Muppets Canine Therapy
Professional care for your pets wellbeing
Hydrotherapy Physiotherapy Massage Theraputic exercises
Canine Fertility Clinic
Why use a canine fertility clinic
Breeding dogs is not always a straight forward process and if problems occur these can put at risk the health of the parents and puppies or could affect the future breeding ability of the dog or bitch.
By using a professional canine fertility expert you can help to protect the health and well being of your dog and bitch, increase chances of a healthy pregnancy and birth and maximise the health and vitality of the puppies born.
At Muppets Canine Therapy you can be assured that your breeding dogs are in the best hands and services and help are available for all aspects of their journey.
By using the services offered you can increase your breeding success in several ways
- ensuring the correct time to mate to avoid mis-timing and failure to hold
- making sure that the male dog is healthy and producing viable sperm
- identifying infections in both the male and emails reproductive tracts
- gaining a pregnancy diagnosis early enough to alter the bitches diet and exercise
- following the progress of the puppies inside the bitch
- whelping assistance
- checking of the bitch post whelp to ensure no puppies or placenta remains
About Kate
As well as being a professional small animal physiotherapist, hydrotherapist, massage therapist, canine behavioralist, agility trainer and complete dog lover... Kate has bred Border Collies for working since her working life started in farming in the 80's.
Kate now breeds dogs more for sporting/active purposes rather then herding, but her ethics on health and breeding have remained strong and increased over the years.
Kate is an Assured Breeder of Border Collies and prides herself on producing healthy, intelligent and high drive dogs, suitable for active and sporting homes.
Kate started providing canine fertility services to help like minded breeders to produce strong and healthy puppies while looking after the welfare of the breeding dogs.
Please contact Kate for details on canine fertility testing, scanning, home visits and much more
07989 077519
Services offered
Cytology testing
Cytology is the examination of single cells and this means that by examining your dog’s tissue under a powerful microscope, information can be decoded as to how close she is to be ready to be mated.
It does not involve an invasive blood test as for progesterone testing but instead consists of collecting cells from just inside her vagina, taken with a small cotton swab.
The procedure takes a few seconds and is painless.
Once the swab is taken it is allowed to dry and prepared for examination with a special dye.
Under the microscope the 4 main cell types can be seen, and their frequency, positioning and appearance will indicate how far along her fertility cycle your dog is.
By the correct reading of these cells, it can be determined whether she is in early season, ready to mate, passed ovulation or even having a split season.
The appearance of the cells from the swab will show where in her cycle your dog is in readiness for her mating and can be repeated easily as to pin point the optimum time for natural or AI mating.
The benefits of cytology testing for your breeding dog.
-
The exact timing of ovulation can be pinpointed in readiness for mating
-
The test takes a few seconds and results are ready in 5 to 10 minutes
-
Swabs can be taken at several points during your dogs cycle and are painless and stress free
-
Cytology is also a way to screen vaginal health so can also identify bacterial infections before external signs can sometimes be noticed.
Regarding timing of cytology swabs, I’d recommend taking the first swab on day 5 or 6 after noticing the first vaginal discharge and vulval swelling. This will give an indication of how far along her cycle she is.
The more swabs taken over the next few days, the more accurate the prediction for ovulation.
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
The 4 stages of your dog’s fertility cycle
Proestrus – this is the initial stage of your dog’s season. It lasts around 10 days but each dog may vary. Signs can include behaviour changes, bloody discharge, swelling of the vulva and interest from male dogs.
Estrus – this is the second stage and will typically occur some point within day 10 to day 28. This is her optimum time to be mated. Signs include showing more interest in males, a pinky discharge from her vulva, standing still and tail flagging in response to back pressure
Diestrus – this is the third stage and is when her fertility is starting to decline. Signs include more of a return to normal behaviour, a slight bloody “cleaning” discharge from her vulva and less interest in males.
Anestrus – this is the rest period as her body returns to normal before starting to prepare for her next season.
