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Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

DOI

10.3906/vet-1505-12

Abstract

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the effects of breed, parity, and season on the reproductive parameters in bitches reared under a temperate climate. Breeding and pregnancy statuses, proestrus, estrus, and pregnancy durations, litter size, and cycle interval were recorded from German shepherds (GS, n = 34), Labrador retrievers (LA, n = 23), Belgian Malinois dogs (BM, n = 13), and Pointers (PO, n = 9) up to 10th parities. The mean age at first breeding (464.8 ± 26.2 days, mean ± SD) and the pregnancy rate (74.6%) were not different among breeds. The pregnancy duration was shortened as the number of puppies born increased in each whelping (P < 0.008). The cycle interval varied by breed (208.2, 215.1, 208.6, and 237.0 days for GS, LA, BM, and PO, respectively, P < 0.01) and decreased linearly from 241.1 to 202.0 days as parity increased from 1 to 10 (P < 0.04). The season did not affect the cycle interval, proestrus, and estrus length (P > 0.05). Reproductive parameters varied among the GS, LA, BM, and PO bitches reared in Turkey. The effect of seasonal variation was negligible.

Keywords

Bitches, litter size, estrus cycle, pregnancy duration, season

First Page

543

Last Page

549

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