Ectopic pregnancy in an apparently healthy bitch

This case describes an extrauterine fetus that was discovered in an apparently healthy bitch 5 mo after whelping. The extrauterine fetus was surgically removed, and the bitch made a complete recovery. The topic of canine ectopic pregnancy is discussed, and a review of previously reported cases is presented.     

Partial hepatectomy in two dogs

A 10-year-old Jack Russell terrier bitch and a nine-year-old standard dachshund bitch were presented with abdominal enlargement and weight increase; neither had a history of ill health. In each case an extensive soft tissue mass was clearly palpable in the abdomen and following an exploratory laparotomy a partial hepatectomy was performed. Both bitches made a good postoperative recovery followed by a normal active life. In each case the survival time was six months before renewed tumour development lead to a sudden and rapid decline; case 1 was euthanased and case 2 died peacefully.     

Full recovery of subinvolution of placental sites in an American Staffordshire terrier bitch

A three-year-old, sexually intact, female American Staffordshire terrier was presented with chronic postpartum vulvar haemorrhage. Sixty-one days before presentation, the bitch had whelped 10 puppies. A tentative diagnosis of subinvolution of placental sites was made when syncythial trophoblast-like cells were identified in the specimen collected through the opening of the cervix by endoscopy. Five weeks after the diagnosis, the bitch was clinically healthy with no vaginal bleeding and spontaneous recovery occurred without surgical treatment.     

Anestrus and spontaneous galactorrhea in a hypothyroid bitch

A bitch, with a history of prolonged postweaning galactorrhea, dermatitis and lethargy, was examined because of an extended anestrus and the development of spontaneous galactorrhea. A diagnosis of hypothyroidism was made based on the history, a subnormal T₄ level and the response to a therapeutic trial of thyroxine replacement. A possible pathogenesis for the spontaneous galactorrhea is discussed.     

Canine gonadal dysgenesis syndrome: a case of mosaicism (77,XO-78,XX)

A toy poodle bitch had an abnormal oestrus cycle and apparently persistent follicles. Hormonal therapy was unsuccessful. The bitch was ovariohysterectomised and gross and histological evaluation of the ovaries and uterus, together with karyotyping, led to a diagnosis of 77,XO-78,XX mosaicism.     

Urinary incontinence in the bitch due to sphincter mechanism incompetence: prevalence in referred dogs and retrospective analysis of sixty cases

A retrospective analysis of 174 cases of canine incontinence was made to determine the incidence of sphincter mechanism incompetence in the bitch. This diagnosis was made in 60 bitches (21 juveniles and 39 adults) and the clinical features and response to puberty and oestrogen treatment in these cases are discussed.     

Iodine-deficiency goitre in a bitch

Extract

A 9-year-old working bitch was presented by a freezing-works shepherd. The bitch had a history of dyspnoea, coughing and difficulty in swallowing.     

Transendoscopic Nd: YAG Laser Ablation of Vaginal Septa in a Bitch

A vaginal septum was diagnosed in an English bulldog bitch during routine estrous cycle staging. The septum extended 16 cm from the vestibulo-vaginal junction to just caudal to the cervix. The septum was removed by two applications of an Nd:YAG laser via a flexible fiberoptic endoscope. Complete healing occurred over a 5-week period and was uneventful. The bitch was bred and subsequently delivered four puppies vaginally. Transendoscopic laser ablation provided a noninvasive approach to surgically remove a vaginal septum in the dog.     

Ultrasonographic diagnosis of uterine entrapment in an inguinal hernia

An elderly female West Highland white terrier was presented with a history of recent enlargement of an inguinal swelling with concomitant lethargy and inappetence. The radiographic and ultrasonographic findings were suggestive of a pyometra incarcerated within an inguinal hernia. Following routine ovariohysterectomy and hernia repair, the bitch made an uneventful recovery.     

Gestational diabetes mellitus with diabetic ketoacidosis in a Yorkshire terrier bitch

A 6 yr old pregnant Yorkshire terrier bitch presented 62 days after mating with an acute history of vomiting and coughing. The owners also reported that the dog was polyuric and polydypsic for the last 2 weeks. Complete blood count, serum biochemistry, and urinalysis revealed hyperglycemia, ketonemia, ketonuria, and metabolic acidosis. Diabetic ketoacidosis was diagnosed and after emergency treatment, including fluid therapy, prophylactic antibiotics, and regular insulin, the bitch whelped six healthy normal puppies. Two weeks after treatment, the bitch was clinically normal with normal fructosamine levels. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of gestational diabetes mellitus in a small breed dog.     

