Mischka's
pregnancy was totally uneventful, she was fit and healthy, and ate well
throughout. A week before her due date i brought her into the house so
that I could keep an eye on her.
8/8/98. Mischka began scratting, the usual pattern
began, I knew within the next couple of days she would begin whelping.
I informed my vet that she would be producing shortly incase I needed
to call anyone out.
Mischka was a good size and I expected an average litter of about 6 or
7.
10/8/98. 03.00am Mischka began with the first stage of labour. Throughout
the day I kept a close eye on her, by lunch time she was really in the
swing of it, so I put her outside into the whelping kennel. I had everything
ready for her, the heat lamp was on and the kennel was lovely and warm.
I never offer any food to my bitches while whelping, but give them drinks
of whelpy and glucose.
17.00hrs, she was doing fine quite calm between panting, she was passing
urine ok and had, had her bowels open that morning.
It looks like I'm in for another sleepless night.
23.00hrs. Mischka began pushing, and at 23.20hrs. a bitch pup was born
weighing 1-8ozs.Both mum and pup were fine, Mischka took to motherhood
like a duck to water.I cleaned her up a bit, and waited for the next pup
to arrive.Three hours went by, but still no pup, Mischka was fine, not
pushing the new pup had been suckling, so I just waited.
11/8/98 04.15hrs, the second pup arrived. A male weighing 1-3ozs.He was
fine, and mum took care of him.
Night passed to day, and no more pups, on palpating Mischka's abdomen
I was sure there was at least 3-4 pups to come.
By 09..00hrs, still no pups, so I contacted the vets. Mischka was fine
in her self, no distress or pushing, but off we went to the vets for a
check up. The vets thought the same as me, there were more puppys to come.
09.30hrs An injection of oxytocin was given. I went home to await events.
12.00noon. Still no more pups presented, although Mischka was still panting,
and obviously still uncomfortable nothing else was happening.
Her abnomen was still large, but not tense, the vet was informed.
Off we went to the Vets again the 2 pups aswell.
12.45pm. Afurther 2.5ccs of oxytocin was repeated. The vet still sure
that there were more pups to come. I walked her around the car park of
the vets surgery. 20 mins. later and still no progress.
13.10 Mischka was taken to theatre for a Caesarean Section. I waited in
the vets consulting room in anticipation of the outcome.
To my horror I did not expect the result of the operation to be what it
was...........................................................................................
As I was sat waiting Karen the Practice Manager came out to see me. The look on her face told it all. "No Pups"? I said.
Indeed there wasn't............... Mischka was in theatre along time,
but she was doing ok much to my relief.
Two vets were operating and what they discovered was a real shock to them
and me. Attatched to Mischka's right ovary and adhered to the body of
the Uterus was a huge growth.
The practice manager brought it out for me to see, being a nurse and midwife
for 25 years I'd never seen anything like it removed from a human, let
alone an animal.
This indeed was a very rare occurance, none of the vets in the practice
had come across it before, hence the photographs that were taken, as seen
below.
This photo shows the growth ,known as a TERATOMA OR (MONSTER TUMUR) with a wedge section removed, which was sent to the lab. for hystology. Growing from within the tumur outwards there were tufts of fur, bone growth and tooth formation, no wonder it assumed the name of monster tumur, it was infact gross.
Below is the tumur with uterus attached. Because the growth was so invassive
the vets were unable to remove it without removing the uterus and ovaries
as well.
I sat with baited breath waiting to see my bitch ,praying that she was going to be alright. Then I heard the theatre door open, I flew to see her. She made it through the lengthy operation, I was so relieved. She was very drowsy but ok. The vets had given her IV. antibiotics as well as analgesia in theatre, and she was to commence orall therapy tomorrow.
Asson as Mischka had her gag reflex we put her in the car with her two
babies and I took her home to recover.
I thought the worst was over. I nursed Mischka in a cage with her two
pupies in my lounge while I slept on the settee, thinking it would only
be for a few days, not realising that the worst was yet to come. Mischka's
recovery was not to be easy, as if she hadn't gone through enough more
problems were to come.
