself for a time. As the labour
pains come on, she becomes restless, and pants; is frequently looking
around, and licking herself. When such occurs, labour in earnest may
be considered to have commenced; and if all is going well, one or more
puppies should be born in the course of an hour or so. If after two hours
there are no signs of a puppy appearing, it is well to examine the bitch;
but if a bladder (fœtal membrane) is protruding from the vagina, there
is no hurry to interfere, as this is a sign, as a rule, that matters are
taking a normal course, and that more time is required; and the bitch,
after being offered some milk, may be left again for another hour or
two. Bitches at their first pupping should always be given more time than
one which has had two or three litters, and this is more especially the
case when she is three or four years old, or even older. I have known
bitches when over nine years of age to have a litter of puppies for the
first time, and, as may be expected, it often goes very hard with them,
though with care they may live through it. Once the membrane protrudes,
which the bitch generally ruptures by biting, the first puppy, if
everything is all right, soon makes its appearance; and, as a rule, by
the time the cord is divided, and she has attended to the young arrival’s
toilet, another youngster is nearly born, and in the course of an hour
the bitch may have given birth to three or four puppies; then, perhaps,
if there are any more, there is an interval of two or three hours, which
gives the bitch time to recover her strength, and take some refreshment
in the way of thin oatmeal gruel or plain milk, and in most cases this
is quite sufficient; but if there are signs of exhaustion, some Brand’s
essence, or the white of an egg beaten up with milk, and a small quantity
of brandy, may be given. After this, in cases of the smaller breeds, when
the average number is four or five, the last of the puppies soon makes
its appearance; this also refers to terriers, though they may have five
or six, or even more puppies, as they are such strong dogs compared to
toy spaniels, pugs, etc.
Very often a bitch will have all her puppies but one with the greatest
ease (for it is seldom a bitch cries out whilst pupping after the first
litter), when the pains seem to cease altogether, and do not return for
many hours afterwards, perhaps not until the next day. In such cases, a
dose of some medicine to excite the action of the uterus is necessary,
but this will be dealt with later on.
Bitches of the larger breeds which have big litters of twelve, fourteen,
sixteen, and more puppies, invariably take all day, even in normal cases;
but after twelve some assistance and great care are required, for by this
time the mother is getting exhausted. Good gruel should be offered, and
about every three hours the white of an egg beaten up with a teacupful of
milk and a dessertspoonful of brandy should be given.
Bitches that have had their puppies easily do not require much food
during the next twenty-four hours, the fœtal envelopes, which are always
eaten, affording a certain amount of nourishment; therefore, if some
thin oatmeal gruel or Benger’s food made with milk be offered, it is
sufficient. Plain milk may also be given to drink. The same diet does for
the following two days, with the addition of some soup or sheep’s-head
broth with bread or crushed dog biscuits, a small quantity twice a day.
After the third day a more liberal diet may be allowed; boiled fish, as
fresh haddock, with bread, also the meat from a sheep’s head, and bread
or broken biscuit soaked soft in the soup. By degrees the quantity and
quality of the food may be increased, for after a fortnight, when there
is a large litter, a good deal of nourishment is required, if the bitch
is to be kept strong and the puppies fat.
Very often, two or three days after parturition, the bitch has diarrhœa.
As a rule, it is not severe, and passes off in the course of twenty-four
hours. Should it continue after this time, a dose of castor oil and
laudanum may be given. In small bitches, as toys, a teaspoonful of the
oil with three drops of laudanum; for terriers, a dessertspoonful of the
former and five drops of the latter; collies, etc., a tablespoonful, and
ten drops of tincture of opium; and large bitches, two tablespoonfuls
and ten drops. The dose should be repeated in six hours. If the diarrhœa
continues after the oil has worked off, from five[1] to twenty grains of
bismuth may be given three or four times a day, shaken dry on the tongue.
During the diarrhœa, the milk should be thickened with arrowroot, and the
soup be given with rice instead of bread or biscuit.
