International breeder inquiry into the reproduction of the English bulldog

Dystocia may occur in all dog breeds, but the English bulldog is predisposed because of its conformation and specific problems such as anasarca pups. In this study, the frequency of abnormal pups and breeding problems in English bulldogs was investigated by a questionnaire containing information on 39 bitches in total. In 74.4% of these bitches, artificial insemination was performed. At the end of gestation, 25.8% of the bitches suffered from respiratory problems and partial anorexia. The average duration of gestation was 58.7 days counted from the first day of mating. Caesarean section was performed in 94.8% of the cases, with natural delivery in only 5.2% of the bitches. In this study, the average litter size was six pups. Thirteen percent of the pups were stillborn, 8.2% of the pups alive were deformed, with palatoschisis (38.8%) and anasarca (27.7%) being the most commonly observed abnormalities. Ten percent of the pups died before the age of weaning

Problemen omtrent partus en neonatale sterfte bij raskatten : een studie bij Vlaamse fokkers

Although breeding pedigree cats is increasingly popular, there is still a lack of scientific data about parturition and the problems that might occur. The incidence of kitten mortality varies between 15 and 40 %. In this study, information was collected by means of a questionnaire on six popular breeds in Flanders. Information from 151 litters was obtained. An average gestation length of 65.1 +/- 2.64 days and an average litter size of 4.5 +/- 1.73 kittens were extracted from the questionnaire. The litter size in cats older than four years old was found to be significantly smaller (3.6 +/- 1.48 kittens) than in younger cats (4.8 +/- 1.71 kittens) (P = 0.001). A caesarean section was performed in 8.5% of the litters. On average, in 6.8% of the litters, a congenital defect in one or more kittens was reported. A mortality rate of 21.4% was observed from birth until weaning. A significant higher rate of stillbirths was observed in small (1-3 kittens: 12.2%) and in large litter sizes (6-9 kittens: 7.3%) than in litters of four (4.8%) or five (3.5%) kittens (P = 0.016)

Vaginale cytologie bij de teef: een miskende techniek?

Vaginale cytologie bij de teef is gemakkelijk uit te voeren in de praktijk, de staalname is vrij eenvoudig en het is een relatief goedkope techniek met vele toepassingsmogelijkheden. Doordat de resultaten bovendien snel beschikbaar zijn, kan het praktijkdierenartsen helpen bij het beoordelen en het opvolgen van het cyclusstadium van een teef. Vaginale cytologie kan ook voor andere doeleinden gebruikt worden, zoals het voorspellen van het exacte partustijdstip, het bevestigen van een (ongewenste) dekking en het vaststellen van vaginitis, verlengde loopsheid, ovarieel restsyndroom, problemen post partum of vaginale neoplasie. Het optimale moment van dekking of inseminatie kan niet met vaginale cytologie bepaald worden en dient te worden uitgevoerd door middel van vaginoscopie en/of progesteronbepaling

Staalname en cryopreservatie van epididymale spermatozoa bij de hond

When a male dog is not able to ejaculate, epididymal spermatozoa can be used to artificially inseminate the bitch. In the present study, two methods to collect epididymal sperm after castration were compared, i.e. the float-up method and the aspiration method. With the float-up method, more spermatozoa were collected than with the aspiration method (1810 +/- 718.1 million versus 694 +/- 244.5 million respectively, p-value = 0.018). A trend towards a higher post-thaw motility was observed when using the float-up method compared to the aspiration method (52 +/- 9.4% versus 44 +/- 9.4%, p-value = 0.060). Semen samples collected with the float-up method showed more blood contamination than with the aspiration method; however, this seemed to have no effect on the quality and quantity of the semen. It can therefore be concluded that the float-up method is the method of choice when epididymal sperm has to be collected in dogs

Semen donation and establishment of an open canine semen bank : a novel tool to prevent inbreeding in pedigree dogs

At present, only 5% of pedigree dogs is being used for breeding. To increase the number of breeding dogs, one solution could be to start a canine semen bank based on the principle of semen donation, like in humans. Many dog owners have no desire to become dog breeders but are willing to preserve the genetic material of their dog, if offered this possibility. However, not all canine ejaculates are suitable for cryopreservation as the initial quality may differ and the resistance of sperm cells to survive the freezing procedure is highly variable. In order to freeze the semen of as many male dogs as possible, it is important to optimize and individualize the cryopreservation protocol per ejaculate. Practically, frozen semen can be stored in the Canlfreeze-semen bank or in veterinary practices adjacent to the owner of the bitch and can be used for insemination at a later time

New medication to control small animal reproduction

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The need for aquatic tracking networks : the Permanent Belgian Acoustic Receiver Network

Abstract Aquatic biotelemetry techniques have proven to be valuable tools to generate knowledge on species behaviour, gather oceanographic data and help in assessing effects from anthropogenic disturbances. These data types support international policies and directives, needed for species and habitat conservation. As aquatic systems are highly interconnected and cross administrative borders, optimal data gathering should be organized on a large scale. This need triggered the development of regional, national and international aquatic animal tracking network initiatives around the globe. In Belgium, a national acoustic receiver network for fish tracking, called the Permanent Belgian Acoustic Receiver Network, was set up in 2014 with different research institutes collaborating. It is a permanent network with 160 acoustic receivers and since the start, over 800 animals from 16 different fish species have been tagged and generated more than 17 million detections so far. To handle all the (meta)data generated, a data management platform was built. The central database stores all the data and has an interactive web interface that allows the users to upload, manage and explore (meta)data. In addition, the database is linked to an R-shiny application to allow the user to visualize and download the detection data. The permanent tracking network is not only a collaborative platform for exchange of data, analysis tools, devices and knowledge. It also creates opportunities to perform feasibility studies and Ph.D. studies in a cost-efficient way. The Belgian tracking network is a first step towards a Pan-European aquatic tracking network