Do Dogs have Breech Babies?

Our question this week was:

My dog had a breech baby. Is this unusual?

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Mark A.

Answer

Hi – thanks for your email. You wrote asking if dogs can have breech babies. The answer is yes. Dogs have breech babies normally.

A breech birth refers to how the baby comes out of the uterus. A breech refers to the fetus being delivered buttocks first as opposed to the head. In people, breech occurs in about 3% of births. There is a higher risk of complications associated with breech birth in people making them considered a more dangerous birthing presentation.

In dogs and cats, breech is considered completely normal and approximately 40% of births are breech.

A couple articles that might be helpful to you are Normal Birthing in Dogs and Normal Birthing in Cats.

Best of luck!

Dr. Debra

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