Ask the Doctor and Links

Ask the Doctor

Please feel free to direct any questions to info@reproductiverevolutions.com and they will be answered in a timely fashion. If they seem to be of interest to the general public, they may be included in this section (no names will be included).

Question: I have a 12 week old puppy who has been diagnosed with 'puppy vaginitis'. What should we be doing to treat it and will it affect her when she is older? We plan on spaying her when she is old enough. When should that be done?

Answer: Most puppies that develop vaginitis do so due to poor anatomy surrounding the vulvar opening; vaginal defects like strictures; from poor hygiene; or a dirty environment where she urinates. If she has an external anatomic defect (usually termed a juvenile vulva which may involve a fold of fatty tissue overlying the vulvar opening or tightness of the adjoining tissue to the vulvar lips resulting in moistness of the tissues surrounding the vulva) this will usually resolve when the vulva swells with her first heat.

If she has a vulvar stricture, these usually do not resolve with the first heat but the immune system in the vagina becomes activated when it is exposed to estrogen for the first time. This exposure to estrogen occurs with the first heat cycle. Once the immune system is activated, most bitches can fight off future infections that occur as a result of the stricture without further treatment.

Most of the time, we do not treat puppy vaginitis. If there is excessive discharge, the puppy is licking excessively, or the puppy gets repeated ascending bladder infections as a result of the vaginitis we will treat with vaginal douches first and if this is inadequate, then we will use antibiotics on an as needed basis. In certain severe cases, we may treat with oral estrogen supplements prior to the first heat or in bitches that are spayed at an early age and so will never undergo a heat cycle.

We strongly recommend that any bitch puppy who develops puppy vaginitis not be spayed prior to the first heat cycle. If the vaginal epithelium is not allowed exposure to estrogen, the bitch will be predisposed to vaginitis throughout her life.

If the reason for the vaginitis is environmental or bedding related, simply changing the area where the puppy urinates or changing the type of bedding she is urinating on, will usually be enough to resolve the condition.

It is extremely important, that ALL female puppies have a digital exam of the vagina prior to spay regardless of whether they have had signs of vaginitis as a puppy. Bitches with strictures or poor vulvar anatomy that may not have vaginitis as a puppy could develop it as adults if they are not allowed exposure to estrogen. So any puppy with a stricture or poor vulvar anatomy will benefit from a heat cycle to prevent future health problems.

The decision when to spay any individual must be made on a case by case basis, with a good physical examination and assessment of the home environment by a veterinarian, to determine when is the most appropriate time for each individual puppy and family.

Question: I have an older mare who has aborted every year for the past 3 years. She gets pregnant every year on her first cycle, but cannot seem to maintain her pregnancy. What can I do to get another foal out of her?

Answer: The first thing to do would be to complete a breeding soundness exam on her. This includes a general assessment of her physical condition (called body condition), examination of the conformation of the external genitalia (vulvar conformation), rectal palpation of the reproductive tract, ultrasound examination of the reproductive tract, vaginal examination (both visual and digital palpation of the vagina and cervix), uterine culture, uterine cytology and uterine biopsy. Occasionally, blood work (complete blood count and serum chemistry) and hormone analysis may be deemed necessary as well.

The results of this examination will help determine if she needs treatment or surgery for some disease process (i.e. uterine inflammation, torn cervix) that will allow her to maintain a pregnancy or if she has permanent damage to her reproductive tract that will make it unlikely that she will carry to term. The uterine biopsy lets us group mares into percentages on the likelihood that they can conceive and carry to term.

If it is determined that she cannot or is unlikely to carry to term even with treatment, you have 2 options. The first is embryo transfer. This is where we breed the donor mare as usual, allow her to incubate the embryo for the first 7 - 9 days after ovulation, then flush the embryo out of her uterus and transfer it into a healthy recipient mare who can carry it to term for her.

The second is called oocyte transfer. This is where the donor mare is allowed to develop a follicle but the egg is removed directly from the ovary prior to ovulation. The recipient mare has the same procedure done the day before and then the donors mare's egg is surgically placed in the recipient mare's oviduct and the recipient mare is then bred with the desired semen. Since the recipient mare no longer has a egg of her own, only the donor mare's egg is fertilized and then is transported to the uterus and carried to term just as if it were her own.

With both these techniques, the recipient mare is a surrogate. None of her genes contribute to the DNA of the foal. However, she does serve as the dam for the foal, so any bad behaviors (stable vices) she might have can still be transferred to the foal after it is born. For this reason, it is important to chose recipient mares who are calm, quiet and good mothers.

LINKS TO OTHER INTERESTING SITES:

Society for Theriogenology

American College of Theriogenologists

American Association of Equine Practitioners

American Kennel Club

Equine Insite

Northwest Horse Source Magazine

Flying Changes Magazine

Northwest Rider Magazine

ShippedSemen.com

FOR ALL YOUR VETERINARY REPRODUCTIVE NEEDS

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