title: Feto-maternal heart rate ratio in pregnant bitches: effect of gestational age and maternal size.
abstract: Few information is available on parameters that can be used to objectively assess the foetal health during canine pregnancy. To identify a reliable parameter for the evaluation of foetal well-being, the effect of pre-gestational maternal bodyweight and gestational age on foetal heart rate (FHR) and on feto-maternal heart rate ratio (FHR/MHR) was investigated. Seventeen client-owned pregnant bitches of different pre-gestational maternal bodyweight were examined by serial echo colour Doppler. Only data from 11 uncomplicated pregnancies were included in the statistical analysis. The relationship between FHR, and FHR/MHR, and independent variables was analysed by polynomial regression (p ≤ .05). The FHR and the FHR/MHR significantly fitted a multiple quadratic regression for all independent variables. They both increased from 35 to 20 days before parturition and then a decreasing pattern followed. Higher values of both parameters were observed in bitches of lowest and highest bodyweight. Patterns of FHR and FHR/MHR were similar, but the ratio better describes the effect of the independent variables on the data. Thus, the highest significance of FHR/MHR compared to FHR alone encourages the application of this ratio to evaluate foetal well-being. The equation derived by the regression analysis of FHR/MHR could be applied in clinical practice to obtain its expected values in healthy pregnancies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alonge
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mauri
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Science and Public Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Faustini
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy. cecilia.luvoni@unimi.it.
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Luvoni
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049628:Body Size / Q000502:physiology*; D004285:Dogs / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000502:physiology