Recording uterine motility in the nonanesthetized bitch

Spontaneous and drug-induced uterine motility (UM) was recorded in 5 nonanesthetized bitches for 2 to 4 days. Catheter-tip pressure transducers were surgically implanted in 1 uterine horn, tunneled subcutaneously to exit from the skin over the dorsal lumbar area, and protected by a bandage. On the day after implantation, spontaneous UM was recorded in the awake bitch. Effects of IV prostaglandin (PG) F2 alpha (5 micrograms/kg of body weight) and oxytocin (0.05 USP U/kg) and IM PGF2 alpha (25 micrograms/kg) were measured. Estradiol (1 to 25 micrograms/kg) was administered and the study was repeated 24 hours later. In awake bitches, spontaneous UM was 190% greater than UM in anesthetized bitches. Uterine motility was increased by more than 100% after IV PGF2 alpha or oxytocin and by 52% after IM PGF2 alpha. Estradiol abolished spontaneous UM, but did not affect drug-induced responses. Seemingly, spontaneous and drug-induced UM can be documented in the nonanesthetized bitch.     

Peripartum Haemodynamic Status of Bitches with Normal Birth or Dystocia

There has been limited investigation of parturition in the bitch and there is little information published on clinical and obstetrical examination other than opinion and anecdote. While there are substantial data on haemodynamic and vascular changes during normal parturition in humans, little is known about the physiological events in the dog. This study was aimed at maternal haemodynamic changes occurring during normal parturition and to investigate how these were modified in bitches with dystocia (DYST) treated either medically or via assisted delivery and caesarean operation. Three groups of 10 bitches were investigated; those with normal parturition, those with DYST corrected by manipulative assistance or caesarean operation and those with uterine inertia treated by oxytocin administration. Heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, electrocardiogram and blood glucose concentration were measured pre-partum, intra-partum, immediately after parturition and 1 h later. Heart rate was high at all times throughout the study and the majority of bitches had normal sinus rhythm. Blood pressure was generally within the normal range, and although systolic and diastolic blood pressure was highest during the intra-partum period and sometimes during the immediate post-partum period, there were no significant differences between groups. All bitches had blood glucose concentrations within the normal range throughout the study although pre-partum concentrations were statistically lower than many of the other time periods. The study provides useful physiological data that will facilitate monitoring and clinical management of bitches throughout normal parturition and DYST.     

Clinical studies on daily low dose oxytocin in mares at term

The aim of this study was to test whether low dose oxytocin i.v. injection once a day to mares diagnosed as being ready for birth by mammary secretion calcium strip test measurements could be used as a reliable method to induce parturition and/or predict the mare would not foal during the following night if parturition did not occur within 2 h of treatment. Fifty-one near-term Haflinger mares were used and a single injection of 2.5 iu oxytocin was given between 1700 and 1900 h, including 10 mares used as controls which were administered a placebo. Administration of oxytocin resulted in the delivery of a normal foal within 120 min in 95% of mares. Twenty-four out of 38 (63%) treated animals foaled in response to the first oxytocin injection, 9 out of 38 (24%) in response to the second injection and 3 out of 38 (8%) in response to the third treatment. Two out of 38 (5%) treated mares foaled during the night irrespective of treatment whereas 7 out of 10 (70%) control mares foaled during the night. It was concluded that the major advantage of injecting a daily low dose of oxytocin appears to be that such a low dose induces delivery only in mares carrying a mature fetus and which are ready to foal.     

Neosporosis in dogs

A bitch was inoculated subcutaneously and intramuscularly with Neospora caninum tachyzoites on Day 35 of pregnancy. Eight pups were born 28 days later. Five pups became ill and necropsies were performed before 20 days of age. Three pups and the bitch remained clinically normal for 7 weeks after parturition when they were intramuscularly injected with 40 mg kg-1 methylprednisolone acetate weekly to activate chronic N. caninum infection. Necropsies were performed 48, 17, 18, and 18 days respectively after administration of corticosteroids. Hepatic necrosis, pneumonia, encephalomyelitis, and myonecrosis were the main changes seen in these dogs.     

