Assignment #3
Case studies for your review on this website: #1, #16, #17
1) REVIEW QUESTION: What hormone is necessary for pregnancy maintenance? What is the primary source of secretion of this hormone in bitches? How does this explain the use of prostaglandins for pregnancy termination in the bitch?
2) You are presented with a 3 year old intact Akita for pregnancy diagnosis. She was bred once, 29 days ago; serum progesterone concentration was 2.8 ng/ml 33 days ago. Describe two techniques you could use for pregnancy diagnosis in this bitch at this time (and by "describe" I mean tell me a little bit about them, please!).
3) Gestation length in the dog is _____ to _____ days from ovulation, and _____ to _____ days from breeding. Explain the wide range of apparent gestation lengths after a single breeding.
4) Briefly describe what a client should expect to see during a normal whelping, beginning 24 hours before the onset of stage I labor and ending with normal postpartum appearance of the bitch.
5) The owner of an 8 month old Chihuahua calls you in the wee hours of the morning. Her dog was bred by accident 66 days ago, and has been panting and frantically nesting for over 12 hours. She has passed a small amount of serosanguinous vaginal discharge within the last hour. No abdominal contractions are evident. Is this a dystocia? Why or why not?
6) You are presented with a 2 year old intact female Golden Retriever. She has had 3 puppies within the last 5 hours. It has been 2 hours since the last pup was born. The owner demands that you waste no time on diagnostic tests, but just give some oxytocin. Is oxytocin indicated in this case? Describe two diagnostic tests you might want to run before giving oxytocin.
7) REVIEW QUESTION: Describe the canine placenta in terms of layers, shape, and invasiveness. Explain significance of green vulvar discharge during whelping. What is lochia and from where does it arise?