This section is on canine reproduction. These are all questions that have been submitted or that I have been inspired to talk about because of a question submitted. If you have any topics that you would like to have discussed please feel free to email me with the topic or question.
GENERAL
Brucellosis is a disease caused by the infection of Brucella canis in dogs. The Brucella organism is a unique type of bacteria that prefers to live and replicate inside of cells. It also has a special affinity for a chemical only made by cells of the reproductive tract. Thus, Brucellosis affects the reproductive tract of the dog and bitch. In the dog it causes a decrease in libido, a orchitis (inflammation of the testicle), and decreased sperm production. In the bitch, it causes infertility, abortions, or weak, dying puppies. The organism is known to be passed through sexual contact and contact with aborted fetal material from an infected bitch. A significant amount of research suggests that it also can be transmitted in the urine. Transmission can also occur from the bitch to any surviving puppies. It is essential for dogs and bitches that are to be bred to be tested for Brucella prior to copulation. Treatment is very difficult and usually not effective since the organism lives inside of the animal's cells. Oftentimes, infections seem to resolve only to recurr at a later date. Thus, once an animal becomes infected it is best to NEVER breed that animal again.
Important new information: Until just recently it has been unproven that humans can be infected with the Brucella canis organism that infects dogs. It is now known that humans can be infected with this organism that is transmitted in bodily secretions (saliva, urine, etc) of infected dogs. Symptoms include general malaise (feel bad), flu-like signs, high fever, abortions in women, and orchitis (inflammation of the testicles) in men. It is strongly recommended that anyone with a Brucella positive dog either have it euthanized OR maintain it in strict isolation from other people and dogs and only contact it using proper safety precautions like gloves, washing hands, etc. Children, the elderly, and other immunosuppressed persons should not come into contact with the dog. Also, the Brucella organism has been shown to be responsible for eye disease and spinal cord disease in dogs infected with the organism. Traditional belief held that the Brucella canis organism was specific to dogs (ie, would not infect humans) and that aside from reproductive problems caused no other significant disease. Several recent studies have disproven both of these beliefs. Please do realize that since this is such a significant disease that impacts human health as well as canine health if your dog should test positive, please retest and confirm this and then act accordingly.
FEMALE
The "book normal" says that bitches are in heat for three weeks. Ten days of pre-heat in which she will attract and flirt with the males but not allow them to breed her. Six to seven days of actual heat in which she will allow males to breed her. And four to fives days of post-heat in which males will still be attracted but she is not interested in flirting or breeding. Do realize that not all bitches read the textbook. Some are in for two weeks some for four weeks and when they will breed varies tremendously. If you have an intact bitch (that is, not spayed) and you plan to breed her once you have all her health clearances, you need to keep her confined inside or in a six sided strongly fenced kennel for a minimum of three weeks. If you don't plan to breed her, please seriously consider having her spayed. Not only will spaying reduce your worry about heats, it will also reduce her risk of mammary, uterine, and ovarian cancer.
Pros: Cons --> I know of no increased risk of cancer from spaying nor does estrogen in bitches seem to have the same protective properties that it does in women. So, spaying does not create "menopause" like conditions and risks in bitches.
A bitch should not be bred until two years of age because that is the earliest that OFA will do diagnostic X-rays. You can use other organizations like PennHip which do diagnostic X-rays as early as 6 months and, in that case, I would wait until the bitch is 18 months old to insure she has matured physically. Breeding earlier than that can cause detrimental effects to her growth and development. How often you breed is a matter of personal preference. I do not think that is is good for the bitch to be bred at every heat especially if she comes in once every 6 to 9 months. She occasionally needs a break to recuperate and replenish her body. Also, a pregnant bitch will be unavailable for several weeks for whatever competitions she is engaged in (show, obedience, tracking, field trials, etc) so that must be taken into consideration -- ie, how much time can she afford to miss or are you willing to allow her to miss from competing. Finally, once bitches reach a certain age they need to be spayed and allowed to enjoy the last years of their lives. This age varies with breed but as a rule smaller dogs about 12 years, medium dogs about 10 years, and large/giant dogs around 8 years. Bearing puppies and nursing them after these ages puts increasingly high levels of stress on the bitch and may compromise her health. My recommendation is to wait until 2 years (if OFA) or 18 months (if PennHip) to begin, breed every other cycle (or once a year), and stop once the bitch has reached a certain age. This is the maximum a bitch needs to be bred. Before breeding her this much, you need to assess whether that many puppies need to be brought into the world by your bitch. Millions of dogs are put to sleep because they are unwanted. Breeding is not something to be undertaken lightly or with the dreams of a fast buck. You are bringing living, feeling animal into the world who will need loving, caring families. This is a huge responsibility. Breeders should make sure that their breedings will result in offspring that will improve the breed as a whole and that will have homes to go to.
