Retained placenta in a bitch

Re: Retained placenta in a bitch

Lindsey Edwards — Wed, 10 Jun 2015 00:24:43 GMT

Most will resolve without intervention but keep close eye on appetite and abdominal pain, acute metritis can develop quickly with mother and pups deteriorating quickly. Last 2 i saw were very unwell, responded very well after low dose prostaglandinn and nsaids, including bitch that passed fetid pup on journey into clinic, 72hrs after rest of litter. Side effects very messy but transient as with use for pyometra, I'd be slow to open if septicaemic.

Re: Retained placenta in a bitch

shanley barber — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 22:04:06 GMT

Thank you all for your replies; just to update you, the bitch presented today very bright, eating well, normal temperature, with no visible membranes at her vuvla (I suspect she chewed the placenta that was extruding, so we scanned her uterus and it looks like there's a fair amount of tissue retained. Our scanner is extremely ancient, mind! Our plan is to rescan in two day's time, and continue with antibiotics.

Re: Retained placenta in a bitch

Martin Atkinson — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 14:12:43 GMT

[quote user="Michael Woodhouse"]Are you absolutely sure there are no more pups? I had one once that chucked out another pup 3 days later. Couldn't palpate anything.[/quote]I recently had the opposite. I could feel what I thought was two retained pups, gave oxytocin and she popped one out after 20 minutes. Then there was one - or so I thought. Nothing much other than a bit of straining after further oxytocin so started a caesarian only it turned out there was no puppy, just a retained placenta. This was removed while I was in there and it looked rather necrotic so I felt I could justify it but the owner was none too happy. Question is would it have come out by itself or would it have caused problems if it had been left?

In retrospect, yes, I should have taken an X-ray but the non-puppy felt exactly the same as the one she whelped and if I'd known there wasn't another pup I would have probably have left her and would have expected no problems. But it goes to show you can still make elementary errors ofjudgement even after 40 years!

In the past after having a Bulldog bitch bleed to death post-caesarean because I removed all the placentas manually I have left retained placentas ever since and had no problems at all.

Re: Retained placenta in a bitch

Hannah Wynne Richards — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 10:52:17 GMT

Test calcium levels.

Wynne

Re: Retained placenta in a bitch

Joyce Whitehead — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 21:53:04 GMT

I'd also wait and see. I never remove placentas in caesarians unless they come out easily, and they normally pass out happily within a day or so. Fingers crossed, I've rarely retained membranes causing a problem in bitches.

Re: Retained placenta in a bitch

Michael Woodhouse — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 21:37:37 GMT

Are you absolutely sure there are no more pups? I had one once that chucked out another pup 3 days later. Couldn't palpate anything.

No response to oxytocin, but the dog was fine.

Otherwise I'd cover with antibiotics and watch closely.