Progesterone and ultrasonographic changes during aglepristone or cloprosternol treatment in queens at 21 to 22 or 35 to 38 days of pregnancy

Abstract

Progesterone (P) is a requirement for pregnancy development. Previous reports observed a maximal value of serum P concentration on 21 days after the first mating after which it slowly declines throughout the rest of pregnancy. Ultrasound examination should be performed to ensure that pregnancy interruption is complete. Limited information is available on the ultrasonic appearance of conceptuses during pregnancy termination in cats The objective was to study serum P concentration and ultrasonographic changes during aglepristone (ALI) or cloprostenol (CLO) treatment and to evaluate the fertility after treatment. Two experiments (EXP) were carried out to accomplish this aim. Sixty queens, 12- to 36-month-old, were used. On Days 21 to 22 of pregnancy (EXP I) or 35 to 38 of pregnancy (EXP II), queens were divided into three groups (G). Queens in G1 received ALI (10 mg/kg, sc; EXP I, n = 10; EXP II, n = 10) for 2 consecutive days. Queens in G2 received CLO (5 μg/kg, sc; EXP I, n = 10; EXP II = 10) for 3 consecutive days. Queens in G3 received 1 mL of saline solution (PLA, sc; EXP I, n = 10; EXP II = 10). Blood samples were taken before treatment (Day 0) and every day during 10 days after the treatment to measure serum P concentrations. Likewise, after treatment, queens were monitored daily by ultrasonography for 10 days and weekly until the end of gestation to obtain gestational sacs measurements (GS), fetal measurements, and fetal biophysical profile. Data were analyzed by ANOVA. Serum P concentrations were significantly different on Day 6 (EXP I) and on Day 1 (EXP II) in ALI and CLO groups compared with PLA group (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01; respectively). The ultrasonographic monitoring during treatment allowed assessing changes in the GS and fetal measurements, embryo-fetal viability, and risk of pregnancy loss. In conclusion, the results from this study reported changes in serum P concentration and in ultrasonography measurements during pregnancy interruption with ALI or CLO treatment. Also it was observed that ALI and CLO are safe drugs and can preserve posttreatment queen fertility. Therefore, the results obtained in our work will be applied in feline reproduction practice.

Effectiveness of a Modified Administration Protocol for the Medical Treatment of Feline Pyometra

“…In all treated animals, a new estrus cycle occurred between 6 and 11 days from the beginning of the treatment, therefore before the end of the antibiotic and anti-progestin therapy. Similar data are reported by García Mitacek and collaborators [ 37 ], according to which progesterone remains high for 5–8 days after aglepristone-induced abortus, then a new estrus cycle can arise. In the present study, progesterone serum concentration after treatment was not detected, but clinical signs of estrus allowed the authors to hypothesize a similar trend for the involved patients.…”

Development of specific fetometric formulas of ICC and BP for predicting the parturition date in Maine Coon queens

“…They said that absolute measured values can be used because kittens of different breeds are characterized by relatively similar birth weight and size (Michel et al, 2011). Keiser et al (2017) reported BP of 2.26 ± 0.14 cm in 17 queens of seven different breeds on the day of parturition (Keiser et al, 2017), and similar results were noted by Beccaglia et al (2008) andGarcia Mitacek et al (2015) where BP was determined at 2.34 cm (Beccaglia et al, 2008) and 2.31 cm (Garcia Mitacek et al, 2015) on the day of delivery, respectively.…”

“…This study proposes novel breed-specific ICC and BP ultrasonographic formulas for Maine Coon cats. It should also be noted that the effect of breed on the accuracy of ultrasonographic biometry has not been widely investigated to date, mainly due to the small number and considerable variations in the analysed groups of queens (Beccaglia et al, 2008;Davidson & Baker, 2009;Garcia Mitacek et al, 2015; Keiser et al, 2017;Zambelli & Prati, 2006). The F I G U R E 1 Relationship between inner chorionic cavity diameter (ICC) and the number of days before parturition established using regression analysis F I G U R E 2 Relationship between biparietal diameter (BP) and the number of days before parturition established using regression analysis cies with small litters (Musters et al, 2011).…”

“…To date, parturition dates in queens have been predicted ultrasonographically by some studies, but often on small number of cats (Beccaglia et al, 2008;Beccaglia & Luvoni, 2012;Garcia Mitacek et al, 2015;Keiser et al, 2017). In our preliminary study of Maine Coons, the predicted delivery date was calculated with the use of two universal equations (Beccaglia et al, 2008;Beccaglia & Luvoni, 2012).…”

Development of the Mata Hari Judas Queen (Felis catus)

“…All queens ( n = 14) were entire, and ultrasound was used to determine if any were pregnant upon arrival at the CSC. Early pregnancy was confirmed via ultrasound in two queens that were treated with aglepristone (10 mg/kg, intramuscular injection (IM), twice 24 h apart) to induce abortion prior to the start of the study [ 28 , 29 ]. Treatment with aglepristone was given 113 days prior to the start of behavioural observations, and neither queen displayed adverse effects after abortion was induced.…”