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Can vets save both pet mom and babies during emergency C-section?

Updated on September 23, 2025

Hi, I'm a writer working on a 1-hr television dramatic series about a veterinarian. I'm wondering if there is ever a surgical situation where you must choose between the saving the mother or the babies? If so, what is it? Is it possible you could get lucky and all could survive? thank you.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on November 25, 2019

The best scenario I can think of would be an emergency c section. You want to try to save the mother and the puppies, but sometimes you can only save the mother but not the puppies. Typically with an emergency c section in animals, the mother has been trying to give birth with no success, and the puppies will be in distress if not have passed already. At that point, the goal is to get all the puppies out, save as many puppies as possible, and keep the mother alive. Sometimes we are lucky and can save all of them. Sometimes it happens that we cannot save the puppies, but can save the mother. There are times where some puppies survive as well as the mother, but then there can be awful times where no one survives.
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