16. Can an outside vet perform Caesarean on this Bulldog?

The Bulldog could not wait another day

Just 24 hours to freedom. She had to give birth. One stilborn delivered at 9 a.m.
She had more than 1 puppy judging from her swollen belly. I recommended Caesarean section as bulldogs seldom give birth naturally. But she was in quarantine. Would I be able to perform Caesarean section in the quarantine, Mr Formicelli asked?

I cancelled my afternoon appointments. Cut short my lunch date at Allson Hotel's Chinese Restaurant as I had to rush back to the Surgery. I had persuaded Mr Goh, a man who loved anaesthetic machines more than sales. After much persuasion, Mr Goh was able to assemble a mobile gas anaesthetic machine. But he needed to use my Surgery's anaethetic vaporiser and so I had to ask my lunch date to forgive me.

Now, there are rules and regulations to be complied with. The Bulldog had another 12-20 hours of quarantine left. Would there be regulatory challenges to perform Caesarean section in the quarantine or in my Surgery?

"Don't get into the taxi," I stopped Mr Goh from going to my Surgery to get the vital vaporiser. "I need clearance from the Official to perform Caesarean section in the quarantine and to find out if there are facilities to do surgery." There was no table and the consultation room was locked. What to do next?

The Official was contacted at 12.58 p.m in his office. He understood the predicament of the Bulldog. He said he would revert back to me soon. No news. His mobile was switched off. It was 2.15 p.m. now. "Did my boss contact you? I will talk to him." the Official said.

"Your Surgery is not the approved veterinary surgery for quarantined dogs. Mr Formicelli can either wait or go to the approved surgery for the Caesarean."

"You should go to the approved surgery," I phoned Mr Formicelli. "The pups are most probably dead by now. Save the mother. Don't delay. Save the mother as dead pups would decompose. They bloat and bacteria inside them form toxins. Toxins spread to the dam and may kill her or weakened her if you wait till the next day."

He was hesistant. "If not, give antibiotics to the dam," I advised.

"How about an oxytocin injection to help the mother to contract her womb to give birth?" Mr Formicelli requested.

"No use," I replied. "Bulldog pups have large heads and if the mother could not give birth after the oxytocin injection, the contractions would jam the pups further and caused her more pain. Give her some food and honey to drink."

Mr Formicelli booked a Caesarean at 9 a.m the next day. He helped the Bulldog to deliver a stillborn at 3 p.m. He stayed till 8 p.m. There were no further pups. Overnight, a stillborn was born. 3 dead. The other pups would not be alive now. Why would Mr Formicelli not want an immediate Caesarean delivery to save the dam?

At 9 a.m, the Bulldog was operated. 3 beautiful pups on the left horn of the womb. A greyish green thin bag on the right side. That was the large swollen bladder full of obstructed urine.

3 stillborn puppies in one side of the womb.

The dam had a normal temperature of 38.8 deg C and was well. She was eating the next day, Mr Formicelli's assistant reported. So everything was all right.

"6 precious Bulldog pups lost. Around $12,000 lost, just in a twinkling of an eye. If only the Bulldog had waited just 24 hours to give birth," I said to the assistant as I vaccinated the puppies in the afternoon at the kennels.

"The pups were beautiful,"Mr Formicelli explained to me later. "Such things can't be helped. If they were born alive, they and their dam would need to be quarantined for 30 days. I would have to pay a large sum of money."

I must say that his judgment and handling of the case was excellent because his bulldog was alive and well. It was better late than never as he promptly went to the quarantine to bring the dog for the Caesarean and had booked the appointment yesterday.