Pregnant pause told its own story...
THE afternoon surgery was in full flow.
The waiting room was packed and the usual hustle and bustle was hustling and bustling.
Puppies to examine and vaccinate. Geriatrics needing their joints soothed. Upset tummies and upset owners; just the standard.
Cats to have nails clipped, teeth checked and sneezing investigated. Rabbits with dental problems. Nurses bickering, receptionists receptioning and vets vetting. All the usual day to day life of a busy veterinary practice.
Sometimes, however, you walk into a crowded room and notice someone is sitting alone. Despite them being wedged between other clients, they are apart and distant. Usually they are the very worried ones. They don’t chat to their neighbours. They don’t pet the amiable black Labrador that is speculatively using his big eyes to coerce attention from other clients
They don’t smile at the little girl who is clutching her toy dog to her chest, lest someone steal him. They keep their eyes to the floor and their arms crossed. But they do jump up, startled and anxious when you call their name.
This time, I noticed the quiet Spaniel, curled up at his feet. Typical of a working dog, she made no fuss, knew better than to join in the rowdy throng and only moved when her owner did.
As she got up, it was clear she was heavily pregnant. Her abdomen was swollen and her mammary glands engorged. But she lacked the glow of a healthy mum to be and walked ponderously and tentatively. It didn’t take long to discover she was two days past her expected date.
This isn’t in itself a problem. Although canine pregnancies average about 63 days, the fact that ovulated eggs can remain viable for some time and that canine sperm can survive in the female reproductive tract for up to five days, means that a normal gestation period can be anywhere from 55 to 72 days. Despite what some breeders think!
But this time things weren’t normal at all. Examination showed her temperature was raised, her mucous membranes scarlet and there was an ominous bloody discharge from her vulva.
An immediate ultrasound scan revealed an absence of any foetal heartbeats and a reduction in the expected amount of amniotic fluid. Scanning at this point in a pregnancy can be very useful. Owners and vets can be reassured that everything is okay if foetal heart beats are around the 170-200 per minute level. If they are in distress, heart beats will drop and surgical intervention is indicated when they are below about 130; anything in between and close and careful monitoring is required.
Unlike X-rays, however, ultrasound scanning of at-term bitches is not the best way of deciding how many pups are present. And, if we are in doubt about whether we are ‘at term’ a progesterone blood test, carried out in-house, can show the reduction in levels that are required for maturation of the foetal lung.
High levels mean whelping is not imminent.
In this case, it was clear we were in trouble. Find out next week what happened…