Effectiveness of obstetrical interventions and quality of labor on neonatal viability in dogs

Pup mortality is considered a significant problem in the dog. The present study aimed to evaluate the incidence of neonatal loss in eutocic and dystocic canine deliveries and also the influence of various obstetrical interventions and course of labor on the neonatal viability in dystocic dogs and in animals subjected to elective cesarean. Also, the study aimed to determine the random blood glucose, serum total calcium and progesterone in dogs experiencing dystocia. The present study established that hypoglycemia and hypocalcemia is an infrequent cause of maternal dystocia and that the neonatal viability is maximum when an elective cesarean section is carried out when the serum progesterone concentrations are very close to basal levels. The incidence of stillbirths and neonatal mortality in canines was found to be fairly high and even higher following difficult births. The present investigation confirmed that pup mortality cannot be divorced from the assessment of the influence of whelping process and that the first 24 hours after birth was found to be the most critical period for the neonatal mortality and was closely related to the duration of labor and the type of obstetrical intervention employed to relieve dystocia. The importance of resuscitation in improving the vitality of pups born of dystocic deliveries was established and also suggested that elective cesarean in dogs is a safe technique for obtaining maximum neonatal survival.