Your dog will be most fertile during her estrus phase but this optimum period may only be for a few days in the time scale between proestrus and diestrus.
A split season is when your dog starts her fertility cycle but doesn’t quite reach the estrus stage. Her progesterone levels rise as normal but then drops before reaching its peak. This can be misleading if a blood test for progesterone is used to predict the time to mate unless repeated nearer the predicted time (which means another blood test).
If your dog has a split season there is a good chance she will start her cycle again in 3 to 4 weeks time.
Male fertility
There are many factors which can affect your chosen studs dogs ability to perform and to successfully mate and fertilise the female.
As well as external factors such as obesity, genetic disorders, stress levels, environmental distractions and the readiness of the female, it is important to make sure that the quality of the sperm he produces is of top quality.
By having his semen tested you can be sure that he is able to produce healthy, virile sperm which will give the best chance of fertilising the female’s eggs.
Your dog is allowed to relax and help is given to him to produce the sample. Some males prefer a female dog in heat to be in the vicinity, whereas some are more than happy to oblige. Some dogs like to use my “stooge” female dog.
The sample is taken from your dog and collected in a sterile pouch. The 2nd fraction of semen is prepared and placed into the fertility analyser. The analyser carries out many functions on the sample and a detailed visual examination is also carried out through the microscope.
The results are recorded and printed out for you to take home
Many factors are analysed including
-
Motility
-
Concentration
-
Morphology
-
Colour / texture
Motility - this is possibly the most important factor as unless the sperm can move around, they will fail to fertilise the eggs. Under analysing, the sperm are classed as
Immotile, non-progressively motile and progressively motile
A progressively motile sperm will travel in a straight line and is ideal. These sperm should pass through the microscopic field of vision in 2-3 seconds.
A non-progressively moving sperm will display odd movement such as circling and flipping.
Motility can be affected by periods of no sexual activity or on the first ejaculation after illness. This is why regular testing of the stud dog is recommended.
Concentration – this figure is needed to calculate the total number of sperm. Concentrated x volume = total number of sperm in the ejaculate. Generally, in a normal healthy dog the total number of sperm is 300 million. Or 10 million sperm per lb of body weight
Morphology – to evaluate the morphology of the sperm, 100 individual sperm are assessed. The head, midpiece and tail are examined.
Malformed sperm may have 2 heads, bent tails, huge heads or over short tails. Only healthy sperm can fertilise the eggs so by assessing the levels of healthy vs malformed will indicate the success of as potential mating.
Colour / texture – the second fraction is graded on its colour from clear (0) to milky (5). Generally cloudy samples contain sperm but should always be tested. Some infertile dogs shed fat droplets into their semen giving the appearance of a cloudy sperm rich fraction.
Other discolouration’s include
yellow – urine
brown – old blood
red – fresh blood
Blood in the semen can be through trauma to the penis or from prostate disease or STDs.
……………………………………………………………………………………………
3 fractions of canine semen
There are 3 parts to the male dogs semen and each part plays a role in the fertility process.
First fraction – once the dog starts to thrust and ejaculate he will start to pass the first fraction of the semen. This fluid is clear and runny and comes from the prostate and urethral glands. It’s secreted in order to clear out the urethra of urine, bacteria and debris. This is usually less than 5ml.
Second fraction – this fluid is thicker and cloudy white coloured and originated from the epididymis where the sperm are stored. This is the sperm rich substance needed to fertilise the female’s eggs. This fraction is around 0.5 to 4 ml
Third fraction – after a period of time the dog will ejaculate the third fraction which is clear and runny and consists of prostate fluid. In a natural mating this fluid is used to propel the sperm into the uterus and to provide nutrients for their journey. The third fraction varies in amount and can be 3 to 80 ml
At this point the dog may “tie” with the female.
…………………………………………………………………………………….
