Investigation of maternal mortality and stillbirth in feline dystocia after emergency obstetric care interventions: a retrospective analysis.

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and success of emergency obstetric care interventions for feline dystocia and to analyse the effects of therapeutic interventions on maternal mortality and stillbirth.

Methods: This retrospective, observational study included 153 queens of various breeds and ages that presented to the clinic with dystocia. Anamnesis, signalment, physical examination, ultrasonography, radiography and subsequent intervention data were also collected. Differences in stillbirth rates between the treatment groups were evaluated using the χ² test. The mean litter size, mean duration of labour and number of stillbirths were calculated in each case. In addition, to obtain information on further breeding of dystocia patients, 51 queen owners were contacted by telephone.

Results: Medical treatment was successful in 17% of patients, and 83% underwent surgical treatment for dystocia. Ovariohysterectomy (59%) was the most common surgical method, followed by conservative caesarean section (35%). En bloc resection was performed in 6% of patients. A total of four (2.4%) queens died. Of 542 kittens from 153 deliveries, 210 (39%) were stillborn. Singleton pregnancies were associated with a high risk of difficult labour. Similarly, prolonged duration of labour increased the stillbirth rate. The fertility status of queens after caesarean section was assessed by interviewing 51 owners, 27 (53%) of whom provided information. Of these, 12 were mated again and nine successfully (they became pregnant with successful natural births in five).

Conclusions and relevance: Similar to previous studies, our data showed that medical management led to success in only a minority of cases. In addition, mortality data for emergency births under modern standardised treatment conditions were provided. Singleton pregnancy is a suspected risk factor for dystocia. Pregnancy after caesarean section is possible with natural unassisted birth.