Some bitches, when due to pup, and though in good health and fairly
strong, have not sufficient labour pains to bring forth their young; the
water-bag may break and there is the usual green-coloured discharge, but
the throes are so slight as to be of little use. Of course, once the
fœtal membrane is broken, and the fluid escapes, the puppy soon dies
if not born; therefore, it is necessary to use means to stimulate the
contraction of the womb—in other words, to induce labour pains—and for
this there is nothing better than ergotine, which is a strong extract
of ergot of rye. Until recently the latter was used, the seed being
coarsely powdered, and from ten[1] to sixty grains administered in warm
milk or coffee, the dose being repeated every two or three hours until
several had been given. There are other preparations of ergot, as the
ammoniated liquid extract, and ammoniated tincture. The former is the
next best preparation to ergotine, and should be used when ergotine
cannot be obtained. The dose varies from ten minims to one drachm,[1]
which may be given with water, or in a little milk, and repeated every
two hours until the pains have been induced, or six doses given; but
these preparations are not so good as ergotine, for not only does the
latter act with more certainty, but there is another advantage in its
administration, and that is, it may be injected under the skin, and
consequently the stomach is not irritated and perhaps the bitch made
sick, which often happens when these medicines are given by the mouth.
The dose of ergotine is from one[1] to three grains, given in from
ten[1] to forty minims of brandy. There is no advantage, as is often
recommended, in injecting it deeply into the muscles in the region of the
pelvis, as it is quite sufficient to introduce it just under the skin.
I generally do so behind one of the shoulders on the side of the chest,
where the skin is loose. The action of the drug, when given in this way,
may generally be observed within a quarter of an hour, and the dose, if
necessary, may be repeated in a couple of hours.
It is not an uncommon occurrence, as before observed, in cases of
parturition, for bitches that have large litters, to give birth to all
the puppies quickly, and with a certain amount of ease, until the last,
and in some instances two puppies. Then the pain seems to cease, and the
bitch appears fairly comfortable for some hours, and it is often thought
by the attendant she has finished, and there is no further cause for
anxiety; but in about twelve hours, or perhaps the next day, the bitch
becomes restless again, refuses her food, and is inclined to neglect
her pups, and is constantly wanting to go out, and after passing water,
sits and strains for a few moments. When these symptoms are noticed, the
bitch should be immediately examined, and if it is found there are more
puppies, and that the foremost one is not unnaturally situated, a dose of
ergotine should be at once given, and some nourishment also administered,
as milk and brandy, or Brand’s beef essence, or even a little scraped
lean raw meat.
Breeders should make it a regular practice to examine a bitch when it is
thought she has finished pupping, by gently manipulating the abdomen,
also by passing carefully a well-oiled finger into the vagina, for it is
often impossible to tell for certain, without examination, if there is
only one left, more especially in cases when the mother has had a large
litter. Many a valuable bitch is lost through this not being regularly
done. Because the pups, when left behind, if not already dead, die,
and quickly decompose and set up blood-poisoning, which invariably
terminates fatally within twenty-four hours.
[Illustration: SMOOTH FOX TERRIER, CHAMPION DONNA FORTUNA, K.C.S.B. 869 B.
Sire Ch. Dominie, K.C.S.B. 24,044, Dam Ch. Dame Fortune K.C.S.B. 38,153.
Described by Mr. J. C. Tinne as “absolutely the best Fox Terrier of all
time.” The property of Mr. Francis Redmond, Whetstone House, Totteridge,
N.
[_face p. 248._]
Considering the number of young a bitch has, and the variety of size the
puppies often are, I think it is wonderful they get through their trouble
as well as they do, more especially when it is taken into consideration
the artificial life dogs generally live. There are some breeds which
are always a source of anxiety to their owners, especially the toys, as
spaniels and griffons, which have frequently a habit of throwing back to
the size of their ancestors, which were no doubt much larger dogs than
the modern specimens. The same remarks refer to Yorkshire terriers as
well as to the other small breeds, but the fault very often lies with the
owner in trying to breed from very small bitches. Bull-bitches, again,
often have difficulty in bringing their puppies into the world, and this
is in a great measure due to the modern dogs having such large heads.
