Canine Reproduction

Canine Reproduction, Neonatology and Puppy Care

With over 70 years of combined experience, the reproductive veterinarians at Meadowlands Veterinary Hospital provide routine and state-of-the-art services to assist you in achieving the goals of your breeding program.  Available services begin with pre-breeding evaluations and care; span breeding, pregnancy diagnosis, and delivery; and extend to ensuring that puppies have the healthiest starts in life.    

Pre-breeding evaluations and consultations

• General health examination, screening for known and potentially heritable conditions, and preventive medicine for animals being considered for breeding
• Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) evaluations and testing
  • Radiograph acquisition and submission for evaluation of hips and elbows as well as Legg-Calve-Perth syndrome
  • Examination for and grading of patellar luxation
  • Basic cardiac evaluation (auscultation)
  • Acquisition and submission of blood samples for thyroid function testing
  • Other breed-specific screening tests, e.g., skin biopsy for sebaceous adenitis evaluation
• Testing for brucellosis with same-day results
• Genetic counseling

Routine breeding management of the female

• Initial breeding consultation including evaluation of vaginal cytology, examination for presence of caudal reproductive tract abnormalities, and progesterone measurement for estrous cycle staging
• In-house progesterone measurement with same-day results to confirm dates of the LH surge and ovulation to establish the most fertile window for breeding
• Artificial insemination (AI) using fresh extended, chilled and frozen-thawed semen
  • Vaginal insemination using the MAVICatheter
  • Trans-cervical endoscopic-guided insemination (TCI)
  • Surgical insemination

Routine breeding management of the stud dog

• Breeding soundness evaluation including semen collection and evaluation using computer-assisted semen analyzer
• Semen collection, evaluation and processing
  • Fresh extended semen for “side-by-side” breeding
  • Chilled semen for shipment
• Semen collection, evaluation and processing for cryopreservation (freezing)
• Post-castration and post-mortem sperm harvesting for freezing
• Frozen semen storage

Pregnancy diagnosis

• Trans-abdominal ultrasonography beginning approximately 25 days after breeding to confirm pregnancy and estimate litter size
• Gestational staging by ultrasonography
• Evaluation of embryonic/fetal loss by ultrasonography
• Radiographic determination of litter size 7-10 days prior to expected whelping date

Management of high-risk pregnancy

• In-house progesterone concentration monitoring
• Progesterone supplementation
• Ultrasonographic fetal well-being monitoring

Evaluation of subfertility and infertility in the male and female

• Systematic evaluation of failure to become pregnant including infectious disease testing
• Diagnosis, evaluation and medical management of pyometra (uterine infection)
• Diagnosis and treatment of infections of the male reproductive system including orchitis (testes) and prostatitis

Elective Caesarean section

***Please note that this service is provided only to established patients with which we worked at the time of breeding and for which progesterone testing was performed at our clinic to estimate a due date.  Ultrasonographic confirmation of pregnancy 25-30 days after breeding is required.  In order to optimize puppy maturity and survival, the timing of all elective Caesarean sections is confirmed through “reverse” progesterone testing performed at our clinic.

Whelping consultation and emergency Caesarean section

***Please note that this service is provided only to established patients with which we worked at the time of breeding and for which progesterone testing was performed at our clinic to estimate a due date.  Ultrasonographic confirmation of pregnancy 25-30 days after breeding and radiographic determination of litter size during the final 7-10 days of gestation are required.

Neonatology

• Diagnostic evaluations of neonatal loss
• Evaluation of congenital abnormalities

Puppy evaluation and care

• Examination and health certification at 7-8 weeks of age
• Fecal evaluation and assistance with parasite control protocols
• Puppy series vaccinations at 8, 12, and 16 weeks of age
• Microchip placement
• BAER (hearing) testing

If you would like to learn more about the canine reproductive services that we offer, please contact us at (724) 745-7767.