The age that a female dog experiences her first heat cycle ranges from 4 months to 24 months. As a rule the larger the dog the later the first heat cycle will be. There is some familial influence upon the age of the first heat cycle -- so checking mother and older sisters will give an idea of when to expect the first heat cycle in a given female dog
When a female dog (or cat) is spayed a stump of her uterus is left. This stump can become infected. The vast majority of time when this occurs a remnant of the ovary was left when she was spayed. Signs of this condition include a vaginal discharge, straining to urinate, fever, lethargy, and drinking lots of water. The only way to permanently correct this condition is to remove both the stump and the ovarian remnant via surgery. Although not typical, this is not a unusual occurence.
MALE
Pros: Cons --> Vasectomies are becoming increasingly available so for those people wanting the effects of testosterone can have that without the risk of unwanted puppies.
The testicles in dogs develop inside the body and descend out of the body soon after birth. Normally, you should be able to feel the testicles by six to eight weeks of age. If it takes longer than that for the testicles to descend, you might want to think seriously about not breeding that male as late descension and retention often go together. If the testicles fail to descend at all (either one or both), then the dog is monorchid (one testicle) or cryptorchid (no testicles). These dogs under no circumstances should be bred since the condition is hereditary. It is imperative to remove the retained testicles since they have a very high risk of developing cancers particularly Sertoli cell tumors.
K9reproThe longer growth period is more pronounced in early castrations than in early spaying. And all that it really means is that you have a talle, leggier, leaner dog than you would have had if you had waited until after sexual maturity to spay/castrate. For example, my Akita male was castrated at 5 months and he is very tall, lean, and leggy. He stands about 30 inches but only weighs about 105 lbs. He probably would have been a inch or so shorter and stockier if I had waited to have him castrated. But usually this effect is much, much less pronounced in the females and in a pet quality dog really makes no difference (ie no showing or breed standard to worry about). I would venture to say that there is very little difference between females spayed prior to their first heat and those spayed after the first heat as far as height is concerned. And given the benefits of virtually eliminating the risk of mammary cancer I would certainly recommend spaying prior to the first heat (6-8 months usually). The ONLY time I would recommend waiting to spay is if the puppy has chronic vaginitis or urinary tract infections. Going through a heat seems to clear these conditions up while not going through a heat makes these a lifelong problem. But this situation is very uncommon so I would say that across the board spaying prior to the first heat is best.
It always helps to understand the question before you answer it :-)!!
Thanks for the info but what I really wanted to know is real early spay. Say 10 wks or so. I'v e been doing some reading about it and I'm favoring the idea. Thought I would find out from you your thoughts on the subjuct and how to find someone who does this regularly.
In all the studies that I have read there are no negative side effects associated with spaying that early that are not present with spaying at 6-8 months. The anesthesia protocol is different and there are some special considerations that have to be made for a 10 week old versus a 6-8 months old puppy but otherwise the procedure and risks are the same. The best way to find a vet that is used to spaying young pups is to contact the local humane society and see if they spay very early and, if so, do they use a particular vet. Otherwise I would just call the local vets and see if they do early spays. As far as my personal opinion, very early spays have their place and do a lot of good especially in humane societies. I still prefer to wait until 6-8 months to spay but that is strictly a personal preference not one based in any risks associated more with the early spay.
I have researched and answered these questions to the best of my ability. But I am human and make mistakes. If there is any part of my answer that you feel is incorrect, please let me know. The last thing I want is to disseminate false or incorrect information.
