How common are split heats?

Re: How common are split heats?

Rob Smith — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:41:28 GMT

"Local" treatment reminds me of a joke I heard recently. A chap goes to the doctor after his constipation is no better after a month. The Dr asks "have you been taking your suppositories properly?" "What do you think I've been doing with them Dr?" asks the man. "Sticking them up my arse?".

Re: How common are split heats?

sophia guymer — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:18:30 GMT

[quote user="Martin Jones"]bitch does bleed quite heavily, so if things do progress then I'd be inclined to spay [/quote]

My boss has a bitch which used to belong to clients, she started bleeding rather heavily at about 4 montsh (so quite diff to yours there but thought just mention it), didn't stop. Was spayed because of it, didn't help!!

Swab taken showed heavy infection ( can't remember with what, oops), was treated locally and within few days cleared up!

Boss took on the dog as o couldn't afford the treatment and diagnostics.

Just to throw in that it is not necessarily straight forward season?

Re: How common are split heats?

Martin Atkinson — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 08:55:29 GMT

Have you looked at the recent thread: 'prolonged heat in young bitch'?. May be some ideas there.

Re: How common are split heats?

Martin Jones — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 08:03:30 GMT

Many thanks to all. Yes, she definitely was in season last time - some idiot vet (me) checked her over and confirmed it.

I suppose 1.2% would account for the fact that this particular issue isn't cramming the waiting room, but I would wonder if it's lower still. About 1 in 80 chance, say two seasons a year - each entire bitch would present with one every 40 years. Hmmm. In a place like rural Cornwall, where spaying uptake may be slightly below average, plus all those first seasons, I'd still expect to see a few each year. Also, not the usual flood of 'oh, we get ten of those a day / week / month'.

Having been a cattle vet in the past, I'd fully expect a cyst somewhere, with a small possibility of GCT. The bitch does bleed quite heavily, so if things do progress then I'd be inclined to spay - funds are unlikely to extend to a unilateral ovariectomy followed by routine spay during interoestrus. You know these CKCSs - if anything's going to get an oestrogen-related anaemia, it'll be these.

Anybody else?

Martin

Re: How common are split heats?

Gillian Mostyn — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:59:55 GMT

I've seen a few incidences of the first two seasons in dogs being very close - I've always told owners that puppies can just take a couple of seasons to develop a normal pattern.

Re: How common are split heats?

Alex Allen — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:36:16 GMT

Due to our repro product range split oestrus issues crop up occasionally especially when calculations of parturition go awry.

Typically the owner reports the bitch being in season approx 4wks earlier and now she is back in oestrus or the pregnancy is longer than expected. Figures quoted are 1.2% of oestrus cycles and may be a mix of insufficient luteal phases and true anovulatory cycles. The second oestrus is usually ovulatory (monitor progesterone) and successful matings should result providing normal pathology is present etc.

As stated before - check ovaries for cysts especially if any drugs used previously to try and suppress or induce seasons. Also monitoring progesterone will indicate whether a ovulation has occured and hence whether a corpus luteum exists. Progesterone tests are widely available and inexpensive (and yes Virbac does one! - Speed Ovulation, others are available...)

Meyers-Wallen's review article in Theriogenology 68 (2007) pages 1205 1210 are worth a read if you are getting into the reproduction circles.

If in doubt and the bitch is worth a bob or two - REFER!!

PS - a word of warning women can also experience split oestrus (2wks between oestrus) - hence dating scans can be 2wks out and the rhythm method is not without consequences....reflex ovulation has not been proved in women though.

Alex - Tech vet, Virbac.

Re: How common are split heats?

Vikki Halliday LLB — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:10:23 GMT

How sure is she that it was in season last time?

I have seen a terrier that came in season every 3 months and when we neutered her she had cystic ovaries, so not surprosed by any irregular patterns if these are present.