To evaluate the role of preovulatory progesterone on canine sexual behavior and the course of proestrus and estrus, seven bitches in spontaneous cycles were treated with aglepristone for temporary elimination of progesterone action. Aglepristone was administered at the dose 10 mg/kg b.m., two times 24 hours apart, beginning in early proestrus when progesterone concen- tration was <0.5 ng/ml. Seven untreated bitches served as a control group. Reproductive sexual behavior (standing behavior, display vulva, tail deviation) was evaluated according to behavioral score. Cytologic, clinical and vaginoscopic examinations and progesterone measurements were used for the determination of proestrus and estrus and estimation of ovulation time.

Although, a similar pattern and magnitude of sexual behavior were observed in both groups, the duration of a total reproductive behavior was significantly extended (28.71 ± 2.06 vs 17.00 ± 2.45, p <0.05) in experimental group; similarly, the length of cytologic estrus (23.86 ± 3.02 vs 11.14 ± 2.41, p <0.05) was prolonged in treated bitches. In contrast, ovulation rate, duration of proestrus did not differ between the groups (p >0.05). We conclude, that during the canine estrus cycle the preovulatory progesterone terminates the duration of reproductive behavior and cytologic estrus.

Previous studies have compared the effectiveness of dinoprost and cloprostenol in cows yielding conflicting results. The aim of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of single treatment with cloprostenol or dinoprost on estrus and reproductive performance in cows with unobserved estrus after service. The study was conducted over four years in two dairy herds of Polish Holstein Frisian cows under a herd health program with an average milk yield per cow over 9000 L. Cows (n=523) diagnosed ultrasonographically as non-pregnant and with a corpus luteum were randomly assigned to be treated with either cloprostenol (n=261) or dinoprost (n=262). The estrus detection rates after administration of cloprostenol or dinoprost were 59.4%, and 57.6%, respectively. The difference between both groups was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Distribution of observed estrus did not differ between cloprostenol and dinoprost. There were no differences (p>0.05) between cloprostenol and dinoprost in conception rate (65.2% vs. 66.2%, respectively) and pregnancy rate (57.5% vs. 54.9%, respectively). Mean days open were similar in cows of both treatments (177.5 ± 74.6 days vs. 175.8 ± 62.6 days, respectively; p>0.05). In conclusion, data from this study showed no significant differences in estrus detection rates and fertility between cows with unobserved estrus after service treated with cloprostenol or dinoprost. Both products are equally useful for the treatment of non-pregnant dairy cows with anestrus after service within a reproductive herd health program.

There is no information available about the incidence of anestrus and its clinical forms after service in dairy cows in Poland. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of clinical forms of anoestrus after unsuccessful artificial insemination in dairy cows based on ultrasound examination. The study was carried out on 1543 Polish Holstein-Friesian cows in 8 dairy herds in north-east Poland over a three-year period. Cows were examined for pregnancy on day 35 after AI using a Honda 1500 portable ultrasound scanner equipped with a 5 MHz linear-array transducer. Cows diagnosed as pregnant were re-examined on day 45. Of the 1543 inseminated cows, 408 (26.4%) showed no estrus signs and were diagnosed not-pregnant by ultrasonography, 328 (21.3%) returned to estrus within 35 days, and 807 (52.3%) were pregnant via artificial insemination. The incidence of anestrus after service in non-pregnant cows varied among herds from 10.3% to 32.9% of cows (p<0.05). Based on ultrasound examination silent heat was diagnosed in 324 (79.4%), corpus luteum pseudograviditatis in 36 (8.8%), ovarian cysts in 26 (6.4%), and ovarian afunction in 22 (5.4%) of 408 anestrous, non-pregnant cows. The results of this study showed that the incidence of anestrus after service in dairy herds in North-East Poland was high. The most prevalent clinical form of post-service anestrus was silent heat.

