Fertility management keeps dogs at work
by Ruth Gamble,
KONDININ GROUP
areful control of dog fertility will reduce
the chance of unwanted births and ensure
animals are kept in optimum condition.
Fertility management is essential to avoid
accidental joinings, which are a common
occurrence on farms due to the large numbers
of working dogs that are not desexed. Every
year in Australia many thousands of unwanted
pups are born and destroyed, with many of
these births unreported.
If desexing a dog is not desirable, there are
other temporary or permanent methods for
controlling dog fertility.
Permanent control methods ensure the dog
or bitch will always be ready for work.
Temporary control will prevent the bitch
coming on heat, maximising time spent at
work and reducing the risk of unwanted
pregnancies. The owner will still have the
option of using the bitch for breeding at other
times.
The oestrus cycle
A bitch will start cycling (oestrus) from 6-12
months of age. The cycle will last about 21
days, with the bitch most likely to conceive
from days 10-16.
A bitch on heat will display vulval swelling
and an opaque discharge that will become red.
From days 10-16 the discharge will become
clear and watery. A bitch fussy about
cleanliness may not display a discharge at any
time during oestrus. Oestrus may also be
detected through the interest of male dogs.
Some bitches close to puberty will exhibit a
at a
GLANCE
• While spaying a bitch is the most
effective method of fertility
control, the contraceptive pill,
Covinan injection and exclusion are
other options if the bitch is
needed for breeding.
• Spaying a bitch carries additional
health benefits such as the
prevention of incontinence,
mammary tumours and
pyometritis.
Catriona Nicholls
C
Pregnancy and the raising of pups can lead to loss of condition and poor working performance in the
bitch. If the bitch is not used for breeding purposes, consider spaying as a permanent method of
fertility control.
‘false heat’, and will come into a normal
oestrus at a later date. After the initial oestrus
cycle the bitch will cycle on average every
seven months. This period will vary with the
breed of the dog. Options for controlling the
fertility of a bitch include spaying, a
contraceptive pill, an injection and exclusion.
The fertility of a male dog can be controlled by
desexing.
Spaying the bitch
The most common surgical method for
spaying (desexing) the bitch is an
ovariohysterectomy, which is available from
any veterinarian and costs $110-130. Bitches
are best spayed when aged three to six months
of age and recovery time is one to two weeks.
Do not get a bitch spayed during oestrus, as
the operation is difficult to carry out. There
may also be an additional charge.
Table 1 Fertility control methods
Sex of dog
Method
Cost per
application
Number of
applications per year
Comments
Female
Spaying
$110-130
Once only cost
Avoid during
oestrus
Spaying while
pregnant
$120-150
Once only cost
Avoid
Pill
$38-40
Up to four
Causes irregular
cycle in bitch
Injection
$40-50
Varies depending
on use
Not recommended for
use more than once for
breeding bitch
Castration
$95-98
Once only cost
Dangerous to carry out
on-farm
• Castrating dogs prevents testicular
cancer and prostrate problems.
Dogs will also be less aggressive
and less inclined to wander.
• Weight gain associated with
desexing can be managed by
monitoring diet carefully.
FARMING AHEAD No. 88 - April 1999
Spaying is by far the most beneficial method
for controlling fertility in the bitch, as it is
permanent and prevents many potential
health problems if it is carried out before six
months of age.
Spaying will control pseudo, or phantom
pregnancies, and is useful when bitches need
to be treated for diabetes and epilepsy, as
oestrus interferes with medications taken for
these disorders.
Spaying can produce incontinence,
mammary tumours and the disease
pyometritis. The symptoms of pyometritis are
abnormal vaginal discharge, anorexia, poor
health, thirst and perhaps vomiting. If
untreated, the disease will lead to illness and
death.
After the bitch has been spayed she will no
longer display mating behaviour and cease to
Male
Source: Kondinin Group
77
LIVESTOCK
Working
dogs
Health
LIVESTOCK
Health...
roam. Weight gains of 26-38 per cent can be
expected after spaying. Weight gain is less
likely to occur in working dogs. Any weight
gain can be controlled by monitoring diet.
