Induction of parturition

• Practitioners are occasionally asked to induce whelping in bitches:
  • Induction of parturition in bitches should not be attempted only for convenience.
  • Pregnancy toxemia is one example of medical conditions that compromise maternal health; affected bitches will benefit from termination of pregnancy via induction of parturition Pregnancy termination.
• Although this is a common technique in farm animals, it is not practiced in companion animals for two reasons:
  • The endocrinology of whelping is poorly understood and very few protocols have been shown to be safe and efficacious.
  • Puppies from induced parturition may be at risk of developing neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (former hyaline membrane disease) and thus, resulting in increased incidence of neonatal death.
• Drugs and protocols used to electively terminate pregnancy in dogs may be used to induce parturition but not all are safe in preserving neonatal viability.

Methodology

Further Reading

Publications

Refereed papers

• Recent references from PubMed and VetMedResource.
• Fieni F & Gogny A (2009) Clinical evaluation of the use of aglepristone associated with oxytocin to induce parturition in bitch. Reprod Domest Anim 44 (Suppl 2), 167-169 PubMed.
• Fontbonne A, Fontaine E, Lévy X et al (2009) Induction of parturition with aglepristone in various sized bitches of different breeds. Reprod Domest Anim 44 (Suppl 2), 170-173 PubMed.
• Baan M, Taverne M A, Kooistra H S et al (2005) Induction of parturition in the bitch with the progesterone-receptor blocker aglépristone. Theriogenology 63 (7), 1958-1972 PubMed.