Selective reduction of fetuses in the bitch using induction of fetal death by ultrasound guidance

Unwanted pregnancy termination is a big issue for dog owners.

In this study we attempted to reduce the number of fetuses in pregnant bitches through ultrasound-guided induced fetal death.

The study was performed on 6 privately owned crossbred pregnant bitches, in the second and third trimester of pregnancy, with variable number of fetuses (n=2 to 8). Fetal death was induced by transabdominal injection of potassium chloride (KCl) into the fetal cardiac chamber under ultrasonographic guidance.

While selective fetal reduction was successfully achieved in 4 bitches (66.6%) 2 bitches showed complete pregnancy termination.

Data presented in this research provide evidence for possible use of this technique in order to selectively reduce the number of fetuses without whole pregnancy termination in the bitch. Ultrasound-guided induced fetal death seems to be a safe procedure and a viable method for reducing the number of fetuses with no side effect in the bitch.