Does anyone know about the affects of these hormones, where they are secreted etc or where i can find some deatiled info about their role in starting/controlling labour in the bitch.
Thanks
Emily

My knowledge very little with this, but do know the it is the pups who release the hormone that start the bitch in to labour and that Oxytocin is what the vet will give you to inject once the cervix is open. So would guess that Oxytocin is not what the pups release to start labour else it would cause damage to the bitches uterus.

Having had 5 induced labours myself,  Prostaglandin is the drug they used to get me started, worked really well too :D

Bet that is the one the pups produce then and the Oxy is used to stimulate the contractions. If you really need to know better ask someone who can give you more details as I am not sure enough to tell you if you are going to have to administer them yourself

As you know I am waiting for labor to begin. Her temp is at 97.8 this morning so I'm hoping tonight!
Anyways, I asked my vet that question yesterday and he said oxcytocin is what is produced during labor but that isn't what starts labor. I am concerned because she is only having 2 pups. I asked what makes labor begin and he said it was the drop in progesterone. which is also what makes the temperature drop. Not sure if that was just a quick answer but I thought I'd pass that along.

Hello
Prostaglandin can be used along with an anti-biotic called Marbocyl to cure an Open Pyometria if you do not want to go down the route of spaying.
It makes ALL soft tissue contract hence the pyo (puss) gets expelled. We used it on a staff bitch of ours and she went on to have further litters with no problems.
The only downside to it is it makes the bitch very sick as the stomach also contracts as it is soft tissue. However I feel a couple of hours being sick is better than major surgery.
Some vets will not advise you of this option as it is of course alot cheaper than the operation they can charge you for :-(