The uterine motility in cattle during late pregnancy, labor and puerperium. II. Drug modification

The uterine effects of oxytocin, the prostaglandins dinoprost and cloprostenol as well as clenbuterol, ergometrin, xylazine and Utrorale were investigated in 8 cows during late pregnancy, parturition and early puerperium (until 4th day p. p.). Uterine motility was measured by means of pressure microsensors and electrodes which were surgically implanted 3 to 4 weeks before parturition. Hysterograms were characterized by means of pressure amplitude, frequency and duration of uterine contractions and also by electromyography. Oxytocin (2-5 IE) given intravenously always provoked strong uterine contractions until the 4th day p.p. From the prostaglandins examined during early puerperium only dinoprost (15 mg i.v.) produced uterotonic effects, while the synthetic analogue cloprostenol (0.25 mg i.v.) had a weak stimulatory activity only on day 1 p.p. Both prostaglandins were ineffective when injected intramuscularly. Clenbuterol (0.3 mg i.v.) a beta 2-mimetic compound effectively induced long lasting tocolysis during parturition, which could be abolished by oxytocin. Xylazine (10 mg i.v.) was able to significantly increase uterine motility during late gestation. Following intravenous administration of ergometrin (1 and 10 mg), bunitrolol (1-16 mg) and Utrorale (0.1-4 ml) including its compounds oleum sabinae, oleum terebinthinae, balsamum copaivale and Styrax no uterokinetic activity was recorded at any time.     

Aetiology of reduced milk ejection in cows after transport and the use of a long-acting analogue of oxytocin for prophylaxis

Milk flow was recorded in 21 cows for three days after they were admitted to a large animal hospital. When the spontaneous flow of milk had stopped, a physiological dose (1 iu) of oxytocin was administered intravenously. Five of the cows were, in addition, treated with 0.35 mg of a long-acting analogue of oxytocin (carbetocin) one hour before the first milking after they were admitted. In the 16 cows not treated with carbetocin, only about 30 per cent of the total milk yield was released spontaneously on the first day, and the injection of 1 iu of oxytocin released approximately another 60 per cent of the total milk yield. On the second day, the proportion of the total milk yield released spontaneously increased and the fraction released after the injection of 1 iu oxytocin decreased. In contrast, the five cows treated with carbetocin released on average 94 per cent of the total milk yield spontaneously during the first milking.     

Uterine Responses to Exogenous Oxytocin Before and After Pre-partum Luteolysis in the Cow

The aim of this study was to test the functional status of uterine oxytocin receptors in cows in vivo around parturition. The animals received consecutive, intra‐arterial injections of 800, 1600 and 3200 mU of oxytocin at three different stages: during late gestation (days 260–274), at 12 h and at 24 h after intramuscular injection of a prostaglandin F_2α analogue at day 275 to induce parturition. Cows (n=6) had been provided with myometrial electrodes and a catheter had been installed in the aorta and in a branch of the uterine vein (UV). Regular blood samples were obtained from the UV from 5 min before until 45 min after each oxytocin injection to measure plasma levels of prostaglandin F_2α (PGF_2α) and oxytocin. Uterine electromyographic (EMG) activity was registered continuously during each experiment. The increase of oxytocin levels in UV plasma after intra‐arterial injections was dose dependent (p < 0.02). Pre‐ and post treatment oxytocin levels at 24 h after induction of parturition were significantly increased (p=0.0313). Both during late pregnancy and at 12 h after induction of parturition, oxytocin caused a significant increase in EMG activity (p=0.022). After the 3200 mU dose the increase was significantly higher than with the other 2 doses (p=0.004). After each dose, EMG activity returned to baseline levels within some 15 min. At 24 h after induction of parturition, the pre‐treatment level of EMG activity had increased. Doses of 800 mU and 1600 mU of oxytocin produced a significant (p=0.022) increment of EMG activity, which was of the same magnitude as during the preceding stages; after 3200 mU of oxytocin the response was significantly higher than before (p=0.008). No significant increases of PGF_2α levels in UV plasma could be measured after oxytocin injections at any of the three stages. It is concluded that the myometrium of the pregnant cow responds in vivo to physiological doses of oxytocin. At 24 h after induction of parturition, when luteolysis has occurred and a parturient pattern of parturient myometrial activity has already started to develop, the response is enhanced. Physiological doses of oxytocin did not evoke a spurt release of PGF_2α in uterine venous blood during the peripartal period.     

