Repro

Question 1

stages of bitch cycle

Answer 1

pro-oestrous –> oestrous –> met/dioestrous –> aboestrous

Question 2

Age of puberty

Crequency of oestrous cycles

Answer 2

Dog:

• 6-12 months
• every 4-13 (6) months

cat:
- 6-9 months
- seasonally polyoestrous, anoestrous in autumn/winter
- induced ovulation

Question 3

Prooestrous

• length
• hormones levels
• cells
• signs

Answer 3

• 9 days
• increasing oestrogen until 2 days before the end
• progesterone is low throughout
• vulval swelling, serosanguinous discharge, attractive to males but won’t stand to be mated

early:

• parabasal cells
• RBCs
• few neutrophils

late:

• increasing cornified superficial cells
• fewer RBS
• rare neutrophils

Question 4

Oestrous

• length
• hormones levels
• cells
• signs

Answer 4

• 9 days
• LH peak after 24-48 hours
• leueinisation begins before ovulation, so progesterone is rising
• decreasng oestrogen
• ovulation 2 days after LH surge
• oocyte takes 2-3 days to mature

signs:

• vulval swelling
• discharge becomes straw-coloured
• attractive to males
• tail to one side
• will stand to be mated

cells:

• cornified superficial epithelial cells (>90%)
• fewer RBS
• no neutrophils
• reappearance of nucleated parabasal cells at the end of oestrous

Question 5

Dioestrous

• length
• hormones levels
• cells
• signs

Answer 5

• 56-58 days
• progesterone is high
• oestrogen is decreasing
• increase in prolactin (stays high)

signs:

• vulval swelling subsides
• no longer stands to be mated
• gradual mammary development
• increase in abdominal distension

cells:
- cornified superficial epithelial cells > nucleated parabasal cells

Question 6

Anoestrous

Answer 6

• 2-9 months
• decrease in progesterone and remains low
• period of uterine involution

cells:

• parabasal
• no RBCs
• few neutrophils

Question 7

Feline oestrous

Answer 7

• rolling
• calling/vocalisation
• lordosis
• no discharge
• vulval slightly swollen (but hard to tell)
• 6-8 days

Question 8

Mating

Answer 8

LH surge on day 0 –> ovulation day 2-3 –> maturation of oocyte day 4-5 –> stays fertile until say 7-8

sperm stays in tract 7 days

aim to breed days 4-7

Question 9

Tests for mating

Answer 9

LH surge:

• when >1ng/ml
• peak only lasts 12-24 hours
• test every 24 horus

Progesterone:

• increases before pvulation
• 2-3ng/ml at time of LH surge
• 5-8nd/ml at time of ovulation
• in house ELISA
• measure every 48 hours

cytology
- when cornified superficial cells are >70%, if see neutrophils you are too late!

low cost:
- mate 10-12 days after start of oestrous (onset of discharge) and repeat 1-2 days later

Question 10

reasons for infertility

Answer 10

• management
• physical/structural cause
• infectious disease
• concurrent disease
• male

Question 11

abnormal bitch cycling reasons (4)

Answer 11

Primary anoestrous (not cycling by 2y/o)

• hypothyroidism
• husbandry
• hermophroditism
• systemic disease
• previous OVH
• silent heat

increase in inter-oestrous length

• breed (wolf)
• hypothyroidism

decrease in inter-oestrous lenth

• breed (GSD)
• split heat
• uterine disease

persistent oestrous

• ovarian cyst
• granulosa cell tumour

Question 12

abnormal mating

• female
• male

Answer 12

female:

• too dominant
• congenital vaginal spectum/stricture
• vaginal fold prolapse

male:

• submissive/frightened
• pain
• poor libido (GnRH)

Question 13

Problems conceiving

Answer 13

• canine herpes virus
• canine brucellosis (not in UK)
• subclinical uterine infection
• hypoluteoidism

inadequate sperm:

• no sperm in ejaculate (azoospermia)
• too few sperm in ejaculate (oligozoospermia)
• abnomal motility and/or conformation

Question 14

Split oestrous

Answer 14

• bitch comes into season
• only pro-oestrous then signs regress and doesn’t ovulate
• enters anoestrous and has a full ovulation 2-4 weeks later

Question 15

Ovarian cysts

Answer 15

• follicular
• luteal

signs:

• prolonged anoestrous
• continued oestrous
• infertility
• pain

Question 16

Ovarian tumours

Answer 16

• rare in cats and dogs
• granulosa cell tumour
• may produce oestrogen
• OVH to Tx

Question 17

cystic endometrial hyperplasia

Answer 17

• prolonged luteal phase
• uterine wall under alternating influences of oestrogen and progesterone
• wall becomes hyperplastic and cystic
• Dx by US

Question 18

Dog infertility

Answer 18

Azoospermia:

• pre-testicular: apprehension, hypothyroidism
• testicular: cryptorchidism, neoplasia
• post- testicular: occluded epidiymis

abnormal number/ motility/ morphology:

• retrograde ejaculation
• hypothyroidism
• prostatic disease
• testicular disease (brucella, neoplasia)

Question 19

benign prostatic hyperplasia

Answer 19

• very common in older, full dogs

signs:

• blood from penis
• tenesmus
• difficulty defecating

Dx:

• rectal: enlarged, non-painful prostate
• US: enlarged and hyperechoic