Prostaglandin therapeutics in the bitch and queen

The use of prostaglandin F2 alpha as an abortifacient and for the treatment of certain diseases affecting the reproductive system of the bitch and queen is reviewed. Doses of 0.5 to 1.0 mg/kg PGF administered by intramuscular or subcutaneous injection at intervals of 24 or 48 h after mid-gestation appears to be a satisfactory luteolytic-- abortifacient regime for use in dogs and cats. Doses of 0.25 to 0.5 mg/kg in the bitch and 0.5 to 1.0 mg/kg PGF in the queen, at intervals of 24 or 48 h, may be used as an adjunct to the therapy of metritis, endometritis or pyometritis. A median lethal dose of 5.13 mg/kg has been derived for use of PGF in the bitch and this is thought to be similar for use of PGF in the queen. Side effects of defecation and/or vomition may be observed in the bitch and queen using routine therapeutic doses.     

Prediction of parturition date in the bitch and queen

Assessment of gestational age and parturition date prediction is a challenging, yet common task in clinical management of the pregnant bitch or queen. Knowing the approximate parturition date is essential for a thorough pregnancy monitoring. Radiographic and ultrasonographic methods are suitable in bitches and queens. In the bitch, moreover, ovulation timing by means of LH or progesterone assay, determination of onset of vaginal dioestrus by means of examination of vaginal cytology, and recognition of impending parturition by monitoring prepartal progesterone levels and body temperature variation are practical methods. A combination of different methods increases the accuracy of parturition date prediction.     

The ovarian remnant syndrome in the bitch and queen.

The ovarian remnant syndrome is a complication of ovariohysterectomy resulting in the presence of functional ovarian tissue in the abdomen. The usual symptom is a return to estrus in a previously ovariohysterectomized bitch or queen. The available methods of diagnosis are vaginal cytologic evaluation during estrus, resting hormone assays, hormone challenge testing, and exploratory laparotomy. Surgical removal of the ovarian remnant is the preferred treatment.     

Long-term prevention of estrus in the bitch and queen using chlormadinone acetate

Estrus was prevented with weekly oral administration of 2 mg chlormadinone acetate for 2.0 to 9.8 y in bitches and queens. Abnormalities, including mammary or uterine disorders, or both, were noted in 7 out of 14 bitches and 9 out of 24 queens during this long-term treatment.     

Laparoscopic sterilization of the bitch and queen by uterine horn occlusion

Laparoscopic sterilization techniques, originally developed for use in women, were evaluated in the bitch and queen. In the first study (study I), the uterine horns of 6 bitches and 3 queens were occluded by electrocoagulation or plastic clips. The sites of occlusion were midway along the length of 1 cornus and at the uterotubal junction on the contralateral side. Both procedures effectively occluded the uterine horns, as evidenced by a distinctly visible separation of the reproductive tract. Laparoscopic examination 1 year after surgery revealed an enlarged, thin-walled, and fluid-filled uterine segment cranial to the midcornus occlusion sites in all animals. The contralateral horn was normal in appearance, except for the separation from the ovarian bursa. Three of the bitches developed pyometra (confined to the distended uterine segment) at 24 months, at 53 months, and at 72 months after sterilization, respectively. In a subsequent study (study II), 1 adult and 5 prepubertal bitches were sterilized by laparoscopic electrocoagulation of both uterine horns at the uterotubal junction adjacent to the ovarian bursa. Upon reexamination 1, 2, and 4 years later, the uterine horns of these females were normal in appearance, but were separated from the adjacent ovarian bursae. These females continued to be clinically healthy. Laparoscopic sterilization offers a rapid and safe alternative to ovariohysterectomy and, because of its minor invasive nature, can be performed on young, prepubertal animals. Such a procedure may have particular value as a simple, practical means of sterilizing dogs and cats on a mass basis.     

