Radiographic Pelvimetry in Relation to Dystocia in Bulldogs

Dystocia is a common complication of parturition in the breed of English Bulldogs, where most females are not able to have a natural parturition and many litters are delivered by caesarean section. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diameter of the pelvis of 11 females of English Bulldogs through radiographic pelvimetry and do proper measurements to observe if there are any correlations between a narrow pelvic canal and dystocia detected in the breed. The external parameters were also assessed to look for any differences between weight, height, and length in relation to the dystocia in the breed. The mean weight of the dogs with natural parturition was 21.25 ± 0.91 kg, whereas the females which had undergone caesarean section was 25.16 ± 1.44 kg (P = 0.0004). A P-value shows strong evidence for the hypothesis of this study as a possible factor of dystocia of the breed. The values of height and length in the category of dams which had undergone natural parturition were in cm 44.8 ± 2.48 (length) and 36.1 ± 0.98 (height). In the category of dogs which had undergone caesarean section, the parameters were in cm 45.4 ± 2.60 and 36.0 ± 1.58, respectively. The P-value for length were 0.72 for length and P-value for height were 0.83. Difference between the diameter of the pelvis in the two groups of English Bulldog females was P = 0.12, so there is no significant evidence. However, it could be significant for a possible future study with a higher number of animals for measuring pelvic diameter.