Infertility in dogs is a complex and multi-factorial condition. If you have a dog that has been mated to a male and did not take in, you might need to discuss it with your veterinarian. Bitches have a unique reproductive system and are prone to lots of reproductive illness even when they are not mated. A regular check-up with your veterinarian will keep your bitch healthy and safe for breeding.
General causes of infertility are:
- Failure of successful semen delivery during mating.
- Failure of conception.
- Failure to complete a successful pregnancy.
Successful breeding begins with a good male that has viable sperm cells. If the male you are using for your bitch has reproductive diseases, your dog might not be pregnant, rather, she also stands a chance of getting a sexually transmitted disease. If the particular male has a record of fertilizing other female dogs with a successful pregnancy, then you might want to assume the problem is with your dog.
There are four stages in a dog’s reproductive cycle, the ‘Estrus’ is the stage where a bitch accepts a male, ovulation occurs and conception can happen. If your bitch was mated at any other time outside the estrus period, she might not get pregnant. Furthermore, if your bitch is having reproductive diseases such as infections, tumour, or hormonal imbalance, it will hinder conception.
In some bitches, there is successful conception but the pregnancy is lost shortly after, this could be due to disease condition, poisoning, or environmental/management factors. To adequately diagnose the cause of infertility in your bitch, you will need to work closely with your veterinarian who will exhaust all the factors and recommend the required tests to help your pet.
