Wigham Eleanor E, Moxon Rachel S, England Gary C W, Wood James L N, Morters Michelle K
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, Leamington Spa, UK.
Vet Rec. 2017 Oct 7;181(14):371. doi: 10.1136/vr.104217. Epub 2017 Sep 2.
Evidence of seasonality in oestrus in bitches within specialist breeding programmes, such as those for assistance dogs, may support colony management through tailoring the distribution of resources required for breeding throughout the year. However, at present there are conflicting data regarding seasonality in oestrus (and litter size) in domestic dogs. The primary objective of this study was to investigate seasonal variations in oestrus and litter size in a large assistance dog breeding colony in the UK in order to optimise colony management. The authors analysed the annual distribution of 3624 observations of oestrus collected from 568 brood bitches from January 2005 to June 2014. The authors also evaluated the relationship between month and litter size for 1609 litters observed during the same period. There was no evidence of regular seasonal variations in oestrus or litter size by meteorological season or month. The lack of seasonality in oestrus may be a function of dogs in the UK, particularly valuable breeding bitches, being exposed to fairly constant environmental conditions throughout the year as a consequence of artificial light and heating during the winter months. The authors' findings suggest that special consideration of the annual distribution of oestrus and litter size is unnecessary for the management of assistance dog breeding colonies similar to those in the UK.
在诸如导盲犬等专业繁育项目中的母犬发情季节性证据，可能有助于通过全年合理分配繁育所需资源来支持犬群管理。然而，目前关于家犬发情（以及产仔数）的季节性存在相互矛盾的数据。本研究的主要目的是调查英国一个大型导盲犬繁育群体中发情和产仔数的季节性变化，以优化犬群管理。作者分析了2005年1月至2014年6月从568只种母犬收集的3624次发情观察记录的年度分布情况。作者还评估了同一时期观察到的1609窝产仔数与月份之间的关系。没有证据表明发情或产仔数按气象季节或月份呈现出规律的季节性变化。发情缺乏季节性可能是由于英国的犬，尤其是珍贵的种母犬，在冬季因人工照明和供暖而全年处于相当稳定的环境条件下。作者的研究结果表明，对于类似于英国的导盲犬繁育群体的管理，无需特别考虑发情和产仔数的年度分布情况。
