Pregnancy Diagnosis in Dogs
by PetXpert
Note: This was originally submitted as a comment to the post Canine Pregnancy Guide
Although abdominal palpation is the most subjective method of pregnancy diagnosis, it is a reliable method for those skilled in palpation. The ease with which the abdomen can be accurately palpated is influenced by such factors as the amount of body fat, the body conformation, and the temperament of the animal, whereas these factors have little influence on the accuracy of other methods of pregnancy diagnosis. However, uterine enlargement caused by pregnancy cannot be accurately differentiated from uterine enlargement caused by some other process, such as pyometra, based on abdominal palpation findings alone.
In Beagle bitches, uterine swellings that represent uterine edema, embryonic membranes, and early placental development are about 1 cm in diameter at 20 days after breeding. By 30 days after breeding the uterine swellings are about 3 cm in diameter. By 35 days, the gestational sacs are becoming elongated and the uterus is more diffusely enlarged, making it more difficult to detect pregnancy by palpation at that time.
Real-time ultrasonography is an excellent method of pregnancy detection in bitches and queens. It is usually necessary to shave the abdominal hair to obtain good image quality. Scanning is easy to perform and requires minimal animal restraint. Pregnancy can be diagnosed if the gestational sac or fetal structures are identified. The gestational sac appears as a spheric, anechoic structure, surrounded by a hyperechoic wall comprised of the uterus and placenta. Hyperechoic fetal structures are seen within the getational sac. Although it has been reported that the gestational sac can be identified as early as 10 days after the last breeding in the bitch, pregnancy is not reliably detected until 24 to 28 days after breeding in bitches.
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