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.     

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.     

Multiple oxytocin application increases the predictability of prostaglandin induced farrowing in swine

In a large Croatian commercial unit, 1204 of parity 2-7 late pregnant sows were from January till Mai 2002 randomly assigned to four farrowing groups and treated as follows: Group one (n = 302 sows) received a single perivulvar injection of 175 g cloprostenol at day 113 of pregnancy. The remaining animals have received a treatment as group one and were additionally treated with 10 IU of oxytocin intramuscularly 6 hours after prostaglandin application (Group two, n = 311), or with 10 IU of oxytocin 6 and 12 hours later (Group three, n = 291), or 10 IU of oxytocin 6, 12 and 18 hours later (Group four, n = 300). Onset of farrowing, duration of parturition, total born litter size and stillbirth rate were evaluated. Except total born litter size, combined oxytocin + cloprostenol treated sows revealed significantly (p < 0.01) better results as the only with cloprostenol treated ones. Multiple oxytocin application increased the predictability of farrowing. The application of multiple oxytocin injections following prostaglandin partusinduction are recommended for batch farrowing of sows in large production units.     

The effect of repeated administration of carbetocin (Depotocin, Spofa) in the first days postpartum on levels of thyroxine, triiodothyronine, 17 beta-estradiol, progesterone and on fertilization]

Application of new procedures in the sphere of the control of sexual functions requires an extension of present knowledge of postparturient endocrinium or endogenic factors comprised in postparturient physiology of sexual activity. According to recent data, oxytocin, besides its uterotonic and luteolytic activity, acts as an ovarian factor in the local intrafollicular regulation of stereidogenesis and as a modulator of uterine secretion of prostaglandines. Based on present knowledge of oxytocin effects, this study was aimed at investigation of the influence of repeated carbetocin (Depotocin inj. Spofa) administration on the dynamics of changes in thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), 17 beta-estradiol (E2), progesterone (P4) concentrations and their mutual correlations from the 36th hour till the 51st day after parturition. Simultaneous study of a possible delayed influence of applied carbetocin on conception of ewes after oestrus evocation on day 51 after lambing was carried out. Nineteen ewes of the Slovak Merino breed, lambed in the first decade of February, were assigned to the experimental (n = 9) and to the control group (n = 10). Experimental ewes were subjected to repeated postparturient carbetocin treatment at the dose 0.07 mg per animal. The first dose was applied i. m. in 24 hours, and the second in 72 hours after parturition. On day 51 oestrus was induced in nine ewes of each group by combined treatment with chlorsuperlutin (Agelin, vaginal pessaries, Spofa) and PMSG (500 I.U./animal). On the day of PMSG application ewes were housed together with rams for the period of the next six days. Samples of blood were taken 24 hours before parturition (-1st day), up to 36 h after parturition and on days 4, 7, 14, 17, 21, 25, 34, 42 and 51 after parturition. Concentrations of T4, T3, E2 and P4 were determined by commercial kits RIA-test-T4; RIA-test-T3; RIA-test-ESTRA and RIA-test-PROG (URVJT Kosice). Animal of the control group showed variations of T4 concentrations (Tab. I, Fig. 1) at the level of original values (59.4 +/- 9.69 nmol.l-1) up to the 21st day with the exception of temporary drop on day 4 and rise on day 7, insignificant compared to the -1st day. T4 concentrations of the control group displayed an intermittent increasing trend with the statistically insignificant peak after 36 h and on day 17, compared to the -1st day. After the 21st day controls revealed a sustained moderate increase while the experimental ewes displayed a decline of its concentrations until the 51st day.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Obstetric and fetal outcomes in dystocic and eutocic sows to an injection of exogenous oxytocin during farrowing

