History of Veterinary Practice and Dog and Cat Reproduction

UCF Continuing Ed "Becoming a Veterinary Assistant"

souvetaurinarii

latin word for animal caretakers

internal combustion engine

led to less of a need for horses, and dogs became important and deserving of medical attention

tomcat

male “intact” cat

heat

period of sexual receptivity

whelping

giving birth (cat or dog)

queening

giving birth (cat only)

estrous cycle

hormonal cycle that controls reproduction

vulva

the exterior part of the reproductive tract in the female

palpation

using hands to determine anatomy, such as palpating the abdomen to establish if an animal is pregnant

large dog’s first heat

between 16-20 months

normal estrous cycle

proestrus, estrus, diestrus, anestrus

proestrus (dog)

swelling of the vulva and bloody vaginal discharge… can last between 3 and 14 days

estrus (dog)

heat; ovulation occurs and vaginal discharge becomes clear… can last from between 2-20 days

diestrus

period directly after estrus… hormone fluctuations in pregnancy, false pregnancy, and plain diestrus are indistinguishable

anestrus

period of hormonal dormancy… average length is 4 months

leuteinizing hormone

(LH) produced by the pituitary gland and triggers ovulation in dogs… testing for this can show if a dog is ovulating

progesterone

triggers ovulation and testing for levels in the blood can determine if a dog is ready to breed

vaginal smear

a sterile cotton swab is inserted into the vagina and cells are collected and transferred to a microscope slide, stained, and analyzed. type of cells can indicate ovulation

dog gestation period

63 days… if there are more puppies this period is shorter, and less puppies means longer

first heat for cat

can begin as early as four months… triggered by longer days in the spring and amount of daylight (pineal body in the brain senses light and drives hormones)

cat breeding season

January-September

cats induced ovulation

spines on the male penis trigger a cate to ovulate during breeding

cat gestation period

64-69 days

Reasons for Sterilization

stop from contributing to the pet population, prevent medical problems later in life

pyometra

bacteria gets into the uterus and infects it. puss filled uterus has to be surgically removed

overiohysterectomy

(spay) removal of uterus and ovaries