Early embryonic death (EED) is one of the causes of infertility in the mare. We compared endometrial environment in 9 mares with EED and 13 mares in diestrus phase. Cotton swab (CS), cytobrush (CB) and uterine biopsy (B) samples were obtained for the cytological, bacteriological and histopathological examinations. In the first step we compared CS and CB methods to biopsy as a reference method, as B revealed the highest number of positive results in cytological and bacteriological examinations in both groups. In turn, we also compared cytological, bacteri- ological and histopathological findings between EED and control animals using the B sampling. Although the differences between these groups were not statistically significant (p≥0.05), there was a tendency to a higher prevalence of subclinical endometritis in the control group, than in the EED group (62% vs 22%). In general, positive bacteriological results were similar in both groups (62% vs 55%), whereas positive cytological results were higher in the control group (62% vs 22%; p≥0.05). In histopathological examination in EED mares endometrial degeneration was better expressed (all mares were with grades IIB and III on the Kenney-Doig scale); however, the differences between both groups were not statistically significant (p≥0.05). We could not confirm a clear difference in uterine environment between the two groups. Moreover, the uterine biopsy seemed to be the most reasonable sampling method for diagnosis of endometrial state.

The study was performed on 45 bitches in different cycle phases that were divided into the following groups: anoestrus (I, n=15), heat (pro-oestrus (n=7) or estrous (n=8) (II, n=15) and metestrus (III, n=15). Moreover, all experimental dogs were grouped according to their age: younger than 5 years (Y, n=35) and older than 5 years (O, n=10). The endometrial status was evaluated using cytological, bacteriological and biopsy samples obtained after ovariohyster- ectomy.

The main uterine pathology diagnosed by biopsy was endometritis, since 40%–66% of bitches, independent of the experimental group, developed this condition. No significant differences were found among the cycle phase groups (p>0.05). By contrast, significant differences were found in the age groups; the prevalence of this pathology was higher in older bitches (p=0.0019). The general prevalence of cystic endometrial hyperplasia (CEH) and a normal endometrium (NE) was lower (6.7–26.7% vs 26.7–53.3%) in all groups, and no statistically significant differences were found between certain groups (p>0.05). The percentage of polymorphonuclear neutrophilic leukocytes (PMNs) in endometrial cytology was generally low (< 2%) and did not differ signifi- cantly among the experimental groups (p=0.142). In general, a low degree of correlation was found between the diagnostic results by endometrial cytology and biopsy (Kappa Coeffi- cient=0.046). Positive bacteriological findings were found in approximately 50% of the bitches, independent of the cycle phase and health status of the endometrium. No correlation was found between the bacteriological and histopathological findings (p=0.883).

In conclusion, uterine cytology is not a reliable diagnostic method to detect the subclinical inflammatory and degenerative uterine pathologies in cyclic bitches.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a second prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) treatment during Ovsynch on luteal regression and fertility in dairy cows, compared with standard Ovsynch. The study was conducted on 111 Holstein Friesian multiparous cows on commercial dairy farm. The cows in the experimental group (n=48) received two treatments of PGF2α 24 hours apart during Ovsynch. The cows in the control group (n=63) were synchronized with standard Ovsynch. To assess the progesterone (P4) concentration blood samples were collected at the day of PGF2α treatment and at the 2nd GnRH treatment. Pregnancy was evaluated by ultrasound examination 37-40 days after timed artificial insemination (TAI) by ultrasound. Cows diagnosed pregnant were re-examined between days 70-80 after TAI. The percentage of cows with complete corpus luteum (CL) regression (P4<0.5 ng/ml at the time of the 2nd GnRH treatment) was 89.6 % after two PGF2α treatments and 88.9 % after one PGF2α treatment. There were no statistically significant differences (p>0.05) in the pregnancies per artificial insemination (P/AI) between the experimental and control group (P/AI). However, the pregnancy loss rate was lower in cows receiving two PGF2α treatments than in the control animals (0.0 % vs. 6.4 %; p<0.05). In conclusion, the second PGF2α treatment during Ovsynch protocol had no significant effect on CL regression and P/AI in dairy cows. The pregnancy losses until days 75-80 after TAI were significantly lower after two PGF2α treatments than after one PGF2α treatment.

