Comparative Evaluation of Different Methods Of Management of Dystocia In Dogs

In recent years, advances in canine reproduction have facilitated pregnancy management to emerge as an important clinical service that has application from the beginning to the end of gestation. The advances provide new and improved methods of pregnancy detection; improved use of ultrasound to determine gestational age, assess fetal wellbeing, predict the date of whelping, detect animals prone for dystocias and formulate treatment protocols to reduce maternal and fetal mortality (Concannon and Verstegen, 1998). Over the last two decades, there has been a tremendous increase in the number of pedigreed dogs, particularly in the urban areas with the kennel owners even importing fancy breeds, at an exhorbitant price. The kennel owners have become increasingly aware of the importance of pre-breeding evaluation of the bitch, availability of the techniques to determine the exact time of mating, early pregnancy diagnosis and regular monitoring of the general health of the pregnant animals by the Veterinarian. The act of parturition perhaps is the most anxious time for the dog breeders, as the puppy survival rate and the future reproduction of the dam are influenced by events at this stage. In a study by Forsberg and Forsberg (1989), the frequency of puppy deaths upto three weeks of age following normal parturition was reported to be 11.9 per cent. In comparison, the frequency of pups born dead or die during abnormal parturition was 22.3 per cent (Darvelid and Linde- Forsberg 1994).