Green fluid during birth?

[GurleyGirl]

Originally Posted by lisatodd

where do you breeders get your oxi shot from? the vets? are they willing to just give it to you or do they normally want you to take the bitch into the office to be seen?

My vet gives me the pre-measured oxi... but awhile ago he gave me the whole bottle of it.... and some needles..... I've used it once on my Bitsy... and that was AFTER I called the vet. It's just a safety net to have "just in case".

[set1958]

In humans, green fluid means that stool (meconium) has been passed by baby into fluid. It is a sign of fetal distress! I would think that green fluid in dogs is the same. The puppies get in distress, heartrate drops, puppy passes stool thus green fluid. In humans, a c-section is required. It amazes me that vets know so little about gestattional issues, whelping and nursing.

[Mardelin]

Originally Posted by set1958

In humans, green fluid means that stool (meconium) has been passed by baby into fluid. It is a sign of fetal distress! I would think that green fluid in dogs is the same. The puppies get in distress, heartrate drops, puppy passes stool thus green fluid. In humans, a c-section is required. It amazes me that vets know so little about gestattional issues, whelping and nursing.

Not necessarily

[genie]

Originally Posted by Ladyhawk

This is what Dr. Rice DMV says: A sure sign that uterine labor contractions have begun is the presence of a green vaginal discharge. It is the result of early uterine placental detachment and may be seen several hours before a bitch produes her first pup. The green fluid, called lochia, is intermittently observed until several days or a week after whelping.

That is so weird how it can be so different in dogs and humans...lol. In a dog you look for the green fluid and it is a good sign, in humans you look for it as a bad sign. If the meconium is too thick in human fluid, we place a tube in the uterus and hook warm iv fluids to it and "wash it out", so the baby will not aspirate it during delivery. And the lochia in humans is the vaginal discharge after delivery, at first it is red then a few days later it is pink and then sometimes brown. Not that you wanted to know that but I just got carried away.....lol....

[011011]

My vet gives me what I might need.Oxy ,anitibiotics for injection etc..I will NOT use any of it unless he advises me to do so,and sometimes I like him to give the first of what is needed and then I will follow up. He will not just hand it out to anyone though and I have had him for 24 years.He is so good that sometimes I do not eevn get charged for an office call just what he does or uses.

[Mardelin]

Originally Posted by genie

That is so weird how it can be so different in dogs and humans...lol. In a dog you look for the green fluid and it is a good sign, in humans you look for it as a bad sign. If the meconium is too thick in human fluid, we place a tube in the uterus and hook warm iv fluids to it and "wash it out", so the baby will not aspirate it during delivery. And the lochia in humans is the vaginal discharge after delivery, at first it is red then a few days later it is pink and then sometimes brown. Not that you wanted to know that but I just got carried away.....lol....

We are talking apples and oranges here. I'm an x RN and believe me the 2 are completely different. The human anatomy and the canine anatomy are different, reproductive organs are different, birthing/whelping is different. Puppies are in the horn, humans are in the uterus...... Breech in human is different than in puppies. 45% of puppies are born hind legs 1st.....Breech is considered head up in a canine......

[set1958]

I also am a RN. I have been an labor and delivery RN for 25+ years. Humans can also have a bicornuate uterus which is two uterine horns like a dog which usually causes preterm labor in humans. Both humans and dogs deliver their offspring with the help of uterine contractions and pushing. Both dogs and humans have an early stage of labor and an active stage of labor then pushing. Vets do not call it the latter, but that is what happens during whelping. Milk is produced by hormones released in both humans and dogs and sucking stimulates milk production, thus the reason many c-sectioned dogs do not produce milk because they are usually kept at the vet unattended. No one is there to put the pups on the teats to stimulate the milk. A lack of fluids in both humans and dogs causes the milk to dry up. If you google canine green lochia or fluid you will find many sites that recommend a c-section if no pup has been delivered. After the first pup it is normal, however, the pups need to be born fairly soon.

[YorkieRose]

NO! Green is not to be thought of as a GOOD thing...it happens and can be the worst thing to see or acceptable thing to see...and when a bitch does something totally opposite to the book, it is because she has NOT read the book..so expect anything and be prepared for everything.

If I had a bitch who gushed green water early in labor I would prepare for a problem..BUT if she has green fliud on her her legs and bedding AFTER a pup or two, I would not be concerned. If she had a thick green discharge after a day or so with a bad odor (infection)..I know we have a serious probem.
Watery green during whelping and thick, green infection have two totally different odors.

