First, I want to apologize to readers who feel I don’t offer
enough advice in my columns. The reason
for that and I’m sure you’ll understand when you read this, is because the last
guy I gave advice to actually took it.
My
brother-in-law, Gary, has a bad back. So
bad, in fact, that he needed surgery---a dorsal laminectomy of four of his
vertebrae. Why his surgeon agreed to
this, I don’t know, but he let Gary Gary
Weeks
went by, and Bonnie and I were attending the Midwest Veterinary Conference in Columbus
On
Saturday, Cindy went with us to the conference.
Upon returning to their home that evening, the comforting smell of
chicken soup greeted us from the kitchen.
But, Gary
Recently,
though, I did have another opportunity to offer some more advice. Only this advice wasn’t given in jest, and it
was advice I wish I had given myself many years ago.
My
patient, a young, female English Bulldog, had just ended her first heat
cycle. Her owner’s complaint was that
she had a greenish vaginal discharge. Notes
in her chart from previous visits indicated that she had this condition twice
before as a younger puppy. The phrase
“intends to breed” was written as well.
From
the almost constant petting, hugging, kissing, and I believe “sweet nothings”
whispered in her ear, I could tell her owner really loved his dog. I explained that this was probably a simple
case of vaginitis, but that it could ascend to become a urinary tract infection
or worse yet, be a foreshadowing of a much more serious problem seen in older,
unsprayed, females, called pyometra. This
uterine infection itself can become life-threatening, or lead to kidney
failure. The “life-threatening” part
seemed to grab his attention.
Knowing
his intention to breed, I added that pregnant English Bulldogs usually required
a caesarian section. That didn’t faze
him. He was, he insisted, only going to
breed her once. I further explained that
while we have done numerous caesarians in our practice, and most have gone well
without complication, it is not an innocuous procedure, and there are no
guarantees.
The
concern returned to his face, and in a soft spoken voice he asked, “What should
I do, Doc?”
In
the nanoseconds it took to process his question, my first thought was that of
an old friend. Chrissy was one of the
greatest dogs who ever lived. Born in
1982, she was the granddaughter of my original Border Collie, “Old Chrissy.” I had given one of her puppies to my brother,
and he in turn gave me little Chrissy when I worked for him that summer.
Chrissy
would literally jump through hoops for me. Everyone who met her wanted one of
her puppies, including, and especially me.
I planned to have one of her family members in my life forever.
After
several failed attempts to breed her, we tried one more time when she was seven
years old. Two to six years of age are
considered the best and safest breeding years.
Bonnie thought Chrissy was too old, so I take full responsibility for
what happened.
Chrissy
went into labor on a Sunday afternoon. Things didn’t progress normally,
however, and after too many hours and a couple injections of oxytocin, we
decided she needed a caesarian.
The
first part of the surgery was uneventful.
We removed seven live puppies from the uterus, and Bonnie began to
suture the wound. Then suddenly, without
any warning, Chrissy's heart stopped, and she was gone. Thank you to our
neighbors, Denny and Rosie, for their help that awful night.
We raised six of the puppies and kept two. Jake had his mother’s kind and gentle heart, and Chrissy III, her steadfast devotion. Although we loved those dogs with all our hearts, if given the choice, I don’t think either Bonnie or I would have traded their mother for them.
“Have
her spayed,” I told him. “Have your dog
spayed and avoid any possible complications of pregnancy.” And maybe a whole lot of heartache and
guilt. That’s the best advice I
have.
Author: Dr. John Jones
Image courtesy of photostock at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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