Monitoring of canine pregnancy by considering Anti-Mullerian hormone, C-reactive protein, progesterone and complete blood count in pregnant and non-pregnant dogs.

In this study, we measured the serum concentration of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), C-reactive protein (CRP), progesterone (P4), and the complete blood count (CBC) in pregnant and non-pregnant bitches. The aim was to investigate the suitability of these parameters for monitoring canine pregnancy. Blood samples were collected from all bitches introduced for timed mating on the day of first mating (>5 ng/ml). The first blood sample after mating was obtained on day 12 post-copulation. The dogs whose pregnancy was confirmed on days 25 and 35, were allotted to the pregnancy positive group (G+) and those that were not pregnant were grouped as pregnancy negative (G). Ultrasonography (US) was performed on days 25, 35, 45 and 55 in pregnant (N = 13) and non-pregnant (N = 7) animals; The sonographic examinations in non-pregnant bitches were continued up to day 63, and in pregnant bitches they were also carried out one day after parturition (D+1). Blood samples were taken in parallel with these periods. Furthermore, the pregnant bitches were classified as G1A (1-2 puppies), G1B (3-4 puppies), and G1C (5-11 puppies) based on the number of puppies, and G1X (10 kg), G1Y (10-20 kg), and G1Z (>20 kg) based on their body weight. No significant difference was found between G+ and G-with regard to AMH, except on day 45, when AMH was higher in G+ (P < 0.01). On the other hand, the CRP values in the G+ exceeded those in the G-group on day 25 (38.26 vs. 15.66 mg/L, P < 0.05), on day 35 (32.54 vs. 15.97 mg/L, P < 0.05) and on day one after parturition (36.24 vs. 10.10 mg/L, P < 0.01). When puppy number was considered, it was discovered that CRP values significantly increased with puppy number on days 12 and 45 (G1A vs. G1B day 12: 4.13 vs 15.84 mg/L, P < 0.05; day 45: 12.40 vs. 25.76 mg/L, P < 0.001), and on day 35 (G1B vs. G1C: 24.18 vs. 38.87 mg/L, P < 0.01). With regards to AMH, this was only detectable on day 12 (G1A vs. G1B: 0.56 vs. 1.13 ng/mL, P < 0.05). When the body weight of the pregnant bitches was considered, bitches <10 kg had significantly higher AMH values than bitches bitch >20 kg on days 12 and 25 (day 12: 1.20 vs. 0.21 ng/mL, P < 0.01; day 25: 0.91 vs. 0.21 ng/mL, P < 0.05). This was not found in the case of CRP. The white blood cells (WBC) and the granulocytes (GRAN) were found to be higher in the G+ group (P < 0.01) on day 55, while the hematocrit (HCT) was significantly lower on day 45 (P < 0.05) and day 55 (P < 0.01). The increased GRAN was still detectable one day after parturition (P < 0.05). In conclusion, measurement of the AMH and CRP concentrations may contribute to determination of gestation stage and monitoring of the course of pregnancy; values are related to maternal body weight and number of puppies; however, AMH did not change over the course of a normal pregnancy. Sonography, the increase in CRP and complete blood count values may be beneficial for monitoring canine pregnancy. More studies are necessary to prove these findings.