Use of prostaglandin F2 alpha for early pregnancy termination in the mismated bitch

Natural PGF administered at a dose of at least 250 micrograms/kg twice daily subcutaneously for at least 4 days starting no earlier than day 5 of cytologic diestrus induces luteolysis and pregnancy termination in the mated bitch. The resulting shortening of the luteal phase is associated with a shortening of the interestrous interval from 1 to 4 months. Bitches treated with PGF show emesis, diarrhea, and panting within 5 minutes and transient hypothermia which lasts 2 to 3 hours but generally have no further reaction. Bitches with cardiac or respiratory dysfunctions are not considered safe patients for early pregnancy termination with PGF because of the cardiovascular effects of this drug. Bitches treated with this regime early in diestrus resorb their conceptuses; those treated after days 35 to 40 show clinical abortion of viable fetuses.     

A preliminary study of pregnancy termination in the bitch with slow-release formulations of prostaglandin analogues

Forty-two beagle bitches at gestational ages from 4 to 35 days were treated with various formulations of the prostaglandin analogues fluprostenol and cloprostenol at doses from 10–40 μg/kg in an attempt to terminate pregnancy. Pregnancy was confirmed and the effect of treatment assessed by euthanasia and post-mortem examination to detect viable foetuses or resorbing implants twenty-one days after prostaglandin administration. Five of the bitches treated with an aqueous solution of cloprostenol by subcutaneous injection showed unacceptable side effects but both compounds in a slow release injectable formulation or impregnated into intravaginal devices had a luteolytic effect with only mild side effects in occasional bitches. Successful response to treatment in terms of sustained depression of plasma progesterone concentrations and pregnancy termination was 80 per cent at gestation stages of 25 days or over but only 27 per cent when given earlier in pregnancy. Mature follicles developed in two bitches which aborted following treatment at 14 days and returned to oestrus 10–14 days later. These preliminary findings show that slow-release formulations of fluprostenol and cloprostenol can cause complete luteolysis in the bitch.     

A combination of oral cabergoline and double cloprostenol injections to produce third-quarter gestation termination in the bitch

To assess the efficacy and safety of a combined cabergoline and cloprostenol protocol to terminate third-quarter pregnancy, 22 pregnant bitches that ranged from 35 to 45 days after mating were randomly assigned to a treatment group (n=13) or to an untreated control group (n=9). The animals were monitored for 12 days, and pregnancy termination was confirmed by ultrasound examination. Twelve of the 13 treated bitches aborted within 9 days of the initiation of treatment (mean 4.6 days). Only mild side effects were observed. The control animals had normal gestational courses, as did the bitch that did not respond to the therapy. This combination of drugs appeared to be a practical, safe, and efficient abortifacient when used in third-quarter pregnancies.     

Pregnancy termination in dogs with novel nonhormonal compounds.

Resorption of the products of fertilization was induced in bitches given (subcutaneously) single or multiple doses of the nonhormonal compounds L-10492 and L-10503 during the first half of gestation; also resorption or expulsion of the conceptus was induced when these compounds were given during the latter part of pregnancy. The smallest doses were required at a time immediately after implantation of the fertilized ova in the uterus. Effectiveness and appearance of side effects were dose-dependent. These consisted of decreased appetite, loss of body weight, and diarrhea (feces sometimes containing streaks of blood). Bitches which had aborted returned to estrus within normal intervals of time, exhibited normal mating behavior, and were fertile. They had normal deliveries and lactation, and the pups were normal. The mechanism of action does not involve effects on nidation and the compounds were not luteolytic, but probably involved the uteroplacental complex.     

