Pet Pregnancy (continued) CARING FOR YOUR PET DURING PREGNANCY

Last week (August 8th,2021), we made a light detour from our discussion on the matter of pet (dogs and cats) pregnancy. Instead, we inserted a very compelling and convincing essay on the topic of necessary public support for those genuine Humane Societies, individuals and Agencies promoting animal welfare. This need is very current, and we trust that the article served to convince more of our readers to assist, in whichever way they can, the genuine efforts of these parties to improve the wellbeing of those animals that are not lucky enough to be in the care of families.
Today, we return to the series on “pet pregnancies.” During past weeks, we documented basic data on dog and cat pregnancy- length and signs, “morning sickness,” “false pregnancy”, and how the caregiver can accurately determine pregnancy via palpation and technical aids, e.g., the use of X-ray and ultra-sound technologies (see “Pet Care” columns of July 25th and August 1st, 2021).
Now, lets take for granted that your bitch has become pregnant. What now? I would suggest that you take her to your veterinarian for a physical check-up, especially if it is her first pregnancy. Even older and experienced females could have some unexpected problems. The one that springs to mind is a vaginal tumor. This is a condition that usually results from mating with an unclean, contaminated male dog – usually (but not only) a stray. The tumors could grow to a size that would occlude the vaginal passage, thus resulting in a problem at birth.
Then there is the need for an oral check-up. If the birth/cat has a problem (an infection) like stomatitis or gingivitis in her mouth, then the infection could be transmitted to the puppies when she is caring for them (licking them, lifting them, etc.). Similarly, if she has a problem with her teeth (periodontitis), then when she is severing the navel cord at birth, she could pass the germs to the newborn pups.
You could use this visit to enquire from the veterinarian, this type of nutrition that is needed during pregnancy, what signs to look for when she is close to delivery, and what complications could arise during the birth process, and, of course, what constitutes a normal delivery.
Things to expect when your when the female cat/bitch is close to brining a new generation into the world:
• Loss of appetite
• Restlessness
• Concentrated effort to find a place for delivery and to build her “nest”
• Decrease in body temperature (from 101 0F to 98-99 0F).
Lastly, and very importantly, keep your veterinarian’s number handy, just in case a problem, however slight, develops. You know you are going to panic. Get your professional to help. He or she has been trained for such an eventuality. Within the context of contacting your vet, you must know his/her schedule; you mut know whether he or she will be available. There is no sense calling the vet on a weekend when he is fishing in the Abary or is conducting a spay and neuter campaign far away from his Clinic. For that reason, the vet will have a record of the likely time your pet will be delivering the pups or kittens. The client/caregiver must have a personal rapport and interaction with the vet (via the pet’s vaccinations, deworming, continuous visits, and check-ups). This also means that the caregiver would have been told, if the vet is unavailable, and to whom the patient could be referred in case of an emergency.