A normal maintenance diet should be fed during the first two thirds (6 weeks) of the pregnancy. Nutrition during pregnancy is also a subject of which many questions arise. The implications for pregnancy with any underlying disease needs to be discussed to determine if the dog should be bred or not. Any underlying diseases need to be evaluated and treated. Because of the significant physiologic changes that occur in a pregnant dog, it is extremely important for the dog to be healthy PRIOR to breeding. Other issues with pregnancy include exacerbation of underlying disease such as heart disease, diabetes mellitus, pregnancy toxemia, and kidney disease or infection. Ultrasound has the drawback of not being accurate to count puppies, but can determine heartbearts in the puppies. Ultrasound at day 30 post breeding is a great diagnositc tool to confirm pregnancy. Ultrasound pregnancy confirmation is possible as early as day 20-22 after breeding, but can be missed this early. False negative can occur, and negative results should be confirmed by other testing or by repeating the test in 7 to 10 days.
Relaxin is a pregnancy specific hormone that is produced primarily by the canine placenta. Relaxin canine pregnancy test can be used to diagnose pregnancy as early as day 21 to 28 post breeding. For the most accurate puppy numbers, radiographs should be taken at about day 55 post first breeding. It is usually recommended to wait until later in the pregnancy to obtain a puppy count with radiographs as it can be difficult to visualize all the puppies in early films. Radiographic diagnosis of pregnancy is first possible 42 to 50 days after first mating. It can also be difficult to palpate and determine pregnancy in large dogs and in dogs with just a few pups in the cranial part of the abdomen. Pregnancy is most accurately identified by this method at about days 28 to 30 after ovulation. Many times in a nervous female, the uterus can not be felt due to a tense abdomen. Each method has its own specific time frame when it is most accurate in determination of pregnancy.Ībdominal palpation can be performed if the female is cooperative. These include abdominal palpation, ultrasonography, relaxin testing, and radiographs. Pregnancy can be diagnosed in a variety of ways in the dog. During this time hormonal and physical changes develop and are observed in the female. This is due to the variability in the ovulation timing and semen survival in the female dog. Canine pregnancy lasts for approximately 63 days, but ranges from 57 to 72 days from a single breeding.
0 kommentar(er)