12/8/98 Mischka was looking after her new pups very well, I began giving
her a light diet with plenty for fluids.
Over the next two days everything seemed to be going ok, I continued with
the oral antibiotic therapy, Mischka was now eating a normal diet, and
the pups were thriving well.
By day 3 following the op. the two pups had gained 5ozs. each in weight.
18/8/98 Today mischka seemed out of sorts, she went off her food and wasn't
drinking very well. I checked her temperature..... it was 106F. I informed
the vet, and kept a close eye on her. She was still in the house and I
was still sleeping downstairs with her. I encouraged her with drinks of
electrolyte substitute and kept an eye on her temp.
By the next day she wasn't well at all, the pups were very restless and
it seemed to me that mischka's milk supply was diminishing.
19/8/98 Mischka's temp. was still 106F. I informed the vet of her condition,
and swifly took her to the surgery.
19/8/98 The vet was waiting for me when I arrived, she examined Mischka
and re-took her temp. it remained 106. She wanted to admit Mischka to
the hospital but I asked to nurse her myself.
She had as I suspected developed Peritonitis, and she was one very poorly
dog. The vet gave her further I.M. Antibiotics, and it was touch and go
wether she would survive.
Peritonitis is a problem which can arise fom lengthy surgery when the
abdomen is exposed, and especially in Mischka's case when two vets had
their hands in, aswell as the size of the growth that was removed.
I have had experience nursing people with this condition, so I felt I
could give my bitch the individual attention she needed at home.
I took Mischka home and nursed her in the cage, keeping a close eye on
her temperature and observing the abnominal sutures aswell as the size
of her abnomen for any distension.
Because of her grave condition and the serious infection she had, I took
the pups off her, and began hand rearing them.
I'd obtained a naso-gastric feeding tube from the vets and started tube
feeding the pups every 2hours with 10mls. of whelpy. This was no problem
to me as I have vast experience tube feeding pre-term babies.
After every feed I put the pups in with Mischka, and even though she was
so poorly she continued cleaning them and fussing them.
Over the next two weeks I nursed Mischka, and hand reared the pups, and
eventually after a lot of antibiotic therapy she began to improve. For
those who may be interested I have listed below a ressume of the treatment
gave to Mischka, and her pups..........
Mischka
1) Initially 7 days antibiotic therapy.
2) After developing Peritonitis:
I.M Antibiotics daily for 3days.
Oral antibiotic utill her 26th day following surgery.
3) 4hrly temerature checks
4) 4hrly paracetamol to help reduce temperature.
5) hrly drinks of electrolyte substitute 10mls initially, for 4hrs. then
increased to 20mls hrly, and then once tolerating well increased over
the next few days until drinking out of the bowl- then onto whelpy, complan
drinks and then light diet introduced.
6) Sutures removed day 10.
HYSTOLOGY RESULT
TERATOMA confimed.
Not Malignant , aslong as all the growth plus surrounding tissue had been
removed, the prognosis looked good.
By the 27th day following her operation Mischka was well on her way to
making a full recovery.
Pups
1) 10mls. Whelpy 2hly via tube for first two days.
2) Gradually increasing the feed volume according to the weight of the
pups, sill tube feeding.
3) By 2weeks old feeding was now 3hrly, the pups were gaining weight and
thriving well.
4) At 17 days old I commenced weaning with pedigree weaning gruel.
5) By 31/2 weeks the were off tube feeds at night and laping milk.
Weight at 17 days.......dog- 3-5ozs
bitch 3-6ozs
20 days.......dog- 3-14
bitch 4-0
It was a few weeks of pure hardwork and worry, but it paid off. Mischka
made a full recovery and the pups thrived and grew into lovely young dogs.
Of course the downside of things was that Mischka was never to experience
motherhood again, but her and the pups were ok and thats all that mattered.
As you can imagine these puppies were very precious to me, and all i hoped
after this nightmare was that maybe fate would take its course and I would
end up with a puppy from Mischka to show.
Yes indeed there was a silver linning " Nikita", the pup I kept
worked out, and is still shown today.
If anyone has any comments about this story or any enquiries on tube feeding,
I would love to here from you.
© Jenamdal2002