A clinical trial was performed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of osaterone acetate (OSA) in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in dogs. Osaterone acetate (Ypozane, Virbac) was administered orally at a dose of 0.25 mg/kg body weight once a day for seven days to 23 dogs with BPH. During the 28-day trial, the dogs were monitored five times for their clinical signs and prostate volume. The OSA treatment promoted rapid reduction of clinical scores to 73.2% on day 7 and to 5.9% on day 28 (p<0.05). Osaterone acetate induced the complete clinical remission in approximately 83.0% of the dogs on day 28. The prostate volume regressed to 64.3% of the pretreatment volume after two weeks of the treatment (p<0.05) and to 54.7% at the end of the trial (p<0.05). In conclusion, OSA quickly reduced clinical signs and volume of the prostate glands in dogs with BPH.

The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of cystic ovarian follicles (COFs) occurring after puerperium on fertility and the effect of their treatment with progesterone releasing device on reproductive performance in dairy cows. The study was carried out in 3 herds of Polish Holstein-Friesian cows under herd health program. COFs were diagnosed by ultrasound above 60 days p.p. They were defined as follicular structures with a diameter > 2.5 cm in the absence of a corpus luteum at two repeated examinations at the 14-days interval. On the day of COF diagnosis blood samples were collected to measure progesterone (P4) concentration. On the basis of the wall thickness measurement and progesterone concentration at the first examination, the COFs were differentiated into follicular and luteal cysts. The experimental group consisted of 23 animals with COF. The cows were treated with PRID Delta (Ceva Animal Health, Poland), containing 1.55 g of progesterone, for 7 days. The cows without oestrus signs within 14 days after treatment were re-examinated. If COF persisted, the cows were treated again with PRID Delta. The treatment was repeated maximum three times. Fifteen cows with ovarian cysts were left untreated and served as a control group. The cows with COF were matched to healthy cows without COF. The cows with COF had worse fertility performances compared to cows without COF. There were significant (p<0.05) differences in conception rates, number of services per conception and days open between these groups. Compared with non-treated cows with COF, in cows with COF treated with PRID Delta conceptions rates and number of services per conception were similar, but the days open were significantly (p<0.05) lower in cows treated than in non-treated (183.3 days vs. 277.6 days). There were no differences in reproductive performances between the follicular and luteal cysts in treated and non-treated cows. In conclusion, the results of our study confirm the negative impact of COF after puerperium on fertility in dairy cows. Furthermore the results indicate the usefulness of PRID Delta for the treatment of COF occurring after the puerperium regardless of cysts type.

The aim of this study was to determine several obstetric and neonatal parameters in the Maine Coon breed. The birth data of Maine Coon breeding population were collected of 52 litters from different households using a questionnaire. Significant relationships between various outcomes and the relevant predictors were assessed by multiple linear regression or logistic regression, as appropriate. The overall mean gestation length was 65.5±1.32 days. Larger litter size was associated with shorter gestation lengths (p<0.01). Mean litter size was 5.3±2.3 kittens. The weight of kittens born alive (overall mean 119.6±18.4 g) increased with prolonged gestation lengths (p<0.01) and decreased with larger litter sizes (p<0.01). In the analyzed group of kittens, 12.5% were stillborn. The expulsion intervals varied widely. The duration of the first stage of labour was less than 2h in 82.9% of the cats. The interval between the birth of the first and the last kitten was less than 6h in 99.3% of the cats, and it exceeded 6 h in only 2 cats. The present results can be used to develop references values and reliable assistance protocol for assessing the parturition in the Maine Coon to protect the queen and reduce perinatal losses.