Pregnancy & Birthing Exams 

At Wise Owl Animal Hospital, the first time you bring in your pet for a pregnancy examination, you will be charged for a "pregnancy exam" (same price as a regular examination). However the pregnancy examination is very special as it includes free later examinations for the mother (related to anything associated with pregnancy, birthing, raising puppies), until the puppies finish their vaccines at about 16 weeks of age.   

This includes:

• Evaluation of readiness & timing for any future litters 
• Toe nail trims
• Ear cleanings
• Free fecal examinations as appropriate
• Heartworm and tick disease prevention recommendations
• Sanitary clips to assist in nursing and/or maintaining cleanliness 

At 1st examination after whelping, including the post partum period, we will do:

• Injections to assist in "cleaning out the uterus" and preventing mastitis/infections (these injections are charged items)
• Analysis of need for nutritional suppliments
• Analysis of ability to nurse
• Determination of whether the entire litter has been born
• Deworming as appropriate
• Examination of the litter
• Discounted vaccines for litters of 4 or more (can include mom in the minimum of 4)

Litter Packages for Buyers 

As a Wise Owl client with a Pregnancy & Birthing Exam program, you can sell the puppies/kittens knowing the program continues with the new owner. 

Breeders can tell new owners that purchasing one of their litter comes complete with a health program for the puppy/kitten at Wise Owl Animal Hospital.   

The new owner can expect:

• All examinations for all the puppies/kittens until vaccines are completed at approximately 16 weeks of age
• Discounted dewormings until first vaccination
• Free dewormings with and after first vaccination
• Toe nail trims
• Ear cleanings
• Free fecal examinations as appropriate
• Minor dermatophytosis clipping and cleaning
• Sanitary clips to maintain cleanliness
• Heartworm and tick disease information and analysis 

For Puppy Prenatal Care & Birthing Schedule click here. 

For Kitten Prenatal Care & Birthing Schedule click here.

Canine Artificial Insemination 

Wise Owl Aminal Hospital is capable of helping breeders breed their animals through artificial insemination.  Some people choose this method of breeding in situations where one of the animals is unwilling to mate with the other, the desired mate is unable to travel or if the male is unable to mount the female due to a physical injury.  

Canine artificial insemination (AI) is a fairly simple procedure.  After the semen is collected from the male, it is infused into the female using a long plastic or glass tube which is inserted close to the cervix. Wise Owl has years of experience with both frozen and fresh chilled semen. See the "More on Canine AI" link below for more information on both of these methods.  

It must be remembered that artificial insemination in canine medicine does not have the level of success seen in natural intercourse. Though, at Wise Owl Animal Hospital we have maintained a 92% success rate.  This is a better rate than mother nature who averages an 82% rate. However, the statistics do say Artificial Insemination has 1-2 less puppies per litter than natural births.  

Please understand these procedures take months of planning and cannot be undertaken at the last moment. Dr. Joseph is the only veterinarian on island certified by International Canine Genetics, Inc.(ICG); consultation with our doctors when planning an AI are necessary.    

Our Wise Owl Guarantee: we will do a repeat AI at the next appropriate heat at no charge (not including hormone testing),  if we do not get your dog to produce at least one live puppy.  

Please see the links below for more information on Canine AI.

Ear Crops

An ear crop is a type of surgery for your dog. An ear crop involves cutting off the floppy part of a dog’s ear  and reshaping it to cause the cartiledge to stand up.  It is widely believed this procedure increases the overall health of the ear by lessening ear infections and other problems. During the post-surgery period the ear is usually taped to a hard surface for several weeks while they heal so they stay upright. 

The optimal time for cropping a Pit Bull puppy's ears is when they are over 10 pounds and the cartiledge in their ears begins to firm. This can best be determined in consult with one of our experieced veterinarians. For Dobermans, Boxers, Great Danes and Miniature Pinchers the best time is between 10-16 weeks of age.    

For Boxers and Dobermans, it may take up to 6 months before ears stand. This involves multiple and sometimes weekly visits to the veterinarian to “post” the ears. If you are considering having your puppy's ears cropped, please understand you are committing yourself to up to 6 months of work and devotion to the process. If you are not up to this, please do not crop your dogs ears.  

Litters of 4 or more puppies can have ear crops done at a discounted rate (however the procedure must be pre-paid in full when scheduling the apointment). These are usually done on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings, with puppies being discharged home Sunday afternoon. This is only available 2 Sundays a month and must be arranged with the Veterinarian.

Hormone Testing 

There are multiple hormones that help to regulate the heat cycle and pregnancy in dogs. These include:

• Estrogen: Stimulates the ovaries to produce eggs.
• Luteinizing Hormone (LH): Stimulates the ovaries to release the eggs.
• Progesterone: Maintains a pregnancy.

Understanding how the hormone levels change can help in determining the best time to breed and when to anticipate whelping.

Most mammals ovulate when the estrogen level in the blood is increasing. Dogs, however, ovulate when the estrogen level is declining and the progesterone level is increasing. Estrogen levels can give us a general idea of when a dog will come into heat, but are not sufficient to determine when breeding should actually take place. Vaginal cytology can also provide some general information. Progesterone levels and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels are the best indicators of when ovulation will take place and when is the best time to breed. They are also useful in determining whelping dates, allowing an owner to reserve the appropriate days on the calendar and even to schedule a c-section (caesarean) weeks in advance.

Wise Owl Animal Hospital is able to provide hormone testing for your dog when considering Breeding.  Contact Us for more information.

Hormone testing information from peteducation.com