QUESTIONS

1. What is the difference between primary & seoncdary uterine inertia?
    
2. How many minutes of strong contractions is too long & you should get concerned?
    
3. What is the longest # of hours between pups that should pass before dystochia is considered?
    
4. How many days from the breeding date is "prolonged gestation?"
    
5. How long after the rectal temperature drops should the first puppy be born?
    
6. Why is it bad to give oxytocin in the face of an obstruction in the birth canal?
    
7. What happens if you give too much oxytocin (or if you give it too fast)?
    
8. Greenish lochia is normal post partum.  How long can it continue before it becomes abnormal?
    
9. How long does uterine involution take in the dog?
    
10. Why might it not be good to supplement calcium post-partum in an attempt to prevent puerperal tetany/eclampsia?
     
11. List all the contributing factors that can predispose a bitch to developing puerperal tetany/eclampsia?
     
12. If puerperal tetany is going to happen, when does it usually happen?
    
    
    
    
     

ANSWERS

1. Primary uterine intertia is total uterine fatigue (what one usually thinks of as uterine inertia.)  Secondary uterine inertia involves fetal obstruction of some kind (usually a small bitch w/a large fetus, or a brachycephalic breed).
   
   
   
   
    
2. 30-60 min of hard labor without a pup is too long & you should intervene.
   
   
   
   
    
3. 4-6 hours without a pup is too long & you should intervene. (note that in the cat it is not unusual for the queen to decide to "finish tomorrow." This is not abnormal.
   
   
   
   
    
4. 70 days from the breeding date or 60 days from the first day of diestrus is prolonged gestation.
   
   
   
   
    
5. A pup should appear within 24 hours of the temperature drop.  If none are born after this time, you should intervene.
   
   
   
   
    
6. Giving oxytocin in the face of an obstruction can cause the placenta to detach & the baby will die if he/she cannot breath.  A bad idea.
   
   
   
   
    
7. Is everyone used to giving oxytocin IM? You can give it IV, too (in case you were wondering how you could give it too fast w/an IM injection) Anyway, if you give oxytocin either too much or too fast you will get uterine tetany which does not produce effective contractions. Uterine tetany can also tear the uterus or cut off placental blood flow.
   
   
   
   
    
8. The answer is a surprise to many.  4-6 weeks of vaginal discharge post partum is A-Okay as long as the bitch is feeling well.
   
   
   
   
    
9. Uterine involution takes 4-6 weeks after birth. The non-pregnant dog uterus must involute in normal diestrus too but this only takes 2-4 weeks.
   
   
   
   
    
10. Supplementation of calcium can cause the parathyroid gland to atrophy & keep the bitch from being able to mobilize calcium on her own when she needs to.  I know a ton of DVMs who do this & swear by it & I will add that in the same chapter that Eddie Feldman said the above, he also says that in sebsequent litters of bitches who have had eclampsia supplementation is a good preventive.
    
    
    
    
     
11. Here's my list:
    
    -small breed
    -calcium supplementation given
    - weird diet or not eating adequately due to stress
    -loss of calcium in milk or in fetal skeletons
    - hyperventilation in dystochia (remember, hyperventilation > alkalosis > increased protein bound calcium > less ionized calcium doing its job)
    
    
    
    
     
12. Eclampsia usually occurs in the first 3 weeks after whelping.