In a study including 477 parturitions in sows the obstetrical situation of this species is analyzed from the clinical point of view. Obstetrical interventions before consulting the veterinary clinics led to partly severe lesions of soft tissues of the genital tract in 35.5% of all primiparous and in 12.6% of all pluriparous sows. So 3.1% of all obstetrical patients had to be slaughtered due to the enormous perforating lesions in vestibular-vaginal-cervical parts of the genital tract. In 71 cases parturition could not be completed because of stress, insufficiency of the cardiovascular system or economic reasons. In general, 76% of parturitions came to an end conservatively and 24% by caesarean section. In older sows the relation was 88% vs. 13%. During the recent years the loosing-rate by completed parturition could be reduced to 3.4% after conservative obstetrical intervention and to 20.6% after caesarean section in preinjured sows by compensation of the respiratory and metabolic acidosis, stabilizing of the cardiovascular system and the supply of warmth. Possibilities to diminish total losses are discusses, concerning the large number of animals with injuries due to inappropriate conservative obstetrics as well as the intensification of intra- and postoperative supportive therapy.
Animals Animals, Newborn