Aloha List- I've been following this topic with interest as I have been party to many whelpings over the years and just hate it when I unnecessarily loose pups. IMOHO, I would plan to section a girl in this situation...but the vet makes all the difference! I avoided sections like the plague before Southern California was blessed with the skills of one Dana Bliffer, DVM. However, with a vet you trust, scheduling a section will give you that wonderful feeling of security and confidence...it did for me with the last three scheduled sections....of course, all three high risk girls went the night before with much sweat, walking, oxytocin and sleep deprivation. It got to the point that when I would call Warner Center Pet Center the next morning, Francine would simple say, upon hearing who it was, "How many did she have?". Before the advent of a decent repro vet, my attitude about c-sections (and emergency vets in general) was, "well, I can kill the dog (and/or pups) myself and for $1500.00 less!!!" This was the result of several REALLY bad outcomes with sections/emergency vet situations....I was willing to loose pups rather than go to an unknown or untested vet. The advent of a vet with lots of section experience has totally changed my attitude-I have been in the O room, catching squiggling, squeaking, BREATHING pups and watching mom wake up as the last stitch is put in-this is a testament to skill and the right anesthesia. I've had dog breeder friends drive for 2 1/2 to three hours to be at this clinic-the combo of sympetetic vets (both Dana and Terrie Johnson, DVM are show/breeder/performance event veterans in their own breeds), up to date equipment (Dana has a 3-D microscope-cool!) and intelligent staff makes the trip worth it-my commute to this mecca is hour each way on a good day. An xray 3-4 days before due date is always comforting-you can see if it's five or six little ones that will slip out or two big monsters that would never pass...a visit to the back-up vet may also be useful-find out what kind of anesthesia they use, if they'll do the shave before they put FiFi under, how many sections a week this vet does. Good Luck-whelping pups is pretty much of a teeth grinder-just a bit more stressful than breeding bitches (other folks, not your own)...none of it is a walk in the park...but once they are on the ground and doing good, they are such fun! It's a beautiful night in Paradise- Kim Johnson Allegria Cavaliers and Gold-Rush Golden Retrievers
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