Oxytocin - Page 2

Add me as someone who used Oxytocin.  My trusted vet at the time, had me drive in the very next day for the shot.  As the vet said, does not matter if it is a Sunday, call him and he will meet me at the office; to him it was that important.

As for during the whelping, I gave a spoon full of vanilla ice cream.  The calcium helped with the contractions.   Rose had a long day though and the time span between puppies averaged almost 2 hours between.  Nothing major, just a very slow delivery with lots of rest periods.

yep , i use oxy when needed, some females are good while others need a shot or 2 .

I would seek out another vet... And make sure you do xrays or ultrasound to give you a good idea of how many pups are coming.  I always keep Oxytocin on hand during whelping, and don't use it unless absolutely necessary.

​Oxytocin can be given subcutaneously (under the skin) or in the muscle (IM). Dose is 0.1cc/ml per 10 pounds of the dog’s (normal pre-pregnant). The largest dose is 1.0 cc, even for giant breed dogs. NEVER give more than two doses of oxytocin 20 -30 minutes apart.

If you are an experienced breeder, and know how/when to give it, then you are probably o.k.  If this is your first time using it... please have a whelping mentor.  Some bitches rest long periods in between pups and are not actually in danger.   While another bitch may be in serious danger when they havent had a pup in several hours. 

Thanks for the advice. 

Jenni, my intent was to give it ONLY for clean out when she appears to be finished.

Online, I wish I would have thought of that a week ago

amysavesjacks, although I wouldn't consider myself an experienced breeder, this isn't my first litter but would be my first time using oxy, I do have a very experienced breeder who answers any questions and has helped me a ton.  Long rest between puppies does not bother me at all.  I had not actually planned to administer the shot myself either.  My sister is a nurse and actually spent a couple of years doing nothing but vaccinations (intra muscular and intraveinously) and she was going to come and do it......human, dog.....can't be much different right?  (If it is PLEASE correct me)

Honestly what spurned this, was a recent BYB encounter and my last litter.  My girl whelped 12 puppies, the 12th puppy was retained and born dead about 24 hours after the 11th puppy, after the 11th puppy she appeared to be done, she was perky, moving about all was great and then she had the 12th the following day.  This last week I was contacted regarding an orphan litter of GS puppies, I took them in, the owners lost the mom as she retained a puppy and no one took her to the vet for 3 days despite her smell, she was so septic she was euthanized....either necessity of unwillingness to put the money out to save her.  This was where I got freaked out.  What if my girl retains a puppy and I don't know. 

So back to my vet's refusal to give me oxytocin.  I was talking to a girlfriend this morning as our kids go to the same preschool and she breeds Shynx cats, she was on her way to the vet this morning as was I.  Normally we use the same office but she was off for something that was better done at a different office.  I saw her after and told her that they wouldn't give it to me, told her what I was told, that oxytocin was not to be given to dogs under any circumstance as it was dangerous.  She looked at me and said......"I was in there a month ago because we thought one of the cats retained a placenta and they gave the cat oxytocin".  She also said the Dr I saw was one who has talked down to her as well.

So......I guess I will take her in the following morning and just say I think she retained a placenta and have them administer the shot?  I don't know what else to do.  Now I know for next time to find it longer ahead of time.  I had considered an X-ray, but I am not sure we have a repro vet in my city and my girlfirend (same as above) had one of her recent litters xrayed and out of 5 or 6 of us who looked at the xray, we couldn't agree on how many we could see.  most of us saw 5 or 6 but there was a 4 and a 7.  She ended up with 5.  I am wondering if there is a number where it becomes unclear how many babies there are in there.  She had 12 last time and I suspect she is having 9-11 this time based on her size.
 

Although I think it should be used as a necessary only and I have had to use it once in the past (and I think it was only so I'd leave the clinic), I question your wanting to use it to clean out your dog as you put it. If I were a vet, unless I knew the person very well, I would not prescribe it either. I've whelped up to 12 puppies and didn't use it then. And since you haven't used it in the past and have no idea how well your dog will even do on it, I would do as suggested and xray to see how many pups you have and only IF you have a problem, then take the dog to the vet and not administer the med yourself.

Barb

Ace,
 Talk to these guys. http://www.cloverdalepharmasave.com/veterinary-medicine you may be able to get some from them.  I have always been able to get Oxy from Rick Douglas, Newton Animal Hospital in Surrey.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=1440

^ A Google search brought that up, but that might be a bit much...

Here in the UK where it has usually been fairly difficult to
get 'supplies' of anything out of most vets ( ! ) my mentor
used to take every bitch post-whelping along to her vet
for an Oxy injection, to do a 'clear out' as you put it.
Perfectly normal.  I am sure it would have been drug of
choice in an emergency also, if there was inertia and the
bitch had to be taken in while trying to whelp her last
pups - fortunately we didn't need that recourse.

Conversely, different place, different vet, different litter:
the last lot I whelped for my ex-boss,  the vet we used
for those dogs (someone established who I respect & trust )
told me a clear-out shot was unnecessary, when I asked if we
should do one.

However - didn't I see some stuff recently about doubts
creeping in about the use of Oxy and some side / after
effects or risks ?  Maybe the 'newer' generation of vets has
been given a different message these days ?

I do believe that if a vet 'talks down' to any client, let alone
an experienced dog breeder, its time to change vets;
unless there is any balancing benefit to staying with that
practice.

We have that problem here too, Hundmutter... heh, about a month a go my dad went to the vet to get medicine for his dogs ear infection - to which he had been perscribed in the past and such. No, they INSISTEED on seeing him first before they'd give out any meds. Dad says "I don't need to bring him in, I know he has an ear infection." Sttill they insisted that it was against policy, so he told them he'd just buy it online, and then all of the sudden it was "Well... let me go get the doctor..." and they sold it to him.

Hundmutter.  The office I use has about 7 or 8 vets.  I have been there for 17 years now and this is my third less than stellar encounter.  I just request not to see that specific vet again.  Otherwise the office I use has generally been great.  As an office with many Drs I just chalk it up to not everyone's personalities mesh well, otherwise I have had exceptional service at the clinic I use.

Brynjulf, thanks for the info, I will have that for next time.  I was just in the lower mainland two weeks ago too.  

Dawulf.  That's a big bottle.  LOL. But it isn't expensive so not a big deal.  I will tuck that away for next time too.