Caesarean section resulted in four healthy puppies
We first met Madge when her owners were planning to breed. They registered with us as we are approved by the Bulldog Breed Council and advocate responsible breeding. Madge came for regular ultrasound scans with us to make sure her gestation (pregnancy) was progressing well and she soon made friends with Fiona Murphy and Joy, who would be part of the team for her planned caesarean.
We were able to plan an estimated date for us to perform the caesarean as this is the safest way for bulldogs to avoid birthing difficulties (known as dystocia), pre-empting when Madge may start to give birth as the timing needed to be right. Madge was very eager and started showing signs the day before we had estimated and on a Monday afternoon in March it was all systems go!
Careful planning had gone into the procedure, with our Head Nurse Lauren preparing the best anaesthetic protocol for Madge’s procedure, which would have minimal effects on the pups so we could get them breathing as soon as possible on arrival. Fiona performed the caesarean with Joy closely monitoring Madge every step of the way and Lucy, Lois and Katie ready to revive the puppies as they came thick and fast!
Four chunky puppies were born and cared for by the nursing team while Madge was closed up and recovered. As soon as she was awake we had the puppies latched on for their first drink – a proud moment all round!
It has been lovely seeing Madge and her owners since the procedure and getting to see her pups developing. They have now been microchipped and vaccinated and three have gone to new homes, with Dottie becoming a permanent addition to the family. This has been a very rewarding journey for us all and one of our favourite highlights of our job!