The contraceptive pill
The pill is a temporary method of delaying
oestrus. At the onset of oestrus the bitch is
administered orally a series of two pills each
day for 16 days. There is a charge of $16 for
the prescription, and each tablet is about
$1.20. The pill is available from most vets.
The contraceptive pill delays the onset of
oestrus for about three months. On the return
of the regular oestrus cycle the bitch may be
used for breeding or another series of pills Exclusion of the dog or bitch during the bitch’s
may be administered.
oestrus cycle is only effective if owners are aware
The major drawback of the pill is the of the onset of heat in the bitch.
unpredictable timing of the following oestrus.
Covinan injection
Covinan is an injection which gives
temporary or permanent control of oestrus. It
is available from some vets, and will cost about
$40-50 per injection. This treatment is not
recommended for use before or during the
bitch’s first oestrus.
For permanent control of oestrus, Covinan is
administered in the month before the onset of
heat with follow up injections three months
later, then four months later, and then at five
month intervals. The bitch will become sterile
with continued use.
Sterility of the bitch through Covinan does
not reduce the risk of mammary tumours or
pyometritis. The bitch may gain weight
temporarily.
It is recommended that Covinan be used
only once for temporary control of oestrus, as
continued use will lead to sterility. For
temporary control, an injection is
administered at the onset of heat, which will
delay oestrus from 9-12 months.
Exclusion
To prevent the bitch becoming pregnant, she
can be confined for the period of oestrus. But
this method is only effective if the owner is
aware of the onset of heat in the bitch. The
bitch should be confined during the period in
which she is receptive to males. Owners
unfamiliar with the animal’s cycle should only
confine the bitch for the full 21 days of her
cycle, as the most likely period of conception
will vary among individual animals.
Castrating the dog
A male dog will reach sexual maturity
between 6-12 months of age.
Castration is recommended before puberty,
as after puberty the dog will develop
undesirable behavioural traits which
castration will not remove.
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Ensure castration is carried out by a vet.
The castration operation will cost $170–190.
Desexing the dog will prevent testicular cancer
and prostate problems. The dog will also
wander less, be less aggressive, and there will
be a lower instance of urination to mark
territory.
A castrated dog is more likely to put on
weight but as for the bitch, weight gain is less
likely to occur in a working dog and can be
controlled by diet.
Accidental joining
When accidental joining is witnessed, it is
important that the dog and the bitch are not
pulled apart. When the dog and the bitch join
the vulva closes around the penis preventing
the escape of seminal fluids. The penis swells
and can take from 15-25 minutes to reduce to
its normal size after copulation.
Pulling the pair apart will cause pain to the
dog, and may cause serious injury. Throwing a
bucket of water over the dog may have the
same consequences.
If the bitch becomes pregnant, having her
spayed during early pregnancy can abort the
pups. This will cost from $200. Abortion by
any other method other than spaying is not
recommended and is not commonly practised
as there is no safe way to carry out the
operation.
If it is decided the bitch is required for
breeding in the future, then a litter of
unwanted puppies will be born. Pups can be
put down at or soon after birth with no
evidence of physical effect to the bitch but
ideally the bitch should not be placed in this
situation where emotional stress often occurs.
Breeding misconceptions
If a bitch becomes pregnant in her first
cycle, there is no evidence to suggest she will
come on heat every three months rather than
every six months.
This theory probably arose because after
pregnancy there is a shorter period than
normal before the onset of the next oestrus
cycle, and a bitch that becomes pregnant in
her first cycle tends to become pregnant every
time she comes on heat. Thus the shorter
interval between cycles.
There is no reason to let a bitch have one
litter of pups before being desexed. Desexing
a bitch early can avoid problems in births that
occur when the bitch is too young such as
difficult births.
Supervision and care
Unwanted pregnancies in farm dogs can be
avoided through vigilant care by owners.
Tie up dogs and bitches when they are not
under supervision, especially at night.
If a dog is not to be used for breeding,
desexing is the best option, as it will have little
effect on the dog’s working ability.
Desexing is also recommended due to the
number of diseases which can be controlled or
prevented.
FARMING AHEAD No. 88 - April 1999