Sixty hybrid Yorkshire-Landrace penned sows, 30 with eutocic farrowing and 30 experiencing a dystocic parturition, were studied to evaluate the obstetric and neonatal outcomes to low doses of oxytocin administered at advanced stages of parturition. Animals in each group were randomly subdivided into 2 subgroups: 15 eutocic and 15 dystocic sows received oxytocin 0.083 IU/kg (equivalent to 1 IU/12 kg body weight), administered intramuscularly after the delivery of the 5th piglet; the other 15 eutocic and 15 dystocic sows received saline solution intramuscularly at the same time. Oxytocin decreased the number of intrapartum deaths by approximately 50% (P = 0.002). No piglet was born dead from the saline- and oxytocin-treated eutocic sows. The highest viability score was observed among piglets born to eutocic sows treated with oxytocin. In summary, this dose schedule would help to decrease the number of stillbirths in both eutocic and dystocic farrowing sows.     

PGFM response to exogenous oxytocin and determination of the half-life of oxytocin in nonpregnant mares.

We investigated the half-life of oxytocin in reproductively normal mares and the prostaglandin response after oxytocin administrations. Mares were given oxytocin, 10 or 25 iu, i.v., on the day of, or 2 days after, ovulation, and frequent jugular blood samples were collected for analysis of oxytocin and Prostaglandin F metabolite (PGFM) by RIA. Neither dose of oxytocin nor day of treatment affected the half-life of the exogenous oxytocin, which was determined to be 6.8 min. A significant increase in PGFM was observed within 6 min of oxytocin administration and peak values were observed within 10 min. PGFM response after oxytocin administration on the day of ovulation appeared elevated compared to the response 2 days after ovulation.     

Plasma concentrations of 13,14-dihydro-15-ketoprostaglandin F2 alpha in mares during uterine involution.

Twelve mares were allowed to foal naturally, after which they were monitored to study uterine involution. Starting on day 3 after parturition, the internal genital tract was examined per rectum manually and ultrasonographically every other day for changes in uterine characteristics and ovarian activity. By day 5, gravid and nongravid uterine horns were similar in size, and by day 7, uterine fluid was absent. On day 7 after parturition, endometrial biopsy samples were obtained for histologic evaluation, and uterine swab specimens were obtained for microbiologic culture. Uterine swab specimens from 10 of 12 mares had slight bacterial growth. The uteri of 8 of the 12 mares were histologically involuted by day 7. All mares ovulated 7 to 12 days after parturition. Concentrations of 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-PGF2 alpha (PGFM) were measured in jugular plasma samples obtained daily for 21 days after parturition. Concentrations of PGFM were low by the day after parturition, and there was no significant correlation between uterine involution and PGFM concentrations in these mares. All 12 mares were bred at the first estrus after parturition, and 9 became pregnant.     

Estimated pregnancy length from ovulation to parturition in the bitch and its influencing factors: a retrospective study in 162 pregnancies

An accurate timing of parturition is very useful for managing canine parturition. It is generally accepted that parturition in bitches occurs between 64 and 66 days after the luteinizing hormone peak. In this retrospective study, we determined pregnancy length in different breeds and its influencing factors dating it from the estimated day of ovulation (EDO), defined as the day when peripheral plasma level of progesterone (P4) reaches 6 ng/ml. From January 2001 to December 2006, 162 pregnancies in 151 bitches of 53 different breeds were followed. Different parameters concerning the bitch, the litter, the type of semen and the type of reproduction were studied. The mean estimated pregnancy length in the bitch from EDO to parturition was 63.1±2.1 days. The main influencing factors for the pregnancies studied were the breed, the size of the bitch and the number of puppies within the litter.     

