When to start using suppressor after season

Hi Mark,

It is generally said that it takes around 4 weeks for the on and off season procedure, as in 14 days coming on and 14 days going off.

In reality the oestrus cycle takes around 21 days and consists of three distinct stages. The first stage can take from 7 to 10 days and that is when the bleeding occurs. While a bitch is attractive to male dogs during this time she won’t have anything to do with them.

The second stage occurs when the blood coloured discharge changes to pink and then a pale watery discharge. This can last anything from 3 to 5 days, and it is during this time that if a bitch is to be bred with she is mated as the vulva enlarges and she will stand for a male dog.

Ovulation generally occurs 8 to 10 days after bleeding first starts, and canine sperm can stay alive in the fallopian tubes for 10 days so there is a good window of opportunity for pregnancy to occur after mating.

The third stage is when all the signs of being on season disappear, and this again can take around 7 days.

After this, and the bitch has not been mated, you can then start putting her back into light work if you wish, and when fit continue racing until she comes into milk.

During the various stages of the oestrus cycle it is generally best if self regulated exercise is provided such as free running in a safe enclosure if the bitch wishes to do so, but no running behind the lure.

Coming into milk:
It is generally considered best if a bitch is not raced or run behind the lure during the time that she comes into milk after having a season.

Firstly doing so generally causes bruising around the mammary glands, and secondly it appears to cause most bitches considerable discomfort and they therefore don’t produce their best on a race track during that time.

When is she likely to come into milk?
Keep in mind that if the bitch had been mated she would be having pups 9 weeks later (59 to 63 days) and would be showing enlargement of the mammary glands around 10 days before that time.
So as a rough guide start checking your bitch for signs of milk starting 9 weeks after she first came into season if she has been put back into work.

There again in many instances if a bitch has been returned to solid work after oestrus, the production of milk is generally kept at a minimum and often does not occur at all.

Oestrus suppression:
Firstly let me say that I’m one that believes it is essential that a greyhound bitch is allowed to have her first season, particularly if there is any thought of breeding with her at a later stage.

No matter which way you look at it oestrus suppression is a real dilemma for most greyhound trainers, more so if they are owner trainers, and there is every intention of breeding with the bitch when she is retired from racing.

Firstly because of the possibility of doing damage to the future fertility of the bitch, as well as the possibility of the drug used adversely affecting her race track performances, not to mention the possibility of the drug used causing a positive swab, or even the faint possibility that the drug used will affect the bitches offspring.

Based on this my advice for bitches that come on season every 12 to 18 months is to not use any method of suppression, but simply work the bitch through as much of the season as possible, and in reality you only miss very little racing time, or use this period as the ideal time to give the bitch a spell from racing.

For bitches that come on season every 6 months you have very little choice but to use a drug to try and keep them off season or else they will virtually have little or no chance of having a racing career.

In this situation my drug of choice is Testosterone Propionate. This is a very short acting form of testosterone (male hormone) in an oil based injection, and if given at a dose rate of one quarter of one ml of the 25 mg per ml strength every 14 days it will keep most bitches off season.

Because this is a banned drug in racing greyhounds, it is best used a minimum of 5 days prior to racing to avoid a race day positive swab. However you would still be liable for a positive drug result if out of competition swabbing is undertaken by your racing control authority.

Just about all other drugs suitable for keeping a bitch off season in my honest opinion either have severe undesirable side effects that cause problems with the bitches attitude to racing, cause problems with fertility, or will be guaranteed to result in a positive swab sooner or later.

P.S. As a rough guide only ...... if a bitch comes on season around 12 months of age she will generally be a 6 month bitch, while one that first comes on at 18 months of age will generally be a bitch that comes on season every 12 months.

Cheers,
Tom