[Sugar's Mom]

Originally Posted by YorkieRose

NO! Green is not to be thought of as a GOOD thing...it happens and can be the worst thing to see or acceptable thing to see...and when a bitch does something totally opposite to the book, it is because she has NOT read the book..so expect anything and be prepared for everything.

If I had a bitch who gushed green water early in labor I would prepare for a problem..BUT if she has green fliud on her her legs and bedding AFTER a pup or two, I would not be concerned. If she had a thick green discharge after a day or so with a bad odor (infection)..I know we have a serious probem.
Watery green during whelping and thick, green infection have two totally different odors.

Thank you!!!!!!!!

[Mardelin]

Originally Posted by YorkieRose

NO! Green is not to be thought of as a GOOD thing...it happens and can be the worst thing to see or acceptable thing to see...and when a bitch does something totally opposite to the book, it is because she has NOT read the book..so expect anything and be prepared for everything.

If I had a bitch who gushed green water early in labor I would prepare for a problem..BUT if she has green fliud on her her legs and bedding AFTER a pup or two, I would not be concerned. If she had a thick green discharge after a day or so with a bad odor (infection)..I know we have a serious probem.
Watery green during whelping and thick, green infection have two totally different odors.

Thanks Pat for your clear explanation. I tell you being a nurse in my past life somewhat prepared me for whelping a litter, but the 2 are totally different.

[CO_yorkie_momma]

Originally Posted by Mardelin

Thanks Pat for your clear explanation. I tell you being a nurse in my past life somewhat prepared me for whelping a litter, but the 2 are totally different.

Mardelin how many lives have you had. LOL

[Mardelin]

Originally Posted by CO_yorkie_momma

Mardelin how many lives have you had. LOL

Including this one 3. I went to nursing school, worked in the field for a couple of years, and found I hated it. Not the work just hated dealing with Doctors. Then I went to work for the phone company, worked there for 28 years and retired. Now I'm doing what I love.....

Remember I'm 61 years old. Inbetween all this I was married, had 2 kids, divorced and remarried and obtained a 3rd son.

[set1958]

I would take my bitch to the Vet anytime I saw green fluid, however, I added that after the first pup it was normal because that is what the literature says online. I am by no means even close to being an expert on whelping and my original post said I thought that green fluid meant distress, therefore a vet visit. Some seemed to disagree because humans and dogs are different in their opinion so I went online to see what the literature says and it does say not to be concerned with green fluid after the first pup. I would be concerned because I know that whelping a pup and delivering a baby are similar. Not identical, but similar. I wholeheartedly agree that green is bad, but read the post after my earlier post. X RN you seem to be contradicting yourself. I am an OB nurse and puppies are similar but not identical. So green is not good and I guess now everyone agrees with that conclusion.

[Mardelin]

No where did I contradict myself. As stated it is dependent on color, odor, consistency and when it the process the whelping process it has presented itself.

[Willow]

If it is ok, I will share my green dishcarge story. Some of you may remember, I don't know.

Last August my Autumn delivered a litter of 4 baby boys, 2 stillborn. One died 4 days later from complications. The other happily lives in Conneticut.

Autumn's water broke at 7pm and it was green and thick. I called the vet and told him and he said not to worry that it just meant the placentas separated and it would be fine if she delivered the pups. 2 hours went by, no pups. once again called the vet...he said, and I quote, "it could take up to 12 hours for them to deliver after their water breaks"

So I stupidly trusted my vets opinion and I waited. The next morning Autumn started delivering at 7 am. First puppy was a boy and he was alive, but his afterbirth was green and gross...I cleaned him up and threw the afterbirth away. Puppy 2 came a few minutes later, still born. His afterbirth was also green. The next puppy didn't come until an hour later, he too was stillborn. I thought she was done so I put a call into the vets told them what happened and they told me to bring her in at xx time for an oxy shot and penicillin. Well, two hours after the last puppy Autumn started contracting again and delivered her fourth baby boy. His placenta was the ONLY one that looked normal and he was the only one who is alive today.

Autumn will never be bred again. It was far too devestating for me and for her and I could never put her through that again.

Green BEFORE a puppy is NOT good!!

I also wanted to add that my vet said the puppies had passed on 2 or 3 days before delivery. She also went into labor on day 62 and delivered on day 63.