Selective control of the estrous cycle of the dog through suppression of estrus and reduction of the length of anestrus.

The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of testosterone in suppressing estrus in the bitch, and of cabergoline in shortening the length of the subsequent anestrous period. In Experiment 1, 12 diestrual Beagle bitches were randomly divided into two groups when plasma progesterone (P(4)) concentration was <1 ng/ml (Day 0). Starting on Day 0, bitches in Group 1 (n=6) were treated with testosterone cypionate every 14 days for a total of 239 days, and bitches in Group 2 served as untreated controls.

Embryo development, hormonal requirements and maternal responses during canine pregnancy.

The events of canine gestation appear to occur consistently among bitches relative to the time of the preovulatory LH surge. The interval from fertilization to the eight-cell stage was 5 days after insemination before oocyte maturation and only 3 days following insemination after oocyte maturation. Sixteen-cell embryos were observed at day 11 (day 0 = day of the LH surge) after either early or late insemination.

Effects of prepubertal gonadectomy on physical and behavioral development in cats.

Objective: To determine the effect of prepubertal gonadectomy on physical and behavioral development in cats.

Design: Prospective controlled study of kittens randomly assigned to 3 treatment groups: group 1, neutered at 7 weeks of age; group 2, neutered at 7 months of age; and group 3, sexually intact controls.

Animals: 31 clinically normal male and female kittens.

Purification and characterization of a uterine retinol-binding protein in the bitch.

A major canine endometrial secreted protein (cP6, 23,000-M(r)) was purified by ion-exchange and gel-filtration chromatography and characterized by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Anti-[human retinol-binding protein (hRBP)] serum identified cP6 on immunoblot analysis and immunoprecipitated cP6 from culture medium. This major protein was also shown to bind [3H]retinol.

Identification and immunolocalization of proteins synthesized by dog endometrium and membranes.

Previous studies on cyclic and pregnant bitches on dioestrus days 3-10 indicated synthesis de novo of at least ten protein complexes, two of which are major protein groups (cP5, M(r) 54,600; cP6, M(r) 23,000). Protein expression differed by day but not by status, suggesting that the embryo does not affect uterine protein synthesis. Ovariectomized bitches treated with various steroid regimens showed induction of cP5 and cP6 only after oestrogen priming followed by progesterone.