Luteal phase decrease in packed cell volume in healthy non-pregnant and pregnant bitches.

OBJECTIVES: To establish packed cell volume (PCV) ranges for non-pregnant, pregnant and post-partum bitches from day 10 of proestrus, investigating any relationship with parity and litter size. METHODS: This prospective cohort study used 37 healthy breeding bitches to examine PCV counts from routine blood samples collected every 4 weeks, from day 10 of proestrus, as part of routine PCV monitoring. RESULTS: For pregnant (n = 19) and non-pregnant (n = 18) bitches, PCV decreased until week 8 (corresponding to 8.5 ± 1.1 days before whelping for pregnant bitches) and recovered by 16-20 weeks after the initial sample; bitches that whelped average and large litters showed greater declines. PCV began to recover sooner for bitches that had previously whelped one or two litters compared to bitches that had previously whelped three or more litters. There was a significant three-way interaction between time after the onset of proestrus, litter size and the number of previous litters which demonstrated that the large decrease in PCV for bitches that had previously whelped three or more litters only occurred in bitches that were expecting an average or large sized litter. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Chronological variation in PCV for pregnant and non-pregnant bitches was established during the reproductive cycle. There was no evidence to suggest that routine PCV measurement for normal, healthy bitches would be beneficial. However, knowledge from this study may be useful when deciding whether to prospectively monitor a bitch where there is a history of previous pregnancy-related anaemia, when performing a caesarean section due to the anticipated blood loss during surgery, or when examining blood profiles for post-litter bitches.

A prospective cohort study investigating the peri- and postoperative outcomes following ovariohysterectomy in bitches neutered prepubertally or post-pubertally.

The aim of this prospective cohort study was to investigate perioperative and postoperative outcomes for bitches that were neutered at different times in relation to puberty (rather than age). Three hundred and six Labrador and Golden Retriever crossbreed bitches were neutered before (prepubertal neuter [PPN], n = 155) or after puberty (Control, n = 151) by experienced veterinarians at one of four veterinary practices (VP1-4). Data were gathered from veterinarians at the time of neutering and from bitch caregivers for the 14-day period after neutering using purpose-designed questionnaires. PPN bitches had shorter surgery durations than Control bitches (OR = 0.877, 91% CI = 0.800 to 0.961, P = 0.015). Longer surgery durations were reported for bitches that had intraoperative complications (OR = 1.620, 91% CI = 1.397 to 1.879, P < 0.001). Shorter surgery durations were reported for VP1 compared to all other veterinary practices (OR = 1.189 to 1.534, P < 0.001). There was no difference in the number of PPN or Control bitches that had perioperative complications (PPN: 3.9%, n = 6; Control: 7.7%, n = 11) and no bitch had more than one perioperative complication reported. For the 14-day postoperative period, fewer PPN (1.3%, n = 2) compared to Control bitches (8.9%, n = 13) had wound discharge (Chi-square = 11.151, D.F = 1, P = 0.001) or showed inappetence (PPN: 2.9%, n = 4; Control: 17.3%, n = 19, Chi-square = 14.884, D.F. = 1, P < 0.001). There was no difference in the number of PPN and Control bitches that had redness or swelling of the wound (52 PPN, 48 Control), showed attention to the wound (6 PPN, 6 Control), required veterinary attention (25 PPN, 23 Control), or that showed any other unusual behaviours: discomfort (27 PPN, 16 Control), uncharacteristic irritability (2 PPN, 4 Control), or uncharacteristic licking or chewing of parts of the body (15 PPN, 6 Control). Bitches neutered at VP2-4 were more likely to have wound redness or swelling reported than those neutered at VP1 (OR = 3.109 to 4.076, P = 0.003). Future studies should consider the impact of veterinary practice on results. These results for peri and postoperative complications could suggest that prepubertal ovariohysterectomy may be a suitable option for neutering bitches. However, it is recommended that they be interpreted together with evidence relating to the impacts on other factors including behaviour and longer-term health in order to make fully informed decisions.

Prevalence of ultrasound-determined cystic endometrial hyperplasia and the relationship with age in dogs.

To investigate the potential relationship between age and diagnosis of cystic endometrial hyperplasia (CEH) in the bitches, 348 ultrasound examinations from 240 bitches (Labradors, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Flat Coated Retrievers, or crosses of those breeds aged between 1.6 and 7.2 years at examination) were examined. A subpopulation of 32 bitches that had completed their breeding careers at 6 years or more of age was also identified. Of all, 18.3% of the bitches were diagnosed with CEH; these cases were newly diagnosed when bitches were between 2.5 years and 7.3 years of age. The proportion of ultrasound examinations in which CEH was identified increased from 6.8% of examinations on 2-year-old breeding bitches to 60.0% of examinations on 6-year-old bitches. Logistic regression identified a positive correlation between mean age at the examination and presence of CEH (χ(2) = 30.74, degrees of freedom = 1, P < 0.001). For 32 bitches that had completed their breeding career, the prevalence of CEH was 56.3%, age at the diagnosis ranged from 3.8 to 7.3 years, and the proportion of bitches affected with CEH increased from 6.3% at 3 years of age to 56.3% at 7 years of age. These data support the contention that the prevalence of CEH increases with age.