Pyometra in the bitch

The diagnosis of pyometra in the bitch was aided by radiographic examination of the abdomen and by a total white cell count. In cases of pyometra described, some uterine distension was seen on radiographic examination. A study was made of the course of blood urea levels as a guide to prognosis. High blood urea levels before operation may subsequently return to normal. The cases with poor prognosis were those in which the blood urea level rose steadily after ovarohysterectomy. Escherichia coli was found in almost all cases of pyometra, both closed and open. There was no evidence of a poorer prognosis in closed than in open cases of pyometra. Résumé. Le diagnostic de la pyométrie chez la chienne fut facilité par l'examen radiographique de l'abdomen et par une numération globulaire du total des leucocytes. Dam les cas de pyométrie décrits, on a vu une certaine dilatation utérine à l'examen radiographique. Une étude du cours des niveaux d'urée dans le sang fut faite à titre de guide pour le pronostic. Des niveaux élevés d'urée dans le sang avant l'opération peuvent redevenir normaux par la suite. Les cas avec un pronostic pauvre étaient ceux où le niveaus d'urée dans le sang augmentait régulièrement après l'ovariectomie et l'hytèrectomie. On trouva des E. coli dans presque tous les cas de pyomttrie aussi bien fermés qu'ouverts. Il n'y eut pas de preuves indiquant un pronostic plus pauvre dans les cas de pyométrie fermés que dans les cas ouverts. Zusammenfassung. Die Diagnose von Pyometra bei Hündinnen wurde durch die radiographische Untersuchung des Bauchraums und durch Bestimmung der weissen Gesamt-Blutkörperchenzahl unterstützt. Bei den beschriebenen Fällen von Pyometra wurde röntgenologisch eine gewisse Vergrösserung der Gebärmutter beobachtet. Die Änderung des Harnstoff-gehalts des Bluts wurde als Anhalt für die Prognose benutzt. Hohe Blutharnstoffkonzentrationen vor der Operation können anschliessend zurückgehen. Die Fälle mit schlechter Prognose waren diejenigen, in denen der Blutharnstoffgehalt nach der Ovarohysterectomie stetig anstieg. E. coli wurde in fast allen Fällen von Pyometra geschlossenen und offenen gefunden. Es gab keine Anzeichen für eine schlechtere Prognose in geschlossenen Fällen von Pyometra im Vergleich mit offenen.     

Eclampsia in the bitch

On the basis of a study of the literature and of nineteen new cases of eclampsia in dogs, the aetiology, clinical picture and treatment of the disease are discussed. Average plasma calcium concentrations in seventeen of the bitches in the authors' material was 6–16 ± 0–77 mg/100 ml; the remaining two had normal levels (over 9 mg/100 ml). Plasma magnesium levels were normal in all the bitches, and averaged 2–07 ± 0–38 mg/100 ml.     

不同性状育王群王台接受率和蜂王初生重比较

进行不同性状育王群培育蜂王王台接受率和蜂王初生重试验,了解不同体色育王群培育蜂王的接受情况和蜂王初生重。采取3个不同育王群在单式和复式移虫前同时不涂抹蜂蜜和蜂王浆、涂抹蜂蜜或蜂王浆王台的接受率和蜂王初生重。结果显示涂抹蜂蜜(70.00%)和蜂王浆(86.67%)对王台接受率影响不显著(P=0.276),不同性状的蜂群培育王台接受率没有差异(R114号=75.00%,R93号=67.04%,R18号=76.48%,P=0.683),蜂王的初生重也没有显著的差异(W114号=0.1987g,W93号=0.1831g,W18号=0.1909g,P=0.203)。此结果说明对王台涂抹蜂蜜和蜂王浆不会提高王台接受率;不同性状育王群对蜂王的初生重没有影响。     

Urogenital tract infection in the bitch

The establishment of urinary tract infection and pyometra in the bitch seems to have some characteristics in common, such as similar bacteria, association with kidney pathology and similar age disposition. both diseases are regarded as an ascending infection from the vagina. The ecological factors determining the host-microbe relationship, the protective mechanisms and the methods of diagnosis are discussed.     

Ectopic ureter in the bitch.

Ectopic ureter in the dog is only sporadically reported. A case in an adult golden retriever is described.