In addition to the difficulty mentioned, this breed is no doubt of
a naturally weak constitution, and their organs of reproduction are
very liable to disease. Of course there are many of what one may call
accidental cases, as when a fox-terrier or dachshund has puppies by a dog
the size of a collie. I have known many cases of this kind, and, as may
be expected, the bitch has trouble in giving birth to such youngsters,
though sometimes they are born without any difficulty at all. Then
there are other cases of difficult parturition, due to stricture of the
vaginal passage, the result of injury to the pelvic bones, as when a
bitch has been run over across the hips, or as the result of congenital
deformity of these parts. There is nothing to be done in these cases but
to have the Cæsarean operation performed, when some of the puppies may be
saved and the bitch too, if the operation is done in good time.
There is another form of stricture of the vagina, and it is generally
found just inside the vulva. It is due to a strong band of mucous
membrane, which refuses to dilate as the surrounding parts do at this
time, and in some cases it is so strong that one is not able to dilate it
in the ordinary way; therefore, the only thing to do is to cut through it
with a blunt-pointed knife (bistoury), which I generally do at the side,
and always with good result.
Difficulties arise at parturition in consequence of the unnatural
position of the fœtus; a puppy should come with the head first, the
nose extended, and the fore legs placed one on either side of the neck.
Another easy position for birth is when the hind legs come first, but in
these cases, unless the puppy is delivered quickly, it dies from asphyxia.
From some unaccountable reason a fœtus frequently assumes a wrong
position, which renders its birth extremely difficult. In such cases it
is useless giving ecbolics or medicines to stimulate the labour pains,
but means must be taken to place the puppy, if possible, in a proper
position, and then a dose of ergotine is useful. Perhaps the most common
malposition is when both fore legs are thrown in a backward direction,
causing the shoulder to project, thus inducing a mechanical impediment to
birth. These are not very troublesome cases, as a rule, for the legs, by
means of a blunt-pointed round hook, may be drawn forward; if there is
nothing better at hand, a long button-hook will answer the purpose.
This accomplished, the puppy should come away easily; but if the bitch is
weak from long straining, it is advisable to remove the puppy entirely,
especially if it is thought there are more to come. I may mention here
when one has to use instruments of any kind to assist the patient, the
puppy is generally in some way injured, so that if it does not die at the
time, it usually does very soon after; but after all, this is of little
consequence compared with the life of the mother.
In some instances the puppy presents itself at the mouth of the womb with
the top of the head foremost, the nose being pressed down against the
chest; if it is at all large, birth is very difficult in this position.
In such cases, one should try and elevate the nose with the point of the
finger; when the bitch is not a large one this is often possible, but
when she is, it is necessary to employ a crotchet or crook—as mentioned
before, a button-hook with a long handle does very well—and, if possible,
it should be fixed in the mouth and the nose drawn up; this is rendered
more easy, if one can, by means of the finger of the other hand, press
the neck backwards towards the body of the bitch. It is, however, often
impossible to raise the head, and the only thing to be done is to seize
the neck firmly with a pair of forceps, and by traction at each time of
straining, extract the puppy. Care must be taken not to injure the bitch,
or inflammation, which may prove fatal, will occur.
In other cases the head may be bent in a backward direction, the front of
the neck presenting. These cases, though somewhat more difficult, require
similar treatment to the previous kind. When all other means have failed,
the neck may be divided and the head removed by forceps; the body will
then generally come away by itself.
The fœtus assumes numerous other positions besides those mentioned—as,
for instance, lying transversely, the puppy’s side presenting to the
mouth of the womb, and when the labour pains are strong, no amount of
manipulation will put the body in a normal position. Rather than let the
bitch waste her strength uselessly, the puppy should be divided or broken
up by means of a sharp-cutting hook, and removed by means of forceps.
