Ultrasonography for the evaluation of pregnancy in the female canine

Abstract

Ultrasonography can be used for canine pregnancy diagnosis, determination of gestational age, assessing foetal maturation and readiness for birth, monitoring high-risk pregnancies, assessing foetal distress, evaluating bitches in dystocia and foetal gender determination. As the quality and resolution of ultrasound machines have improved, the clinician's abilities to utilize ultrasound as an integral part of reproductive evaluation of all aspects of pregnancy have exponentially increased. This paper reviews the use of ultrasonography throughout pregnancy and the advances made in the interpretation of captured images.