A dogs fertility system
Most male dogs reach puberty at around 8 months of age. This varies among breed and individual dogs. Even though some dogs may be capable for fertilising a female at this age, most will come into sexual maturity between 18 to 30 months. This is when they will have achieved their maximum fertility regarding sperm count. Many dogs would be capable of breeding every 2 to 5 days as their daily sperm output recovers so fast.
……………………………………………………………………………………….
Benefits of male dog fertility testing
-
The test is done with the minimum stress to your dog
-
Results can be provided in 5 to 10 minutes
-
You can be sure about the quality of the sperm for either natural or AI mating and so can avoid failed conception.
-
Regular testing of your male dog can monitor his fertility throughout his breeding career
-
The test can be used for health screening of your dogs fertility system
-
If the semen is to be chilled for long or short time, its quality can be tested before and after the chilling process to ensure its suitability to be used for AI.
-
There are many factors which can affect your chosen studs dogs ability to perform and to successfully mate and fertilise the female.
-
As well as external factors such as obesity, genetic disorders, stress levels, environmental distractions and the readiness of the female, it is important to make sure that the quality of the sperm he produces is of top quality.
-
By having his semen tested you can be sure that he is able to produce healthy, virile sperm which will give the best chance of fertilising the female’s eggs.
-
Your dog is allowed to relax and help is given to him to produce the sample. Some males prefer a female dog in heat to be in the vicinity, whereas some are more than happy to oblige. Some dogs like to use my “stooge” female dog.
-
The sample is taken from your dog and collected in a sterile pouch. The 2nd fraction of semen is prepared and placed into the fertility analyser. The analyser carries out many functions on the sample and a detailed visual examination is also carried out through the microscope.
-
The results are recorded and printed out for you to take home
-
-
Many factors are analysed including
-
Motility
-
Concentration
-
Morphology
-
Colour / texture
-
-
Motility - this is possibly the most important factor as unless the sperm can move around, they will fail to fertilise the eggs. Under analysing, the sperm are classed as
-
Immotile, non-progressively motile and progressively motile
-
A progressively motile sperm will travel in a straight line and is ideal. These sperm should pass through the microscopic field of vision in 2-3 seconds.
-
A non-progressively moving sperm will display odd movement such as circling and flipping.
-
Motility can be affected by periods of no sexual activity or on the first ejaculation after illness. This is why regular testing of the stud dog is recommended.
-
Concentration – this figure is needed to calculate the total number of sperm. Concentrated x volume = total number of sperm in the ejaculate. Generally, in a normal healthy dog the total number of sperm is 300 million. Or 10 million sperm per lb of body weight
-
Morphology – to evaluate the morphology of the sperm, 100 individual sperm are assessed. The head, midpiece and tail are examined.
-
Malformed sperm may have 2 heads, bent tails, huge heads or over short tails. Only healthy sperm can fertilise the eggs so by assessing the levels of healthy vs malformed will indicate the success of as potential mating.
-
-
Colour / texture – the second fraction is graded on its colour from clear (0) to milky (5). Generally cloudy samples contain sperm but should always be tested. Some infertile dogs shed fat droplets into their semen giving the appearance of a cloudy sperm rich fraction.
-
Other discolouration’s include
-
yellow – urine
-
brown – old blood
-
red – fresh blood
-
Blood in the semen can be through trauma to the penis or from prostate disease or STDs.
-
……………………………………………………………………………………………
-
3 fractions of canine semen
-
There are 3 parts to the male dogs semen and each part plays a role in the fertility process.
-
First fraction – once the dog starts to thrust and ejaculate he will start to pass the first fraction of the semen. This fluid is clear and runny and comes from the prostate and urethral glands. It’s secreted in order to clear out the urethra of urine, bacteria and debris. This is usually less than 5ml.
