Long term use of Cheque drops

[K92line]

I have a good friend that is evaluating the use of Cheque drops on a more long term basis. One of the primary concerns is that for every heat the female dog goes through, her uterus is more damaged, more susceptible to pyometra as she gets older (over 5) and less able to have a successful litter. Based on the literature it appears that Cheque drops over a long time period helps to protect the uterus.


The main items that are taken into consideration before making the decision are (1) the medication cannot be used before the bitch has had at least one normal heat b/c the drug speeds up the closure of the growth plates. (2) the liver and kidneys must be normal (3) the dog cannot have a progesterone dependent tumor present and (4) the bitch should have a normal personality. (not abnormally or pathologically aggressive) .

Although the abscence of heat cycles during the trial season is a side benefit, this is not the primary reason for looking at Cheque.

From a review of the literature it appears that this is a very safe drug (as safe as any drug) and has been in use for over 20 years. I realize that folks may have strong feelings about this, but Dr. Hutcheson himself uses it on his bitches for an extended period of time, with no apparent negative side effects. Of course there are always issues, but the benefits seem to far out weigh the risks.

Dr. Ed, I know you have used this as I did do a search, but I am curious if folks have used this drug for more than a couple of months and what experiences they are having.

Thanks in advance

Nancy

[Jiggy]

After doing my homework...like you have, I used it on a maiden 3yo bitch for 5 months this summer. She came into season 1 month after taking her off, and now has 7 5 week old puppies through surgical AI with frozen. I wouldn't hesitate to use it again.
My training partner also used it on his bitch all summer (our trial season is short in Canada) with no ill effects...she came in season about 6 weeks after coming off of it.
I have the feeling that I would much rather trial than breed...as I only breed once every year or two. With our short trial season (5 months) I hate losing a month in the middle of one of our circuits.
I did hear of a story of one bitch up here who never came into season again without the aid of some "chemistry" after she was on cheque. I think the owner wrote about it on here...look up ovuplant.
Cheers!
Marcy

[K92line]

Here is some of the information that was given to my friend.

For us to understand canine reproduction, we must realize that the canine,
and especially the bitch, is a unique individual when compared to all other
domestic species. While most animals ovulate into an estrogen bath, the bitch
ovulates into a progesterone environment. This fact is why we cannot use
estrogen testing, vaginal smears or breeding guns for other than general timing
of the bitch's estrous cycle.
>
> I always pictured Mother Nature looking at us dog breeders and saying "those
poor, poor fools. They don't have a clue what they are doing!" Progesterone
testing has allowed us to anticipate ovulation, determine whelping dates and to
schedule planned c-sections months in advance.
>
> As bitches age, they get cysts within their uterus which can obstruct the
pathway - a good reason in an older bitch for considering a surgical
insemination. An older bitch is any bitch over 5.
>
> When a bitch ovulates, whether we breed her, don't breed her, or pretend she's
not in season, the progesterone HAMMERS the uterine lining for sixty-plus days.
Progesterone's effect on the uterine lining is the reason why bitches six and
over have a 33.3 percent less chance of conceiving than bitches under 6 years of
age.
>
> The progesterone level is NOT affected by pregnancy. In the cow for example,
if the uterus does not get communication from the fertilized egg by day 16, the
whole process starts over again. In the bitch, you don't have that luxury.
>
> Even though the bitch's body produces the progesterone, the progesterone is
inflammatory to the uterine lining, so that after a heat cycle, the bitch's
uterus is never as healthy as it was before the heat cycle. So we go from a
normal uterus... and this start's with the first cycle of her life...to an
endometritis to endometrial hyperplasia - this is when the uterus starts to
thicken and we start to get bubbles in the lining of the uterus - these changes
affect the uterine lining so much so that eventually the uterus cannot control
the bacteria, and the ultimate end stage is pyometritis.
>
> So, in the bitch... breeding back to back... or even back to back to back to
back...(or the use of Cheque drops) preserve the bitch's uterine lining.
>
> Pyometritis is a hormonal disease, of which the infection is only secondary.
Cheque drops is a wonderful product.... Miberolone...a hormone derivative that
could safely delay a bitch coming in season for up to two years. Ovaban is a
different product, same as human Megace. These are progesterone products, the
exact hormone we are trying to preserve our uteruses from. We should NEVER use
ovaban or megace in a bitch we want to breed in the future.
>
> Cheque drops are NOT progesterone. We could show bitches, we could field
trial bitches, and still have a uterus that was only 2-3 years old in a five
year old bitch! Cheque drops preserve and promote fertility by preserving the
uterine lining.
>
> The average bitch after going off Cheque drops came in season after 70 days.
The biggest problem is they (the Cheque drops) have to be given every day.
>
> Pyo is EXTREMELY rare in a young bitch; remember, bitches do not go into
menopause. Only humans and gorillas do. When a bitch's reproductive life is over
she should be spayed. It's very good to spay an older bitch, because the uterus
is always going to be hammered by progesterone every heat cycle.
>
> Side effects from Cheque drops: One percent tear from the eyes; they may tend
to muscle up and get more coat. The biggest misunderstood side effect,
however, was mucous around the vulva... like a puppy vaginitis. Unfortunately,
many veterinarians diagnose any goop around the vulva as pyometritis. Cheque
drops PREVENT pyometritis by protecting the uterine lining.
>