Clinical Management of Infertility in a Doberman Bitch Associated with Vaginal Hyperplasia and Hypothyroidism
Diksha Upreti *
Division of Animal Reproduction, ICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India.
Shruti Dehru
Division of Medicine, ICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India.
Neha Kumawat
Division of Medicine, ICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India.
Manish Solanki
Division of Animal Reproduction, ICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India.
M. Pachaiyappan
Division of Animal Reproduction, ICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India.
Neelam Kalasua
Division of Animal Reproduction, ICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India.
Nibedita Pandit
Division of Medicine, ICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India.
Renu Sharma
Division of Animal Reproduction, ICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India.
Anita Jangid
BVSc & A.H, ICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India.
Rajshree Agarwal
Division of Animal Reproduction, ICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India.
Meraj Haider Khan
Division of Animal Reproduction, ICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
A four-year-old Doberman bitch was presented with a history of repeated breeding failure despite mating with a proven fertile male, accompanied by difficulty in copulation and absence of copulatory tie. Clinical examination revealed lethargy, weight gain, cold intolerance, and bradycardia, suggestive of an underlying endocrine disorder. A protruding edematous vaginal mass consistent with vaginal hyperplasia was observed, while per vaginal examination indicated resistance to speculum passage and a septum-like structure suggestive of a congenital vaginal anomaly. Ultrasonography revealed normal uterine and ovarian morphology, excluding primary uterine pathology. Hematological examination revealed mild anemia, while thyroid profiling confirmed the presence of hypothyroidism. Exfoliative vaginal cytology demonstrated a predominance of superficial cornified cells, indicative of an estrogen-dominant environment. Therapeutic management included levothyroxine supplementation and supportive care, along with conservative management of vaginal hyperplasia. The findings suggest a multifactorial etiology of infertility involving endocrine dysfunction and possible anatomical obstruction, resulting in a guarded reproductive prognosis.
Keywords: Infertility, Vaginal hyperplasia, hypothyroidism, doberman bitch, exfoliative vaginal cytology