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- Appearance of a vaginal discharge
- There will be red tinge accompanying the discharge, which originates in the uterus
- Signs of vulvar swelling
- Changes in behavior such as submissiveness, but also playfulness
- Your dog may hold her tail to one side and position herself in front of a male dog
- Vaginoscopy - The walls of the vagina are examined for mucous appearance, which can indicate readiness for breeding. Female dogs in the ovulation cycle will usually stand calmly for the procedure if approached and treated in a gentle, quiet manner. Hormonal changes in the vagina can range from being more dry to a more moist, pink mucosa.
- Vaginal Cytology - Regular smears are taken to look for structural changes in the cells. As estrogen levels rise, the cells flatten and appear sharper. This is usually an easy test to perform and is not expensive; it is often performed every other day until the cornification step is reached.
- LH (Luteinizing Hormone) testing - Blood is drawn daily (after the dog is 60% verified cornified by cytology) to confirm the presence of LH. Luteinizing hormone causes ovulation, and though this method of breeding timing can be time-consuming and relatively costly, the test performs well in accuracy.
- Blood progesterone levels - This method can provide a quick estimate of progesterone levels. The baseline levels will increase prior to the luteinizing hormone surge. An indication of a rise in progesterone means the fertile period is approaching. This test performs well, but successful results will depend on the time between test intervals.
- The male dog you have chosen as the breeding partner is not nearby
- The male dog has low fertility
- Your female dog has an abnormal heat cycle
- Previous attempts at breeding have failed because of improper timing
- You are using frozen or chilled semen; fresh semen lives much longer so timing is optimum if you are using frozen or chilled
- Proestrus - This is the period where you and the veterinarian will do the observation and determination of readiness for breeding. There is a rise in estrogen and the vaginal discharge tinged with blood will appear. Your dog will not be interested in breeding yet. The veterinarian may use a combination of breeding timing methods now, such as the vaginoscopy or the LH hormone analysis. Sometimes an ultrasound is included to look at the ovaries.
- Estrus - The LH surge occurs now, and the maturation of cells in the ovary takes place. Your dog will be receptive to breeding. Breeding timing methods will show continuing stages of readiness, such as the vaginoscopy that will reveal that the cells are cornified.
- Diestrus - The LH surge has passed, and your dog will no longer be interested in breeding with the male counterpart. The discharge diminishes and if conception occurred you now have a mother in the gestational stage.
- Anestrus - This is the stage between diestrus and the next proestrus period.
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