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Validation of Age at Puberty of Nigerian Bitches

Received: 25 October 2017     Accepted: 17 November 2017     Published: 18 January 2018
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Abstract

The age at puberty of Nigerian dogs around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja was determined in order to validate earlier reports from other parts of Nigeria and to provide additional information for canine reproductive research. 16 pre-pubertal female dogs were purchased from different dog markets and households within the FCT. They were housed in cages in groups of four and allowed to acclimatise for two weeks, during which time they were treated against external and internal parasitic infections until they were clinically free from disease. They were also vaccinated against common diseases such as rabies, distemper, leptospirosis, parvo and hepatitis using standard vaccines and fed twice daily with household meals. They were then observed daily for the onset of puberty through behavioural changes, haematology and vaginal cytology. All the dogs attained puberty between eight and thirteen months of age. Dog owners are therefore advised to be properly guided to prepare for the bloody discharge that is associated with onset of reproductive cyclicity. There is also need for patience as many dogs in this environment attain puberty at a later age than exotic breeds.

Published in Animal and Veterinary Sciences (Volume 6, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.avs.20180601.12
Page(s) 6-11
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2018. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Dog, Reproduction, Puberty, Nigeria

References
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Obudu Christopher Ese, Awodi Daniel Adejo, Ubah Simon Azubuike, Columbus Philemon Kwinjoh, Abah Kenneth Owoicho. (2018). Validation of Age at Puberty of Nigerian Bitches. Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 6(1), 6-11. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20180601.12

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    ACS Style

    Obudu Christopher Ese; Awodi Daniel Adejo; Ubah Simon Azubuike; Columbus Philemon Kwinjoh; Abah Kenneth Owoicho. Validation of Age at Puberty of Nigerian Bitches. Anim. Vet. Sci. 2018, 6(1), 6-11. doi: 10.11648/j.avs.20180601.12

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    AMA Style

    Obudu Christopher Ese, Awodi Daniel Adejo, Ubah Simon Azubuike, Columbus Philemon Kwinjoh, Abah Kenneth Owoicho. Validation of Age at Puberty of Nigerian Bitches. Anim Vet Sci. 2018;6(1):6-11. doi: 10.11648/j.avs.20180601.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.avs.20180601.12,
      author = {Obudu Christopher Ese and Awodi Daniel Adejo and Ubah Simon Azubuike and Columbus Philemon Kwinjoh and Abah Kenneth Owoicho},
      title = {Validation of Age at Puberty of Nigerian Bitches},
      journal = {Animal and Veterinary Sciences},
      volume = {6},
      number = {1},
      pages = {6-11},
      doi = {10.11648/j.avs.20180601.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20180601.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.avs.20180601.12},
      abstract = {The age at puberty of Nigerian dogs around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja was determined in order to validate earlier reports from other parts of Nigeria and to provide additional information for canine reproductive research. 16 pre-pubertal female dogs were purchased from different dog markets and households within the FCT. They were housed in cages in groups of four and allowed to acclimatise for two weeks, during which time they were treated against external and internal parasitic infections until they were clinically free from disease. They were also vaccinated against common diseases such as rabies, distemper, leptospirosis, parvo and hepatitis using standard vaccines and fed twice daily with household meals. They were then observed daily for the onset of puberty through behavioural changes, haematology and vaginal cytology. All the dogs attained puberty between eight and thirteen months of age. Dog owners are therefore advised to be properly guided to prepare for the bloody discharge that is associated with onset of reproductive cyclicity. There is also need for patience as many dogs in this environment attain puberty at a later age than exotic breeds.},
     year = {2018}
    }
    

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    AU  - Ubah Simon Azubuike
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    AB  - The age at puberty of Nigerian dogs around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja was determined in order to validate earlier reports from other parts of Nigeria and to provide additional information for canine reproductive research. 16 pre-pubertal female dogs were purchased from different dog markets and households within the FCT. They were housed in cages in groups of four and allowed to acclimatise for two weeks, during which time they were treated against external and internal parasitic infections until they were clinically free from disease. They were also vaccinated against common diseases such as rabies, distemper, leptospirosis, parvo and hepatitis using standard vaccines and fed twice daily with household meals. They were then observed daily for the onset of puberty through behavioural changes, haematology and vaginal cytology. All the dogs attained puberty between eight and thirteen months of age. Dog owners are therefore advised to be properly guided to prepare for the bloody discharge that is associated with onset of reproductive cyclicity. There is also need for patience as many dogs in this environment attain puberty at a later age than exotic breeds.
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Author Information
  • Department of Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria

  • Department of Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria

  • Department of Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria

  • Department of Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria

  • Department of Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria

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