Review article

Pharmacological methods for induction of abortion in bitches

Branimira Špoljarić ; Veterinarski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Hrvatska
Davor Svoboda ; Uprava za veterinarstvo Ministarstva poljoprivrede, Hrvatska
Silvijo Vince orcid.org/0000-0002-1883-3225 ; Veterinarski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Hrvatska
Juraj Grizelj ; Veterinarski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Hrvatska
Daniel Špoljarić ; Veterinarski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Hrvatska
Ivana Stolić ; Veterinarski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Hrvatska
Maja Popović ; Veterinarski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Hrvatska
Ivan Folnožić orcid.org/0000-0002-8988-0862 ; Veterinarski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Hrvatska
Tomislav Dobranić ; Veterinarski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Hrvatska
Koraljka Gracin ; Veterinarska ambulanta Lunimir Vet, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Darko Gereš ; Veterinarski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Hrvatska
Marko Samardžija orcid.org/0000-0003-0402-3173 ; Veterinarski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Hrvatska

Abstract

Termination of unwanted pregnancy is a common requirement in veterinary small practice due to a series of health and breeding management reasons. In order to control the population of dogs, surgical sterilization is recommended, which in breeding bitches is not acceptable due to the irreversibility of the procedure. Today, pharmacological methods that can be used to induce abortion in the bitch are numerous, depending on the stage of pregnancy. In the first trimester, pregnancy cannot be diagnosed with certainty, and the CL is refractory to exogenous administration of luteolytic agents. It is possible to use estrogens, prostaglandins and progesterone inhibitors. However, due to the impossibility of accurate diagnosis, non-pregnant bitches are treated also, and most preparations have severe side effects, or are not available on the market. In the second trimester, 100% accurate diagnosis is possible and abortion induction is feasible, either by fetal resorption or expulsion, and there is enough time to repeat the treatment, if necessary in case of a failure. Multiple preparations may be used for induction: prostaglandins, dopamine agonists, their combinations, progesterone inhibitors. In the last trimester, induction of abortion ends with the expulsion of fetuses, which, due to variations in the determination
of the pregnancy duration, may be alive. When choosing a pharmacological method for induction of abortion, treatments that begin after a definitive pregnancy diagnoses are more favorable, because of avoiding unnecessary treatment of non-pregnant bitches. Therefore, recommended period for starting the induction of abortion is between 30 to 35 days after the onset of dioestrus or from the last mating. Abortion may be caused by the use of only one preparation or a combination of two or more of them. Many of the methods have undesirable effects on the overall health of the animal and are not used (e.g. estrogen, antiestrogen); or their effect is not sufficiently explored (e.g. GnRH antagonists). Despite of good reported success in recent literature, some of the preparations are unavailable on the Croatian market (e.g. aglepriston). In healthy bitches with confirmed but undesired pregnancy, the most successful method for induction of abortion is a combination of prostaglandin F2α (natural or synthetic analogues) and dopamine agonist (bromocriptine or cabergoline), with the emphasis on regular ultrasound controls until abortion is confirmed.

Keywords

bitch, pregnancy; induction of abortion; prostaglandin; cabergoline, aglepristone; ultrasound

Hrčak ID:

223215

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/223215

Publication date:

8.12.2018.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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