What if You Could "C" it Coming?

“There you are in the ER waiting room, waiting for the vets to assess a queen who is having birthing troubles.

- Iris Zinck and Emilie Woltering

You worry about your girl, you kiss your planned vacation goodbye to cover the expected C-section bill, you pray for a couple of surviving kittens to help offset that bill. . . but in the middle of all of this, we are willing to bet that you’re also asking yourself: “Could I have done something to prevent this?”

You probably won’t like our answer, because it is “very possibly, yes.”

There are definitely several things that breeders can do to help reduce the incidence of emergency C-sections. Unfortunately, the time to put them into practice starts long before you find yourself heading to the ER. Additionally, they take up your time and cost money, two commodities that tend to be in short supply when you are managing a breeding program with multiple females. Finally, sometimes the way to reduce the likelihood of an emergency C-section is to arrange for a scheduled C-section; still an expensive proposition, but typically $500 to $1,000 less than emergency surgery, and in our opinion, a very worthwhile alternative.

Given the disclaimer that we cannot offer you a “magic bullet,” we still believe our recommendations are worth your perusal.

Count the Days. . . Every Day Counts!

First of all, we are not expecting breeders to follow this exact protocol with every single breeding and recognize that it may very well be too costly and/or time-consuming. Three vet appointments, in particular, may be more than your budget can handle. But for firsttime moms or for queens that have had prior birthing problems, it makes sense to consider this approach.