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Infertility, Female Dog 539

○ Urge incontinence/detrusor hyperspastic- Endoscopy: • Treatment is generally successful for USMI,
ity: associated with lower urinary tract • Direct visualization of ectopic ureters and although dosage adjustment is often required
VetBooks.ir ○ Anatomic abnormalities: ectopic ureter(s), • Correction of anatomic defects • Although not an inherently life-threatening Diseases and Disorders
and UTI must be identified and treated.
other anatomic defects
signs
• If indicated, biopsy vaginal vault and mucosa
vaginal stricture or diverticulum, patent
disorder, urinary incontinence may lead to
urachus, others
of urethra and bladder
• Urethral pressure profile: rarely necessary euthanasia in refractory cases.
Initial Database PEARLS & CONSIDERATIONS
Neurologic exam (p. 1136) TREATMENT
• UMN: firm, difficult to express bladder Comments
• LMN: flaccid, easily expressed bladder; Treatment Overview • Combination therapy of alpha-agonists
decreased/absent anal tone, bulbospongiosus Goals of treatment are to correct anatomic and reproductive hormones is synergistic
reflex, perineal sensation defects, treat secondary conditions, and palliate for treatment of USMI.
• Pain on tail lift: associated with lumbosacral incontinence. Some dogs may respond better • Carefully question owner about thirst and
disease to one medication than another; if there is no urination. Polyuria may unmask USMI
• Pain on spinal palpation; ataxia, proprio- response to a medication, review the diagnosis, or a neurologic incontinence in an older
ceptive deficits: associated with structural and if unchanged, consider adding a second patient.
or inflammatory spinal cord disease or medication, changing to a medication in • Carefully question owner that complains that
orthopedic spinal disease another class of action and/or pursuing further a puppy is hard to housetrain. Incontinence
Laboratory tests: diagnostic testing. may not be recognized in a juvenile patient.
• Urinalysis
○ Cystocentesis preferred Acute and Chronic Treatment Technician Tips
○ Pyuria suggests inflammation (with or When an underlying disorder is present (e.g., The signalment and an accurate history can
without infection), leading to increased urinary tract infection (UTI), prostatic disease, narrow the differential list quickly. Congenital
urge urethral neoplasia), treatment is directed at this defects are present from a young age; USMI
○ Hematuria suggests inflammation or primary cause. occurs in adult, spayed females; and neurologic
neoplasia • Surgical correction: ectopic ureter(s) (p. patients often have a history of trauma or other
• Urine culture and susceptibility: rule out 282), penile/preputial/vulvar/vaginal con- neurologic signs.
bacterial infection (primary or secondary) formational abnormalities, patent urachus,
• CBC/serum biochemistry panel: no specific certain spinal disorders SUGGESTED READING
changes expected • Medication: UTI (p. 232), USMI (p. 1011), Lane IF: Canine urinary incontinence (diagnostic
• Retroviral testing: feline leukemia has been urethral-detrusor dyssynergia, certain spinal tree). Clinician’s Brief 11:18-19, 2013.
associated with urinary incontinence disorders
• Multimodal treatment: neoplasia (e.g., tran- AUTHOR: Claire M. Weigand, DVM, DACVIM
Advanced or Confirmatory Testing sitional cell carcinoma [p. 991], leiomyoma EDITOR: Leah A. Cohn, DVM, PhD, DACVIM
Diagnostic imaging: or leiomyosarcoma of the vaginal vault)
• Abdominal radiographs/ultrasound: structural
lesions PROGNOSIS & OUTCOME
• Cystourethrography/vaginography: radiolu-
cent defects • Outcome for dogs and cats with correctable
• Spinal radiography/myelogram/CT/MRI: structural abnormalities is good to excellent.
spinal cord lesions

Infertility, Female Dog

BASIC INFORMATION GENETICS, BREED PREDISPOSITION • Previous hormone therapy, abnormal
• More prevalent in inbred families of purebred hormone concentrations, and uterine disease
Definition dogs also increase the risk of infertility.
Includes failure to cycle, failure to ovulate, • Anecdotal information indicates that some • Anestrus, silent heat, persistent estrus,
failure to accept the male, failure to become breeds of dogs have poor fertility (e.g., irregular estrus, abnormal sexual behavior,
pregnant, failure to maintain pregnancy, Norwich terriers, Bernese mountain dogs, uterine disease, hypoluteoidism, structural
and/or failure to deliver live puppies at and some sighthounds) abnormalities of the female reproductive
term • Some conformation traits require assistance tract, systemic illness, and inappropriate
with breeding and parturition (e.g., bulldogs). nutrition (excessive or inadequate caloric
Synonyms intake, raw diets contaminated with Sal-
Infecundity, sterility, persistent anestrus RISK FACTORS monella spp and/or Escherichia coli) may
• Advancing age can decrease fertility. Peak predispose to infertility.
Epidemiology fertility is 2-4 years of age.
SPECIES, AGE, SEX • Poor or incomplete breeding management CONTAGION AND ZOONOSIS
Canine, any time after puberty (≥6 months), is responsible for most apparent infertility Several bacterial and viral agents contributing to
female in the bitch. infertility are contagious. They can be spread by

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