SPLIT SEASON IN BITCHES

Slit season or split oestrus is a fairly common problem in bitches which makes breeders believe that their bitch is infertile, when in fact these bitches are fertile, and still have a good chance of falling pregnant.

Basically, what happens with these bitches is that instead of having a single season, they have 2 seasons which are 3 - 6 weeks apart. The 3 - 6 week gap between the season is the key to recognising this problem. The second season is likely to produce pregnancy, so the bitch must be mated on the second season. The first season is unlikely to produce a pregnancy.

This problem is often diagnosed when breeders bring their bitch to a vet for pre mate testing - where the vet uses swabs from the vagina or blood test to determine when the bitch is ready to mate. What happens then is that the tests show that the bitch is never quite ready for mating, and if you try to mate her she will not stand, or if she does stand she does not get pregnant. The season then seems to stop. 3 - 6 weeks later the season starts again, this time the bitch will be ready to mate.

Sadly, most people only notice the first season and try to mate at this time. When this does not work, they are let to believe that their bitch is infertile. The second season goes unnoticed.

What you should watch out for:

You don't need to have any expensive tests to diagnose split seasons, good record keeping will suffice. If you have a bitch which has given some difficulties mating, keep a little diary of every day regarding her season (write down the colour of the discharge and if you tried to mate her). When she goes out of season, keep on checking her to see if she comes into season again a few weeks later - if she does, then she is likely to have had a split season, mate her again on the second season!!!

Having pre mate swabs of the vagina and blood tests can help with this diagnosis, but as I have said earlier, if you keep a daily diary of the seasons of all your bitches, you may be able to detect this problem yourself and get puppies out of a bitch that you previously thought was infertile.

Written for Akakuro Chow Chows by Paolo Lencioni (BVSc MRCVS)