Dystocia

Sergio Serrano, LV, DVM, DACVECC 
Matthew McMillan, BVM&S, MRCVS
Standars of Care of Compendium 

February of 2009

Dystocia is a relatively common emergency presentation. It occurs in 3.3% to 5.8% of all feline pregnancies; in dogs, the overall rate is around 5%. However, dystocia rates are breed specific: only 0.8% to 2.3% of pregnancies in cats with a normal conformation result in dystocia, whereas in some large-headed and achondroplastic dog breeds, the rate can approach 100%.