What to Do If a Puppy Is Stuck in the Womb

In the course of delivery puppies sometimes become lodged in their mothers' pelvic canal. A puppy may be too large, in an abnormal position or dead. The mother's pelvic canal may be too small for passage or obstructed, or the mother may have stopped pushing to expel the fetus for one of a number of reasons. Because of the limited space available for manipulation in the pelvic canal, extraction can be difficult and dangerous for both the puppy and mother.

  1. Cleanliness and Lubrication

    • In order to avoid trauma and the introduction of contaminated material into the mother's reproductive tract, the vulva should be gently cleaned with suitable disinfectant such as povidone-iodine scrub and rinsed with gauze sponges soaked in clean water; latex gloves should be worn. During manipulation of parts of a puppy still in the vaginal canal, lubrication such as KY jelly must be applied in generous amounts with a gloved finger. Lubrication improves the chance of extracting the puppy without damage to puppy or the vaginal tissues.

    Assessment

    • Before puppy manipulation, the position and likely cause of the puppy's predicament are assessed. The following questions should be answered: have any other puppies already been delivered? Is any part of the puppy already outside of the vulva? Is the puppy coming out head first, tail first or sideways? Are the feet coming first, whether front or back? Is the puppy alive? Is the vagina large enough for a gloved finger or instrument? Is there a vaginal abnormality preventing passage of the puppy. An assessment of the mother's health status may indicate the need for specific treatment, though the risk of treating the mother must be weighed against the danger of delaying delivery. If the puppy is in the birth canal and space there is adequate, a lubricated gloved finger or clean instrument can be introduced to assess the puppy's position and birth canal condition. In normal presentations the front feet should be felt with paws down or the back feet with paws up. If the puppy is upside down or sideways then a C-section will likely be needed.

    Manipulation of the Puppy

    • Pulling on a limb of a living puppy may result in irreversible damage to the puppy. Chris Wilcox and Bonnie Walkowicz in their book "Successful Dog Breeding" advise that gentle traction can be applied to limbs if needed with minimal risk of dismemberment unless the puppy is already dead. If the puppy is positioned such that the head and front feet or back feet and hips are in the canal, traction can be applied to the head, hips or legs of the puppy, and the puppy can be gently pulled back and down, toward the mother's hocks, to follow the natural path of the canal. The puppy can be rotated so that the shoulders or hips are aligned with the wider part of the birth canal or at a 45 degree angle to the vertical plane of the mother's body. Wilcox and Walkowicz advise working with the mother's contractions, pulling when she is pushing. Oxytocin can be given under veterinary supervision to help with contractions, though in cases of obstruction this may be dangerous and result in damage to the uterus or birth canal.

    Avoid Damage to Puppy or Mother

    • Puppy manipulation can result in damage to the puppy or birth canal if not done with a gentle technique. While a puppy's health may be compromised during the delay required for preparation for surgery, a C-section may be the best option for saving the puppy or others not yet born, and for avoiding irreversible or life threatening damage to the mother. Blackwell's Five-Minute Veterinary Consult recommends allowance of no more than 30 minutes for manipulation of a puppy before opting for a C-section.