Healthy, well-bred puppies are the result of research, planning, love and hard work. But frustrating, infertility issues can affect even those breeders who do everything “right”. At Animal Health Services we will work with you to attempt to diagnose infertility problems in both stud dogs and brood bitches, and will do everything we can to help deliver happy, healthy puppies.
Infertility Consultations.
- What happens at an infertility consultation? The first step is to get a complete history, both reproductive and general health, and a comprehensive physical exam. Further diagnostics may include bloodwork, ultrasound, biopsy, or other testing dependant on the doctor’s findings.
- What is the first thing you do to determine why my dog won’t get pregnant? Depends on the history. Was progesterone testing done when bred Was she bred to a proven stud? etc. There is no single answer for this.
- What is the normal cycle for a dog? Typically dogs come in heat every six months, and the cycle lasts roughly three weeks. The most common days for breeding are between days 11 – 14, but ovulation may occur as early as day 2 and as late as day 21.
- How do I know if my dog is having normal cycles? Progesterone testing throughout the cycle will tell us if and when ovulation has occurred and whether the progesterone level stays elevated after ovulation.
- What do I do when my bitch is fertile but wont accept the stud? Bring them both in and we’ll do an artificial insemination.
- My dog has gotten pregnant but she keeps aborting. Can we find out why? We can certainly try! There are many different conditions and issues that can contribute to infertility, including endocrine (hormonal), congenital, environmental, etc. We are equipped to pursue many avenues to get an answer, but just as in human obstetrics, there are times when even our best efforts fall short.
