Perinatal and neonatal care
Help with a difficult birth during opening hours: ultrasound assessment, pharmacological support or Caesarean section, resuscitation of newborns, an incubator and the first examination of the litter. Call before you set off.
Mon–Fri 9–19, Sat 9–13 · tel. +48 74 660 62 68. Outside opening hours, on Sundays and on public holidays, the nearest 24-hour animal hospitals are SKVet Klinika Weterynaryjna (ul. Stabłowicka 109b, Wrocław, tel. 791 998 999) and Klinika Psa i Kota (ul. B. Krzywoustego 105/22, 51-166 Wrocław, tel. 71 339 82 48).
What it involves
Perinatal care has three stages: assessing whether the birth is progressing normally, intervening when it has stalled (drugs or caesarean section), and caring for the newborns in the first days of life. Most bitches and queens give birth unaided, but when dystocia occurs — that is, a birth that is not progressing — time matters: foetuses cut off from the placenta have only a few dozen minutes.
We have ultrasound to assess the foetal heart rate (the most important indicator of whether the young are in distress), an operating theatre for caesarean section, an anaesthesia station and an incubator with temperature control and oxygen for newborns. Neonatology is a separate field: puppies and kittens do not regulate their temperature, dehydrate quickly and need different drug doses from adult animals.
We work during the practice's opening hours — Mon–Fri 9:00–19:00, Sat 9:00–13:00. At night and on Sundays we refer to cooperating 24-hour animal hospitals in Wrocław; that is why planning the birth in advance is so important.
When it is used
Come in immediately (after phoning) if the bitch or queen strains hard for more than 30 minutes without delivering a young one, if the gap between young exceeds 2 hours with visible contractions or 4 hours without contractions, if a green discharge appears before the first young, if the mother is clearly weak, trembling or has seizures, and if the due date has passed by more than 2 days. We arrange a planned caesarean section for the date set at the pregnancy visits.
Indications: symptoms that should prompt a visit
- The bitch has been straining hard for half an hour and no puppy is appearing.
- The queen has delivered two kittens, three hours have passed and nothing is happening, although more can be felt in the abdomen.
- A green or brown discharge is coming from the birth canal, but labour has not started.
- After the birth the bitch is trembling, unsteady and panting — this may be a drop in calcium (eclampsia).
- The newborn is cold, limp, cries constantly or will not suckle.
- A puppy is stuck in the birth canal and only part of its body is visible.
- A brachycephalic bitch has a planned birth and needs a caesarean section.
Conditions for which we use it in particular
Diagnostics beforehand
On admission we perform an ultrasound straight away: we check how many foetuses remain, how their hearts are beating (a heart rate below 180/min in dogs means distress, below 150 — the need for an urgent caesarean section) and whether there is fluid in the uterus indicating placental detachment. An X-ray shows the position and size of the foetuses and whether any foetus is wedged in the pelvis.
We measure calcium and glucose in the mother's blood — a deficiency is a common cause of weak contractions and can be corrected quickly. Before a caesarean section we perform a shortened assessment under STD-01.
How it proceeds
If the foetuses are stable, the birth canal is clear and the uterus is merely tired, we try assisting: calcium, glucose, oxytocin in small doses, under ultrasound monitoring. If there is no effect within 30–60 minutes, or it is immediately obvious that natural birth is impossible, we proceed to a caesarean section.
We perform the caesarean section under general anaesthesia with the minimum of drugs that cross the placenta, often supplemented with epidural anaesthesia (STD-04). Usually 10–20 minutes pass from the incision to delivery of the last young; a member of the team works on each newborn: clearing the airways, drying, stimulating breathing and giving oxygen if needed. The newborns go into the incubator, and when the mother wakes we put them to suckle while still with us. The whole stay is usually 4–8 hours; in more severe cases the mother stays for observation.
After a natural birth or a caesarean we examine the litter: body weight, temperature, palate, umbilical cord, suckling reflex. Weak newborns are warmed in the incubator, tube-fed and given glucose.
Aftercare
The mother goes home with painkillers that are safe during nursing and instructions for wound care. What matters most at home: warmth (28–30 °C in the nest in the first week), weighing the young daily (they should gain weight every day), checking the nipples and vaginal discharge. Check-up of the mother and litter after 2–3 days, suture removal after 10 days.
Call immediately if the mother trembles, has seizures, a temperature above 39,5 °C, a foul-smelling discharge, or if a newborn fails to gain weight over a day, is cold, cries constantly or has diarrhoea.
Frequently asked questions
How long can I wait before I call?
Strong straining with no result: 30 minutes. A gap between puppies or kittens: 2 hours if there are contractions, or 4 if there are none. Green discharge with no puppy or kitten following: call immediately. If in doubt, it is better to call too early.
Can a bitch nurse her puppies after a caesarean section?
Yes, usually a few hours after waking. We choose drugs so that they are safe for the suckling young.
What if labour starts at night?
For pregnancies managed from start to finish by our practice, where an on-call availability service for the birth has been agreed, you can call the agreed phone number set aside for exactly this kind of situation. We give you the number when the service is agreed. For high-risk pregnancies, we plan the caesarean section during the practice's opening hours. In all other cases we have no staff available outside opening hours, on Sundays and on public holidays. In that situation, please contact the 24-hour animal hospitals in Wrocław to which we refer.
Can I cut the umbilical cord and clean the newborn myself?
Yes, if the mother is not doing so: break the membranes at the muzzle, dry the newborn vigorously with a towel, tie off the umbilical cord 1–2 cm from the belly and cut it. If the newborn is not breathing after a minute of stimulation, call us.
We manage every case individually. The scope, indications and course described above are indicative; we agree the exact diagnostic and treatment plan during the consultation. This content is for information only and does not replace a veterinary consultation.
Do you have questions about perinatal and neonatal care?
Call us or book a consultation. We will set out the diagnostic and treatment plan in writing, before you decide.