1S6 THE MANAGEMENT AND DISEASES OF THE DOG. 



given birth to awhelp early in the morning, and had continued 

 throughout the day in labor. On my arrival I found the head 

 of a large pup in the passage. I tried in vain to pass a loop 

 over it, but it was too tightly wedged for me to do so. I then 

 had recourse to a pair of silver sugar-tongs ; but these were 

 too soft for the purpose (otherwise, if electro, they are a cap- 

 ital substitute for forceps). I was loath to sacrifice the whelp, 

 which was alive and close at hand ; but having no instru- 

 ments with me, and the owner being exceedingly fond of the 

 bitch, which was becoming exhausted, I was compelled to do 

 so. Having procured a small ordinary meat-skewer (Fig» 

 20), I bent the pointed end in the shape of a hook. This, 

 using my finger as a guide, I inserted between the branches 

 of the lower jaw, and by gradual traction drew forth the 

 head ; then, seizing the whelp by the neck, I continued firm, 

 steady pulling, in a few minutes extracting the whole, which 

 proved to be almost double the size of the first-born. Con- 

 siderable haemorrhage followed. Some milk and brandy was 

 administered to the bitch. No other birth took place, and 

 she did well. 



When it becomes apparent that delivery by ordinary means 

 is altogether impossible, and it is desirable the offspring should 

 be saved, the bitch either has to be killed, and the whelps ex- 

 tracted by what is termed the Csesarean section (" Gastro- 

 Hysterotomy "), or the latter may be performed during the 



Fig. 



mother's life, with the chance of hers also being saved. This 

 operation English veterinarians have rarely practised. 



The following is a case I recorded in the ' " Veterinary 

 Journal," 1877 • 



