Caesarian fun!

Today at work I had a scheduled C-section. This doesn't happen often in our world, but when it does, its usually a bulldog (as was the case today). Bulldogs have been selected by their breeders to have large blocky heads that get stuck on the way out. Most puppies are like little fusiform sausages and are easily pushed out. Bulldogs are more like humans with big noggins that are likely to get stuck. All the c-sections I've done in my career were either bulldogs or little tiny dogs like chihuahuas or yorkies, who don't have the energy to push their puppies out. They usually need emergency c-sections due to uterine inertia.

I had not previously met the owners of today's patient, but apparently they have bred Cairn terriers before and had been to many whelpings. They were very reluctant to turn their dog over to me for the c-section; they wanted to watch. However we are not at all set up for an audience in our little surgery room. Besides, I knew there were 5 puppies, which meant at least 5 nurses in there reviving them. While I am pretty open about doing procedures in front of clients, the last thing I needed was these 3 people in the room, questioning everything ("Is that good or bad? Are you supposed to do that?"). Its not like a human delivery room where the dad (or which ever SINGLE support person) is standing by the mom's head - this would be lots of people who view this dog as their child, and I could tell already they would be touching my sterile field.

I assured them I would keep them as involved as possible and that I would take good care of their baby.

The poor mother-to-be was quite uncomfortable and already in the early stages of labor - pacing, nesting, gagging, grunting. Soon we got her under anesthesia and rolled her on her back to prep her huge protruding belly, the many nipples huge and prominent standing up on the surface.

I had an audience anyway. All the staff stopped by to see the enormous gravid uterus once I pulled it out of the abdomen. Humans have a T-shaped uterus, with one baby (occasionally more) in the main part. Dogs and cats have a Y-shaped uterus with fetuses packed in a row along the "horns." This girl's uterus was about 3 feet long end-to-end, full of pups. I made an incision in the middle and milked the puppies out, one by one, dropping them into the arms of a technician, who revived them.

In short order, all the "quintuplets" were out, squirming and breathing and mewling. Now I was all alone, sewing up her already shrinking uterus and closing the long line on her deflated belly.

Momma woke up after snoozing for about 45 minutes after surgery. She was sitting up looking at me, more relaxed than before the surgery. "Look what I have," I told her, as I brought one of her pups out of the heated padded box they were incubating in. As the pup was aloft in the air it squeeked out. As soon as she heard her baby's cry, that momma stretched out on her side, exposing all her big teats. Soon all 5 pups were attatched and nursing, and momma closed her eyes contentedly. Three boys and two girls.