-
Second fraction – this fluid is thicker and cloudy white coloured and originated from the epididymis where the sperm are stored. This is the sperm rich substance needed to fertilise the female’s eggs. This fraction is around 0.5 to 4 ml
-
Third fraction – after a period of time the dog will ejaculate the third fraction which is clear and runny and consists of prostate fluid. In a natural mating this fluid is used to propel the sperm into the uterus and to provide nutrients for their journey. The third fraction varies in amount and can be 3 to 80 ml
-
At this point the dog may “tie” with the female.
-
…………………………………………………………………………………….
-
-
A dogs fertility system
-
Most male dogs reach puberty at around 8 months of age. This varies among breed and individual dogs. Even though some dogs may be capable for fertilising a female at this age, most will come into sexual maturity between 18 to 30 months. This is when they will have achieved their maximum fertility regarding sperm count. Many dogs would be capable of breeding every 2 to 5 days as their daily sperm output recovers so fast.
-
-
……………………………………………………………………………………….
-
Benefits of male dog fertility testing
-
The test is done with the minimum stress to your dog
-
Results can be provided in 5 to 10 minutes
-
You can be sure about the quality of the sperm for either natural or AI mating and so can avoid failed conception.
-
Regular testing of your male dog can monitor his fertility throughout his breeding career
-
The test can be used for health screening of your dogs fertility system
-
If the semen is to be chilled for long or short time, its quality can be tested before and after the chilling process to ensure its suitability to be used for AI.
Ultrasound
The ultrasound scanner projects high frequency waves through the tissues to create a live image of the structures beneath the skin. It is a harmless and pain free process and can be used in several different ways throughout your dog’s pregnancy.
Usually, it is used to determine whether your dog is pregnant or not. An ultrasound can also show whether there are puppies present, their heart beats and in some cases, a rough indication of numbers.
Post whelping, the ultrasound can be used to ensure there are no puppies left inside and that the afterbirth has been passed following each puppy.
Your dog will be allowed to relax before the scan and usually doesn’t need shaving in order to carry out the ultrasound scan.
Water based gel is applied to create a good signal and the probe is gentle pressed on your dogs lower belly and slowly moved around to show images and videos on the screen. The probe emits sound waves which bounce off the developing puppies to show real time images.
Why use the ultrasound scanner on your breeding bitch
- for early diagnosis
A dog pregnancy scan is a good tool for confirming whether your dog is pregnant or not. This confirmation enables you to prepare adequately for the arrival of puppies and ensures your dog receives the appropriate care and nutrition.
- to assess viability
Determining the viability of the fetuses' is essential for both the bitch and puppies wellbeing. Abnormalities and complications can be identified so intervention is possible. This ensures a healthy pregnancy with limited complications during whelping and that the bitch can be fed/exercised accurately
- assess number of puppies
By knowing roughly how many puppies are growing inside the bitch will help in her wellbeing. It also helps in the future puppies care and development and for finding new owners
- being able to monitor fetal development
The ultrasound scanner is safe to use to ongoing checks can be made on the growing puppies and to identify any complications
- to determine the exact gestational age of the puppies
By knowing the exact date the puppies should be born will help in forward planning for whelping and will help the process of planning the bitches care throughout
- to ensure that the bitch has passed all the afterbirth
An ultrasound scan can be used post whelping to be sure that the bitch has passed all puppies and afterbirth. If she has retained anything after the whelping this can prove fatal to her and the litter.
Microchipping
The law states that all dogs must be microchipped and registered with an approved database by the age of 8 weeks. cats should be microchipped and registered with an approved database by the age of 20 weeks. As an owner you could be fined £500 for having a dog that is not chipped.
Dog breeders must microchip all of the puppies, including ones they keep, before sale and before 8 weeks.
Kate can cater to your microchip needs and can usually come to you so your litter doesn't have to be stressed by transporting them to the clinic.
Kate can also assist in some whelplings, give advice of fertility and pregnancy supplements and advice on litter growth and development. As well as providing and suggesting post whelping exercise for your bitch to help tone her up she she can return to work/sport again sooner.
Please ask about home visits for ultrasound and fertility testing