When a fore and a hind leg are presented into the vagina, the former
should be pushed back into the womb, and the hind leg seized with forceps
and made fast with a piece of tape. (It is easy to distinguish one leg
from the other by feeling for the hock-joint in the hind limb.) When
this is done, the other back leg should now be felt for, and when its
position is ascertained, it should, if possible, by means of a small pair
of forceps (ordinary dressing forceps answer very well for this purpose)
or crotchet, be drawn into the vagina, or made fast with tape like its
fellow, and then by gentle traction on both limbs the puppy is delivered.
It occasionally happens, in cases of head presentation, that the hind
legs are bent forward on the body, which renders the delivery difficult,
and unless the passage is large, and the pains are very strong, the bitch
cannot bring forth the pup without assistance. This is best rendered
by grasping the puppy across the hips with a small pair of thin-bladed
parturition forceps, and gently pulling the puppy during each throe.
It frequently occurs that though a puppy may lie in a normal position,
the mother is unable to give birth to it in consequence of its being
too large. The nose may be just inside the vagina, and there become
fixed in spite of the bitch’s straining for hours. I have seen hundreds
of such cases. It is a mistake to leave the bitch in this condition
too long, thinking matters will come all right, as it is wasting time
and the mother’s strength; and if there are other puppies to come, she
probably will not have strength either to expel them herself or help
anyone who may try to assist her. In this instance, the head is so firmly
fixed in the mouth of the womb that it is impossible to take hold of
it with forceps, however small or thin the blades may be, but the hook
of the crotchet may generally be passed into the mouth of the puppy,
and by fixing it well into the palate a good hold is obtained, and the
puppy drawn through the passage by main force. If care be taken, it is
astonishing what amount of force may be used in promoting delivery
without at all injuring the bitch, but it is best not to pull on the
puppy except during the labour pains, if there are any.
It is the custom of some veterinary surgeons to give the bitch, during
labour, a hot bath if the parts are not considered sufficiently relaxed,
or if the pains are dull; at the proper time the tissues always become
sufficiently dilated, providing the parts are in a normal state—that is,
bar a stricture in the vagina, or something of the kind—and if there is
any abnormal condition, a warm or hot bath, in my opinion, does more harm
than good by often checking the pains.
Sometimes when the ergot fails to induce or stimulate the throes, I have
applied with advantage to the abdomen an ice-bag; but what I find the
best of all, when one or two subcutaneous injections of ergotine have not
worked satisfactorily, is to put the bitch in some vehicle and give her a
drive, and if nothing else will induce the labour pains this shaking up
will do so in most cases.
The worst of all, are those cases when the bitch is due to pup, the parts
are relaxed, and there are no labour pains to expel the fœta. Examined
per vaginum, no puppy can be felt, and no amount of excitement of the
parts by passing a cold instrument into the passage, or injections of
ergot, causes contraction of the womb. If the patient seems all right, it
is best to wait some hours, during which time everything should be done
to try and excite contraction of the parts. If the means taken do not
succeed, then there is nothing to be done except the Cæsarean operation,
as it is not safe to attempt delivery with forceps or the crotchet when
the puppies cannot be felt with the finger.
The best forceps for using, in my opinion, in cases of parturition, are
those made by Messrs. Krohne & Sesemann, of Duke Street, Manchester
Square, London. They are made after the pattern of Will’s ovariotomy
forceps, of very fine hard steel; the blades are extremely thin and
small, and deeply serrated, so that when a puppy is taken hold of they
do not easily slip off. My crotchet was also made by the same firm,
and, if care is used when working with it, it is a most valuable little
instrument. When from causes due to mechanical impediment either on the
part of the bitch or puppies, or from want of proper labour pains, it is
impossible to obtain the birth of the puppies through the proper channel,
the abdomen should be opened. If the operation is done in good time (that
is, before the bitch has become weak), and proper antiseptic precautions
taken, there is a chance, though the operation is a dangerous one, of
saving the mother’s life. At any rate, some of the puppies can be almost
certainly brought forth alive; whilst if the operation is not undertaken
in these circumstances, one knows that not only the bitch but all the
puppies are sure to die.
