In last month’s article on the male dog reproductive system (“ All Male Review”), we discussed the vomeronasal organ and its ability to sense the sex-related pheromones that are emitted by an animal in heat. The ovary is the site for production of the ovum and a variety of hormones including the estrogenic compounds (primarily estradiol-17 Beta) and progesterone other hormones, including testosterone, are also produced in the ovary. Each horn of the uterus terminates in a tortuous uterine tube (oviduct), which then expands into a bursa that completely enfolds the ovary. In a normal pregnancy one or more fetuses will develop in each of the uterine horns. The vagina terminates at the cervix, an organ that separates the vagina from the uterus, which is a Y-shaped organ in the bitch. Just cranial to the vestibule lies the vagina, which is oriented horizontally in the standing female. Thus, to pass a speculum or catheter into the vagina requires that it be initially oriented at this upward angle, and if a female needs assistance expelling a puppy from the pelvic canal, best results are obtained when gently pulling in this mostly-downward direction. Anatomy and physiology of the female dog The vaginal vestibule, a short entryway into the vagina, is oriented at a 60-degree angle to the horizontal (upward, toward the spine, and forward, toward the head). And as with the male dog’s reproductive system, very small alterations in the balance of any one of the female functions involved with reproduction can produce profound results throughout her body. ![]() It’s an amazing, powerful, complex system. By Randy Kidd, DVM, PhD The female dog’s reproductive system is the “nest” that nurtures a simple union of two single cells into a weave of billions of intercommunicating cells, which then form into organ systems and ultimately unify into the whole organism we call “dog.” We’re talking about the act of creation, the production of entire litters of living, breathing, best friends of mankind.
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