Breeding a litter can be a joyful undertaking, but it doesn’t always go as planned. Just like in people, dogs can have miscarriages when pregnant. It’s important to know the signs, because identification can help save some of the puppies in the litter, and in serious cases, even the mother. Though luckily not common, it does happen, and it can look different in different stages of pregnancy.
Monica Zaugg’s Coton de Tulear, “Sophie,” was 4 to 5 weeks pregnant when she started to shiver and pant as though she were in labor. “It was way too early for her to be in labor. We rushed her to the vet, who started her on progesterone,” said Zaugg. Although they lost some puppies, Zaugg’s quick action and knowledgeable vet saved the remaining two, which went full-term.
Nancy Laundry’s Labrador Retriever, “Chance,” had an ultrasound that confirmed she was pregnant with eight puppies. Around day 50 of her pregnancy she contracted kennel cough and soon after delivered all her fetuses, none of whom were alive. “I never knew kennel cough could do this. My vet did a necropsy on one and said it happened because of where she was with lung development in pups. If it had been the week before or the weeks after, the puppies would have been fine.”
All of these dogs had miscarriages, broadly defined as the death of a fetus. A miscarriage can occur at any time during a pregnancy, and may or may not have outward signs depending on the stage of the pregnancy.
What Causes Miscarriage in Dogs?
Miscarriage can be caused by many things. In some cases, usually early in the pregnancy, the puppy is abnormal and dies on its own.
A number of infections can cause miscarriages. Bacterial infections from Brucella canis, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus, Leptospira, Campylobacter, Salmonella, Mycoplasma, and Brucella abortus can all cause fetal death, as can viral infections such as canine herpes or canine distemper.
Trauma, extreme stress, nutritional deficiencies, or exposure to drugs or toxins can cause fetal death. Drugs that can interfere with pregnancy include various steroids, androgens, antimicrobials, antifungals, antiparasitics, cancer treatment drugs, analgesics, anti-inflammatories, anesthetics, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular drugs.
Health problems of the dam can trigger a miscarriage. These can include thyroid, kidney or liver disease; diabetes; autoimmune disorders, or uterine infection.
Proper progesterone level is essential to maintain pregnancy. Low progesterone levels, or failure of the uterus to respond to progesterone, will lead to miscarriage.
What Are the Signs of a Miscarriage?
Embryonic death that occurs in the first 45 days or so of pregnancy (a typical dog pregnancy is 63 days) may or may not have any outward signs such as a discharge of dark fluid or tissue. More often, the embryo is reabsorbed by the body. Sometimes other embryos survive, and unless an ultrasound detected a higher puppy count earlier, nobody even knows a puppy was lost. Sometimes the entire litter is reabsorbed, and unless a pregnancy or ultrasound detected them earlier, again, nobody may realize there was even a pregnancy.
Miscarriages that occur later in pregnancy may (or may not) have more overt signs. Sometimes the fetus begins to disintegrate in the womb, and other times it can become mummified. Sometimes it can trigger premature labor, sometimes it disintegrates and is dispelled without triggering labor, and other times the dead fetus remains, and is simply delivered along with the rest of the litter.
A later term miscarriage may cause abnormal vaginal discharge that can be bloody, green, black, brown, or pus-colored, or can contain pieces of tissue or even recognizable fetus parts. It can trigger an infection, with the dam experiencing abdominal pain and a fever.
Suspect a miscarriage if your dam has any evidence of abdominal pain or cramping, is lethargic, weak, begins to show nesting or labor behavior even though not near her whelping date, or acts ill, or has a fever.
What if You Suspect a Miscarriage?
If you suspect a miscarriage, this is not a “wait and see if it will pass” situation. If your possibly pregnant female has an abnormal vaginal discharge, abdominal pain, fever, lethargy, or premature contractions she needs to see a veterinarian immediately. For one thing, it’s possible she’s not even pregnant, but has a life-threatening uterine infection known as pyometra. Pyometra is an emergency that can result in the female’s death without immediate veterinary intervention.
If she is pregnant, the remaining puppies could still survive, but may need immediate veterinary treatment to do so.
Regardless, treat her extremely carefully. Do not place pressure on her abdomen or allow her to run. This is imperative if she could have pyometra, as a rupture of the fragile uterus could cause death. If pyometra is suspected, especially if she has fever or other signs of feeling sick, she should go to the emergency veterinarian immediately. If you know she is pregnant, she should go either to the emergency vet, her own vet, or a reproductive specialist that same day.
Bring any discharged materials with the dam to the veterinarian. The placenta can be even more informative than the fetus in making certain diagnoses. If you must wait for the appointment, refrigerate but do not freeze the material.
What Is the Treatment for Miscarriage?
The veterinarian should know the dam’s diet and vaccination history; if she’s had previous litters, missed litters, or miscarriages; any previous problems or diagnostic tests; results from this litter’s pregnancy tests or ultrasounds; information about exposure to strange dogs; and miscarriages or illnesses of other household dogs.
Treatment for miscarriage will depend on test results. An ultrasound will be performed to determine if any living puppies remain. Blood tests or tests on the aborted fetuses or tissue may reveal infections, which can be treated. A blood test may also reveal a low progesterone level. If any puppies remain, the dam will be started on progesterone to maintain the pregnancy. If she’s lost the litter, she can receive progesterone supplementation during her next pregnancy to avoid miscarriage again.
If the dog is close to her whelping date, delivering the puppies early by Cesarean may be the best option. In some cases, a dead fetus or tissue remains inside the dam. The veterinarian may need to try to induce labor, or perform surgery to remove them before they start an infection,
Having a miscarriage once doesn’t mean your dog will miscarry subsequent litters. But finding out the cause allows you to take steps to prevent a miscarriage in the future, and be surrounded by happy, healthy puppies.
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