Uterine Motility in Sows During Spontaneous Parturition and Induced Parturitions with the PGF Analog Alfbprostol and Oxytocin

Contents: Uterine activity, i.e. myometrial contractions, were recorded in 11 sows prior to and during parturition by using strain gauges placed onto uterine horns about 15 to 20 cm cranial of the bifurcation. Tocographic patterns observed prior to and during spontaneous and alfaprostol induced parturitions were normal. Administration of 20, 10 or 5 I.U. oxytocin 22 hours after alfaprostol quickly initiated abnormal periparturient contraction patterns with 20 and 10 I.U. oxytocin and in one of two animals receiving 5 I. U. These were characterized initially by prolonged tetanic contractions resulting in delayed deliveries, and later by the premature occurrence of patterns seen normally only during the phase of placental expulsions, although not all piglets had been delivered. The importance to use myornetrial activity profiles to evaluate parturition induction methods was stressed .     

交巢穴埋线和注射催产素对奶牛产后子宫复旧影响的比较

为了比较奶牛交巢穴埋线与注射催产素对子宫复旧的影响,本试验共选取了20头荷斯坦牛,10头作为试验组1,分娩后在其交巢穴埋线;10头作为试验组2,分娩后在交巢穴注射催产素。观察奶牛的胎衣、恶露排出及子宫复旧情况,发现两种方法对胎衣排出时间的影响差异不显著,而埋线处理对子宫复旧较注射催产素有明显的促进作用,     

Partial abortion associated with genital Escherichia coli infection in a bitch

A five-and-a-half weeks pregnant Airedale terrier with a genital haemorrhage was presented. It had a history of oestrous irregularities. It was found to be anaemic and Escherichia coli was isolated from vaginal swabs. Oestradiol and progesterone levels were normal. Two fetuses were aborted on day 41 of gestation. Antibiotic treatment was given. The haemorrhage ceased but on day 61 an abnormal vaginal discharge was seen. A caesarean operation was performed from which resulted three dead and two live fetuses, which died within two days. E coli was isolated from the uterine content, although the bitch was still receiving antibiotics; it was also still anaemic. It is probable that the haemorrhage was caused by an endotoxin produced by the E coli. The anaemia in the bitch did not improve the chances of fetal survival.     

Post-Partum Involution of the Canine Uterus – Gross Anatomical and Histological Features

We aimed to study the normal puerperium in the bitch. Ovariohysterectomy was performed in nine bitches, each at a different day after normal whelping; their genital tract was subject to gross anatomical examination, as well as to histological examination and electron microscopy scanning. Corpora albicans were evenly distributed in the left and right ovaries and placental sites were evenly distributed among left and right uterine horns. Placental sites were initially of dark green to grey colour, later becoming dark brown; their length and height progressively decreased. Height of the myometrium and diameter of the uterine glands progressively decreased. Trophoblast-like cells were consistently observed at the placental sites and on the surface of the interplacental areas, at all time points where hysterectomy had been performed. It is suggested that involution of the canine genital tract can last up to 3 months and is slow. Continuous (up to D84 post-partum) presence of prominent placental sites should be considered a normal feature of canine uterine post-partum involution.     

Evaluation of a new non-hormonal substance for terminating pregnancy in bitches in clinical trials

A new non-hormonal contragestational agent (DL 717-IT), the 2-(4 chlorophenyl)-s-triazole |5,1-a|-isoquinoline, was tested in clinical trials to determine its efficacy for interrupting the pregnancy in the bitch. Five hundred and sixty-five bitches were given a single intramuscular injection of the drug between the first and 15th day after the mating. Of the 475 bitches that received 2–5 mg/kg, 430 (90-5 per cent) did not whelp at all, 15 (3-2 per cent) delivered a few stillborn or weak puppies that died some hours after birth, and 30 (6-3 per cent) delivered at least one normal live pup. Of 90 bitches treated with 3–5 mg/kg, 87 (96-7 per cent) did not whelp at all, two (2-2 per cent) delivered a few stillborn or weak puppies that died some hours after birth, and one (1 1 per cent) delivered normal live puppies. DL 717-IT, owing to the high effectiveness and minimal side effects, must be considered a very reliable drug for the interruption of pregnancies in the bitch.