Breeding Management of the Bitch
Female Fertility and Management
We can help with all aspects of managing your girl’s reproductive career.
When she is not in season, it’s time for:
Genetic counseling and certification
Evaluation of previous infertility problems
If your bitch has ever had a missed breeding, come in and talk to us. We can
help to evaluate breeding management and reproductive health of the dogs
involved. We have state of the art diagnostic equipment and knowledge
available to us, and we can maximize your bitch’s future fertility.
It is important to come in well before you expect your girl to come into
heat, so that we can establish a time-line for her reproductive cycles,
perform any appropriate tests and treat for any problems found prior to her
next cycle.
Establish a time-line
In order to properly plan your next breeding, we will help you determine
what your girl’s expected time-line for estrous cycle timing and management.
It is helpful to bring in all of your notes of her previous cycles and
litters with dates (if they are available) in order for us to help you
prepare for her next litter. Once we have put this information together, we
can discuss when her next cycle is expected and optimal ways to manage the
cycle and breeding, depending upon the insemination method and sire
availability.
Discussion of stud dog selection
Many times, the stud dog of your dreams is older, unavailable, or elsewhere.
Talk to us about how to make that “perfect match” happen under these
circumstances. We are experienced and knowledgeable about the uses of fresh
semen, fresh chilled semen and frozen semen. In addition, we routinely use
alternate routes of insemination such as transcervical inseminations and
intrauterine inseminations in order to maximize conception rates.
When your girl is in season
Reproductive health screening
We can obtain samples for Brucellosis, Herpes and Mycoplasma, as appropriate
and/or required for your girl
Ovulation timing
The primary cause of missed breedings is inappropriate timing of the
breeding. Our state of the art ovulation timing procedures allows us to
determine when your bitch is fertile, maximizing her conception rate. Missed
breedings result in a serious loss of time, as well as emotional and
financial losses. We will help you to minimize this serious disruption of
your bitch’s reproductive career. You can bring your girl to us as needed,
or you can leave her with us during her cycle in our safe and monitored
facilities. We even provide courier service to Logan Airport for the bitches
that need to fly in and stay with us.
Insemination services:
Vaginal AI
We are available for routine vaginal insemination on request.
Transcervical and paracervical inseminations
We have a transcervical insemination scope on the premises, allowing the
semen to be deposited directly into the uterine body, thus avoiding the
vaginal canal and cervix, which can reduce fertility in some cases. In some
cases, due to the individual anatomy of the cervix, we are not able to
catheterize the cervix. In this case, we are able to deposit the semen
directly at the opening of the cervix.
Intrauterine surgical insemination
We can deposit the sperm directly into the horns of the uterus, where the
ova are waiting to be fertilized, maximizing the possibility of sperm
encountering the fertile eggs. We are experienced and knowledgeable about
the procedure. We anesthetize with a short-acting and safe anesthetic,
generally allowing the girls to go home within 30 minutes of the procedure.
Pregnancy management:
Perinatal care, feeding and supplements
Ultrasonographic pregnancy diagnosis and monitoring
We are experienced at verifying pregnancy in your bitch. In addition, if
there are potential problems, the ultrasound can help to monitor puppy well
being over the course of the pregnancy.
WhelpWise
We are delighted to have the ability and experience to work with WhelpWise -
an advanced method of monitoring the late stages of pregnancy and whelping
in bitches. Whelp Wise is based in Colorado and uses special instrumentation
and the phone line to monitor the state of the uterus. The 24 hour service
informs the owner of the bitch and the veterinarian if any abnormalities are
developing. Talk to us is you would like to learn how to take advantage of
this form of uterine monitoring or explore their website at
www.whelpwise.com/vps/Pages/whelpwise.htm.
Radiographic timing for puppy numbers and development
Hormonal timing for pregnancy maintenance and timing of whelping
Every time that we have completed ovulation timing and breeding for a bitch,
we are able to provide accurate whelping dates, generally within a period of
3 days. (This is in contrast to the 2 week period without ovulation timing.)
This allows you to be available for close monitoring of your bitch and a
fast reaction if problems occur. If your bitch was not ovulation timed, we
can still help to provide increased information if problems or concerns
develop.
Assisted whelping/planned C-sections
We have a trained and experienced staff of veterinarians and technicians who
know exactly what is needed to maximize bitch and puppy safety during the
whelping process. We can perform planned Caesarian sections on any bitch
that may not whelp successfully on her own. Talk to us about whether this
option is best for your girl and her future superdog puppies.
Pediatrics
Neonatal care and disease management
Newborn puppies can be very fragile, particularly in some breeds. We are
experienced at helping you to care for your puppies, and dealing with any
problems that may arise. Talk to us immediately if you are concerned about
your babies.
Vaccination and worming protocols
Vaccination and worming protocols are not “one size fits all”. We can help
you determine if your breed or situation needs special treatment or vaccine
protocols. Please talk to us about your puppies’ needs.