Hi all,
having just found a reliable supplier of Oxytocin in the UK. Can anyone please advise re it's correct use in the whelping process.
Thanks

Ian I am real uncomfortable about anybody asking for use of drugs for dogs for reasons like you are talking about. There are so many factors that can determine how much to give, when to give and such. We do have several breeders who keep some at home and use it but they have also been taught how to use it and when to use it.
Others may feel differently but that is jut my opinion. Consider talking to your vet for more info...I don't know about trusting info from the internet...you don't always know the credentials of the person who is giving it to you.

You need to be careful of this drug (pit). I use it a lot. I have probably used it on 200 or more litters. You should only use it 3 times during a bitches whelping process. So with that said you need to be careful of not over-doing it.

With GSD's you can give between 1 CC and 1 1/2 CC - some vets don't like the 1 1/2 CC dose - I use it because my old vet (now passed) was super and thats what he told me.

If I have a dog who spits pups out I will give a shot when she is done with the litter. This clears garbage out of her and helps milk come down. You can pit the bitch within 24 hours of her last pup.

If I have a bitch who has not had a pup in 2 hours I will pit her. It is important to keep a writeen chart on the times that pups are born and the times that Pit is used.

This is not a drug for the person who is only going to have one litter every two or three years. Thats what god gave you vets for.

I on the other hand think that god gave us most vets to take our money and give us confusing information. In fact I know a number who should have been stock brokers. When you find a good one - you need to give him/her Christmas presents and send their kids checks when they get married.

If you are not experienced at whelping, do NOT use oxytocin without veterinary supervision.

In normal situations oxytocin is used AFTER the bitch has finished whelping and AFTER she has been checked (palpated) to make sure there are no more puppies inside. It is only useful when administered within 24 hours after whelping. Primarily it is given after whelping to help expel any remaining afterbirth material or any possibly dead puppies left in the uterus, to help shrink the uterus after whelping and to help speed up the let down of milk.

Oxytocin can be used to help strengthen contractions if necessary during the whelping process BUT a professional should make that determination. If it is given when a puppy is stuck in the birth canal, the drug can cause the uterus to rupture -- the bitch could bleed to death and any live pups waiting to be born could be lost -- just one example of why oxytocin should not be used without professional supervision.

Hi all,
don't worry, I am not an occaisional breeder. Over here the vets have things soewn up pretty tight. I don't know your costs over there, but a booster vaccination here would be around $38.00. Calling a vet out to help with the birth of a litter, well you might as well just hand all the pups over and let the vet sell them.

I am lucky, I have just found a veterinanry supplier who will sell me just about anything at trade prices (as long as it is not an intoxicant).
I know Ed uses Oxytocin because I watched his puppy whelping video whilst in Holland. Do you remember me Ed (Big English guy, went for the Indo/chinese meal with you all).

I value Ed's advice on this. I was told that the best way to use it is to wait until the first pup has been born and then give a shot.

Please, I accept all your warning's with the spirit with which they are intended. At the end of the day I am trying to educate myself into using it correctly and not just pumping my bitch full of the stuff for the sake of it. Otherwise, I would not have asked the question.

Ian

The more I read the more I'm amazed at how much knowledge and experience is needed for the whelping process. What ever happened to the days of a dog having a litter of pups unassisted? There have been hundreds if not thousands of dogs born this way. I would imagine this idea is prehistoric due to the potential value of some of these dogs. Just curious.

Glen wrote "I would imagine this idea is prehistoric due to the potential value of some of these dogs. Just curious."

When posts get to this point its time to close the thread.