Julian Norton performed an emergency C-section on Brenda the Great Dane during the latest episode of The Yorkshire Vet, delivering a record litter of 18 puppies at the Thirsk surgery.
The Channel 5 programme returned on Thursday (November 5) for the next instalment of its 24th season. In the episode, Matt Smith vaccinated 24 ferrets heading to new homes, while Rohin Aojula visited a Hindu animal sanctuary in Leicestershire to see a three-eyed bull.
Emergency surgery for Brenda
Owner Sue rushed Brenda to the surgery after she gave birth to three puppies, with more on the way. Julian said: "We've got a bit of an emergency this morning, I've shifted things round on my list. She's had three pups during the night, and now, everything's stopped and ground to a halt."
He added: "She's still quite big, isn't she? She's obviously got plenty more in there. We'll go straight in and do a caesarean and get them out. If we don't do that, it jeopardises the pups and the mum, as well. They'd probably all die."
Julian and head nurse India prepared Brenda for surgery with help from nurse Amy and trainee Sam. Julian asked: "I was wondering, could this be the biggest caesarean that we've done here?" The nurses agreed, and Julian added: "I think there could be double figures in here."
Record litter delivered
Due to Brenda's size, the nurses used three times the amount of gas to keep her asleep. Julian noted that the uterus had moved sideways, likely causing the problems. "The fact there was a horizontal positioned puppy, there's absolutely no wonder that she wasn't getting on with it," he said.
More nurses were called in as the puppies were born. "It's all hands on deck," said nurse Amy, and narrator Christopher Timothy added: "This is no ordinary day at the office."
In total, Brenda gave birth to 15 puppies during the C-section, plus the three born earlier, making it the largest litter at the surgery. Julian said: "It's kind of a miracle that we've managed to deliver them all by caesarean." He concluded: "I think, for me, that's a record. This is phenomenal, isn't it? Happy times today, it all worked out well. I don't think I've ever seen as many pups. I've never seen more than 18. Think we need a sit down now, don't we?!"
The Yorkshire Vet airs on Thursday nights at 8pm on Channel 5.
