Estrus

Estrus is the earliest period when a female dog enters the breeding period. At this time, the uterus begins to prepare for conception, the ovaries begin to prepare for ovulation, and hormones will flood around the female dog. You will see many fascinated little male dogs next to the little bitches.

Only female dogs will be in estrus, male dogs do not have estrus. But when there are female dogs in estrus around, male dogs will also behave abnormally, mainly showing excitement, mania, obvious aggression towards other male dogs, and peeing indiscriminately (in the social behavior of dogs, peeing is Leave a message in the public section of the forum), decreased obedience, decreased appetite...

The first day of a female dog’s estrus period begins when there is blood in the vaginal secretions.

Information

When a female dog is in estrus, the uterine opening is open. At this time, bacteria in the vagina may cause retrograde infection. Usually the endometrium at this time activates the immune system to avoid bacterial invasion, but pyometra due to hygiene problems is also common. Never underestimate pyometra, which is a disease with a high mortality rate in female dogs. For the health of your dog, please pay attention to the following issues:

1. It is best not to take a bath during estrus. It’s not that you can’t wash. Taking a bath may increase the risk of pyometra. Especially don't try to douche your vagina.

2. You can take internal anthelmintics during the estrus period. If you plan to breed, it is recommended to take the medicine as early as possible during the estrus period. To prevent internal parasites from being passed to puppies through the placenta. Please deworm about a week before mating.

3. Some female dogs will have a significant decrease in appetite during estrus, so don’t worry.

4. There is usually bleeding that lasts for 10 to 15 days during the estrus period. If the time is too short or too long, try to consult a doctor. Avoid reproductive failure.

5. Corgi is a dog breed with an unstable ovulation cycle. The estrus cycle changes every year. Do not use the number of days as the only reference for breeding. It is recommended to do relevant inspections. Experienced people can judge the mating time by observing changes in the female dog’s vulva.

Medical examination

Routine examinations include microscopy, color ultrasound, progesterone test, and hormone test. These inspections have their own focus,

Microscopic examination: including oral saliva examination, vaginal epidermal cell examination, and smear examination. The most important function of a vaginal smear is not to confirm the time of mating, but to observe whether there is inflammation in the vagina. If bacteria such as cocci and bacilli are found, timely treatment is required. Otherwise inflammation may lead to failure of conception. Inflammation of the female dog's vagina is very common during estrus.

Color Doppler Ultrasound: Color Doppler Ultrasound mainly depends on equipment. Only good equipment can clearly see the size of eggs in the ovaries. Better machines can clearly see the development status of eggs and observe the corpus luteum, which is a good reference for accurately judging mating time. For Corgi, if the egg diameter is less than 0.5mm, the probability of pregnancy will drop sharply, and if the egg diameter is greater than 0.7mm, it is the most ideal mature state.

Progesterone test: Progesterone is the main hormone during estrus, and the concentration of progesterone in the blood will change significantly before and after ovulation. The progesterone test is a test for this phenomenon. However, due to large individual differences, progesterone testing needs to be done continuously to accurately determine the ovulation time of a female dog. Therefore, the results of one progesterone test during estrus can only be used for reference. In most cases, it still has certain reference value.

Hormone test: The name of this test is my own. In fact, this test is one of the most advanced technologies in the field of veterinary medicine, and it is also packaged under different names. This test checks blood levels of various hormones associated with ovulation. It is a comprehensive test of various hormone changes during estrus. Not many hospitals can do it, and the accuracy depends entirely on the equipment.

Other common ones include vaginal resistivity testing, but this test is of little significance and is more formal than practical. To make consumers feel that the inspection fee is worth it, just add an inspection item.

My personal suggestion is to conduct a microscopic examination on the 7th to 8th day of the estrus period, mainly to observe whether the female dog has inflammation, so as to eliminate the inflammation in time. At the same time, it can also prevent the estrus period from progressing too quickly and missing the mating time. Afterwards, follow-up examinations will be conducted based on the microscopic examination results, and a "blind date" time will be arranged.

The following suggestions are completely irresponsible and are for reference only

Economic package: 1 microscopic examination, the rest depends on experience.

Economic Science Package: Microscopic examination N times until the examination confirms that it is close to mating time, and then color ultrasound to observe the egg size. After the egg matures, it snaps.

Deluxe Supreme Package: After N times of microscopic examination, do a color ultrasound. After the color ultrasound confirms the time, do a progesterone test. Finally confirmed the auspicious day.

Deluxe arbitrary package: Do whatever you can, it’s all arbitrary anyway. Find a doctor you trust and then beat him unconscious with money