Why do dogs have difficulty giving birth?

Causes of dog dystocia:

1. Related to body size: There are many breeds of dogs, and there are also differences in physique. The occurrence rate of dystocia in some breeds of dogs is higher than that in other types of dogs. Generally speaking, small and medium-sized dogs are more prone to dystocia. Small dogs account for a large proportion, and many small dogs are toy breeds. In order to preserve the appearance and characteristics of these breeds, their body size has been reduced, resulting in smaller bones and narrower pelvic bones in these dogs. Therefore, it is more difficult for the fetuses to pass through the pelvic canal, leading to dystocia. Certain breeds with larger heads, such as bulldogs, have prominent heads, and the proportion of the head size of newborn puppies is also relatively large, making them very susceptible to dystocia.

2. Related to fetuses: More than half of the first-born dogs experience dystocia. The dog's body cannot fully adapt to these drastic changes, or certain aspects of its body development are still immature, especially in dogs that become pregnant for the first time at a young age. Therefore, owners of first-born dogs should pay more attention to various conditions during pregnancy.

3. Related to obesity: If a dog's daily life is too luxurious, especially during pregnancy, the owner may be afraid of treating the dog poorly. They may feed it a lot of high-nutrition food and reduce the amount of exercise, causing the dog to become excessively obese due to excessive nutrition, leading to the excessive growth of the fetus and making dystocia more likely to occur.

Treatment for dog dystocia:

1. Since it is difficult to correct the fetal position in the uterus of the mother dog, after identifying the cause, immediate assistance should be provided. For mothers with reproductive dystocia, medication can be used to induce labor and forceps traction can be used to assist in delivery. For dystocia caused by other factors, immediate cesarean section surgery should be performed.

2. When there is no abnormality in the examination of the birth canal (the cervix is fully dilated), and it is considered to be reproductive dystocia, oxytocin can be injected intramuscularly at a rate of 1 unit per kilogram of body weight, with an injection every 20 minutes, usually 2 to 3 times. In order to increase uterine contractions, intravenous infusion of 10% calcium gluconate at 10-30 milliliters can be given.

3. For dystocia caused by abnormalities in the birth canal and fetus, timely medical attention should be sought and cesarean section surgery should be performed.