Pyometra in a bitch following unusual sterilisation

A female, stray crossbreed dog, approximately four years old, was presented for routine spaying during a charity neutering programme in Romania. On clinical examination the bitch was lethargic and pyrexic (40.6 degrees C), but no other signs of illness were detected. Laparotomy revealed an enlarged uterus, severed at the cervix, with no communication to the vagina. Abdominal inspection showed an apparently normal, ligated vaginal stump. An ovariohysterectomy was performed and the dog was treated with a seven-day course of netilmicine. It subsequently made a full recovery.     

First report of the use of meglumine antimoniate for treatment of canine leishmaniasis in a pregnant dog

Canine leishmaniasis during pregnancy is rarely reported, even in countries where the infection in dogs is endemic. The authors report a case of a 4 yr old bitch with leishmaniasis treated with meglumine antimoniate during pregnancy. The pregnancy and delivery were normal and the bitch presented improvement of the infection during treatment. Three puppies died within 2 days of birth and tested negative via real-time PCR for L. infantum. The two surviving puppies were followed clinically, serologically, and by real-time PCR until 1 yr of age with no evidence of congenital leishmaniasis. L. infantum DNA was detected with real-time PCR analysis of uterine tissue from the bitch at the time of ovariohysterectomy. PCR analysis was performed after an ovariohysterectomy of the bitch that was performed two months after parturition. Meglumine antimoniate use in the pregnant bitch may have prevented vertical transmission of leishmaniasis.     

Unilateral renal agenesis associated with additional congenital abnormalities of the urinary tract in a Pekingese bitch

An eight-month-old Pekingese bitch with urinary incontinence was found to have three congenital anomalies of the urinary tract: left renal agenesis, bilateral ectopic ureters with a left cranial blind-ending ureter, and urinary bladder hypoplasia. The diagnoses were made by retrograde vaginourethrography, excretory urography, ultrasonography and duplex Doppler ultrasonography. Although urological anomalies associated with renal agenesis have been frequently observed, a cranial blind-end ectopic ureter has not, to the authors' knowledge, been described in the bitch. The dog was managed medically with a restricted protein diet because of a compromised unilateral kidney with hydronephrosis and hydroureter.     

The normal endoscopic appearance of the caudal reproductive tract of the cyclic and non-cyclic bitch: post-uterine endoscopy

Endoscopy of the caudal reproductive tract, or post-uterine endoscopy, is a method of examining the mucosal aspect of the vagina and vestibule/vulva of the live bitch. In this study the post-uterine, or caudal, reproductive tracts of forty-five bitches of pedigree and mixed ancestry were examined endoscopically. The instrumentation and method of endoscopic examination are described. The endoscopic appearance of the mucosal aspect of the vagina, vestibule and vulva was observed during anoestrus and several phases of the sexual cycle, and in the spayed bitch. Visual records made during endoscopy were compared with the exfoliative vaginal cytology and behavioural responses. The results obtained indicate that post-uterine endoscopy is a relatively rapid and accurate method of detecting the sexual status of the bitch, and compared well with the other methods used in this study. It is suggested post-uterine endoscopy also has a value in allied investigative procedures or reproductive processes.     

Establishment of a Pregnancy Following Intravaginal Insemination with Epididymal Semen from a Dog Castrated due to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Benign prostatic hyperplasia was diagnosed in an American Staffordshire Terrier of high breeding value presenting concurrent haematuria. Castration as a treatment was synchronized with the oestrus cycle of a bitch selected for insemination. After castration the cauda epididymis was flushed with Gent semen extender and collected spermatozoa were filtered and analysed by Hamilton Thorn computer assisted sperm analysis. A total of 7 ml semen containing 742 x 10(6) spermatozoa with 76.5% mean motility was used for insemination. Intravaginal insemination of the bitch was performed with an insemination catheter for dogs (Kruuse, Marslev, Denmark) on the day when plasma progesterone levels reached 9.9 ng/ml. Normal pregnancy without complications resulted in eight live-born puppies 63 days after insemination. This is the first report of a normal pregnancy and birth of puppies from a bitch inseminated with epididymal semen obtained from a dog affected by benign prostate hyperplasia.     