Prolapsus, or inversion of the womb or uterus, into the vagina,
sometimes, but very rarely, occurs during parturition, due to very
severe straining, or as the result of too much force being used to remove
a puppy with forceps, or by other artificial means. Care must be taken in
these cases not to mistake protrusion of the uterus for prolapsus of the
vagina or a polypus. The latter may be recognised as a solid, pear-shaped
body with a narrow neck, whilst a prolapsed vagina is generally a large,
solid, oval body, which almost fills the vaginal canal, if it does not
protrude externally. It has a broad base, and rises at the back part
of the passage, just in front of the meatus or opening to the bladder.
The uterus is soft, reducible, and rough, and tubular in shape, besides
showing dark-coloured patches where the placenta has been attached.
After the womb has been cleansed by being sponged with a weak, tepid
solution of permanganate of potash, it should, if possible, be returned
by gentle pressure on the fundus of the uterus with a piece of whalebone,
with the point covered with a sponge. The returning is assisted if the
hind legs are raised—in fact, by the bitch being held upside down. Care
must be taken not to use undue force, or the uterus may be ruptured.
After the return, it is a good plan to inject a quantity of cold water
into the vagina to act as an astringent.
When the protruding uterus shows signs of having been injured, or is much
congested, or decomposition has set in, amputation is advisable. This
is best done by drawing the part gently out and applying a strong silk
ligature as high up as possible, and cutting off the free portion.
The bitch, when she has finished pupping, requires little attention
beyond a change of bed and a fair supply of nutritive food. She does
best when least noticed; but it is well to see that she takes sufficient
exercise. On the following day she should be taken out two or three
times for a few minutes to relieve herself, and every day after that she
ought to be about pretty much as before. Some bitches, however, are such
devoted mothers as to sacrifice health, and occasionally life itself,
to enjoy the pleasure of being with their young ones. This excess of
affection must be controlled, for, if not checked, it will seriously
injure both parent and offspring. All animals, however, are not thus
distinguished. Some bitches cannot be induced to suckle the pups they
have given birth to; and others, though less frequently, will eat their
progeny. The disposition to desert or destroy their young seems to
prevail among the parentage of this world. In the female of the dog the
maternal instinct is most powerful, but under certain conditions of the
animal’s body the natural impulse seems to be perverted, and she takes
the life she would else have perished to preserve.
Some persons entertain a notion that the bitch which has once devoured
her litter will ever after retain the disposition. This is a false idea.
On the next occasion, if properly treated—that is, if not persecuted,
chastised, alarmed, and annoyed, but properly dieted—she may prove, and
most likely will prove, an excellent mother, the very excitability
which, when over-stimulated, induced her unnatural impulse, making her,
when tranquil, the more alive to the instincts of her nature.
For the first week the bitch is, as a rule, very attentive to her family,
and as it gives her pain when one is taken up, it is better not to handle
the pups more than is absolutely necessary. She should be well fed; not
crammed, but nourished; and she will require more food than formerly, for
there are many mouths to feed through hers. The quantity of support she
needs may be conjectured from the rapid growth of the pups.
A small bitch of my own had a litter of four. The mother weighed seven
pounds six ounces, and between the second and fourth week the young ones
daily added one ounce and a half each to their bulk. It would require
some amount of milk to supply such a quantity of flesh; and we have also
to remember that, during the rapid growth, the process of consolidation
is simultaneously going forward. Good nourishing food, sufficient in
bulk, is absolutely imperative; for if the pups be stinted, the dogs will
assuredly be weak.
A strong bitch may be able to bring up five or six young ones, though
I have known some instances where a bitch has reared successfully as
many as ten; but the animals of the smaller or choice breeds are seldom
possessed of such capabilities. The very diminutive will not generally
rear two pups without suffering; and four are a very heavy drag upon the
majority of the animals kept as pets, even though they be in no way
remarkable on account of size.