Well, before you get all excited --- they were newborn puppies. Being retired as an RN, my vet has let me be in the OR when ever one of my dogs had to have surgery and slowly they have let me do more and more to assist. The last major tumor removal from my old girl who died last fall, I was dong the anesthesia on her by myself (with guidance from the Doc - not trained on the anesthesia machine except ojt).
About 1230 this morning the on call vet called me and asked if I was able to come help him with an emergency c-section on a dog and when I got there, was told I was in charge of resuscitating the puppies. He did a standard spay and then handed me the uterus with the puppies still in it. While he was working on the Mom.
I pulled the pups all 5 of them and began resuscitation - none of them looked alive and neither of us had much hope of resuscitation because of the time the mom had been in labor with the first pup stuck. I triaged and began working on the pups one by one but all at the same time - trying to get them breathing. One by one as each one started trying to breathe, I would work on that one and then have to switch to the next one. Can't just work on one have to get all 5 treated at once. Usually you will have one tech per pup. None of the pups even tried to take a breath.
Four of them came around fairly quickly but the 5th was the runt and the one stuck in the birth canal. Its lungs were full of fluid and I was having to suction and actually swing the pup to get the fluid out. I refused to give up on that one because it kept trying to take a breath - as long as it was trying I would do everything I could. Finally got enough air in the lungs it started to mew - then cry then move around.
The other 4 pups by then were active and crawling looking for Mom.
When I left, the Mom was awake and all 5 pups were nursing. She has an IV and 5 pups.
There are no words to explain how humble I feel and elated. The miracle of birth is just that --- a MIRACLE. I wish everyone could witness or even better assist.
I also found out for sure that retiring from nursing was the right thing to do - my back is too screwed up to even do what I did tonight more often than very occasionally. I was in pain to the point even with max pain and anti-spasmodic meds I slept for about an hour then pain woke me up. That is the bummer - I don't like being disabled and this really brought it home to me. Frustrating!
But there were 5 pups alive who would not have been had I not gone in. The owners of the dogs were ecstatic they were afraid the would loose the mom and all puppies. Sometimes the pain is worth it.
Don't have any idea how many will survive the night - that is in God's hands - but the Doc and I did every thing we could to medically ensure, using the gifts and training God allowed us to have, to allow His will be done.
Sorry for being so OT but had to vent and let someone know what happened and 5AM is not the time to call friends.
DM
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Originally Posted by summerthyme
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