Transport of Radiopaque Fluid into the Uterus After Vaginal Deposition in the Oestrous Bitch

A limited number of studies have been published concerning intrauterine infusions in the bitch, presumably because it is difficult to pass a catheter into the canine cervix. Cobb (1959) designed an apparatus for hysterosalpingography with which he reported fairly easy catheterization of the cervical canal in the anaesthetized bitch. Recent advances made in the field of deepfreezing of dog semen have emphasized the need for a simple method for intrauterine infusion in the unanaesthetized bitch. The first successful insemination with frozen dog semen was reported in 1969 by Seager. The semen was frozen in pellets and deposited vaginally. Over a six-year period 61 (39.1 %) out of 156 bitches inseminated with this method became pregnant (Seager et al. 1975). Andersen (1972), however, when inseminating dog semen frozen in French straws, reported no success after vaginal deposition of the thawed semen. Based on experience with insemination in Blue foxes Andersen (1975) developed a special catheter which he could introduce through the cervix to deposit the semen into the corpus uteri without anaesthetizing the bitches. With this method 19 (73.1 %) out of 26 bitches became pregnant (Andersen 1977, personal communication). This method of passing the catheter through the cervix requires training and the method is impractical in nervous or obese bitches in which palpation of the abdomen is difficult or impossible. In order to fully use the advantages offered to the dog breeders by deep-freezing of dog semen, it is necessary to develop a simple method of inseminating the bitch that can be employed by practising veterinarians without previous special training. The present investigation was undertaken as an introduction to further studies of the problems related to the use of frozen dog semen.     

Asymmetric lumbosacral transitional vertebra and subsequent disc protrusion in a cocker spaniel

A 10-year-old cocker spaniel bitch presented with severe lumbosacral pain and acute onset left pelvic limb lameness. A diagnosis of asymmetric lumbosacral transitional vertebra with disc protrusion at L6-L7 was made by computed tomography. The cauda equina and left L6 nerve root were surgically decompressed with a dorsal laminectomy and lateral foraminotomy, which led to rapid resolution of the clinical signs.     

Bilateral segmental aplasia with unilateral uterine horn torsion in a pomeranian bitch

Bilateral segmental aplasia of the uterine horns with unilateral pyometra and uterine horn torsion were diagnosed in a Pomeranian bitch that presented with chronic abdominal distension and an acute onset of anorexia and lethargy. Because radiographic and ultrasonographic findings revealed the presence of markedly enlarged bilateral uterine horns filled with fluid in the caudal abdomen, a tentative diagnosis of either pyometra or hydrometra with uterine horn torsion was made. Exploratory laparotomy showed bilateral, segmentally distended uterine horns with unilateral uterine horn torsion. Ovariohysterectomy was performed, and bilateral segmental aplasia of the uterine horns with the development of unilateral uterine horn torsion was diagnosed histopathologically. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of uterine horn torsion in conjunction with segmental aplasia of the uterine horn in a bitch.     

Inguinal herniation with hydrometra/mucometra in a poodle bitch

A 5-year-old, sexually intact poodle bitch was presented with a 2-year history of inguinal mass. A tentative diagnosis of hydrometra/mucometra with inguinal herniation was made and ovariohysterectomy with hernia repair was performed. Both fluid-filled uterine horns, both broad ligaments, and the uterine body were observed to be herniated through the inguinal ring. On histopathology, marked edema and diffuse hemorrhage were diagnosed in the uterus.     

Unilateral uterine torsion secondary to an inflammatory endometrial polyp in the bitch

A 9-year-old bitch was presented because of lethargy and abdominal distension. Abdominal ultrasound revealed an enlarged, fluid-filled uterus and associated mass. Subsequent exploratory laparotomy revealed unilateral uterine torsion involving the mass. Recovery following ovariohysterectomy was uneventful and the histopathological diagnosis was of a benign endometrial inflammatory polyp. Reports of uterine torsion in the English-language literature are reviewed to identify factors associated with the incidence of uterine torsion. The aetiology of the cystic endometrial hyperplasia/pyometra complex and its possible role in the development of inflammatory polypoid lesions in the bitch is also discussed.