Hormonal Profiling of Infertile Bitches Presented to Small Animal Clinics in Abuja FCT

Reproductive failure in bitches is a significant clinical problem for companion animal breeders in Nigeria's urban centres, including Abuja, Federal Capital Territory. Differentiating between anovulation, silent heat, progesterone insufficiency, and hypoluteal function requires systematic hormonal evaluation, which is increasingly feasible with affordable ELISA-based assay platforms. This study conducted hormonal profiling of bitches presented for infertility investigation at registered small animal clinics in Abuja over an 18-month period. Forty bitches with a history of failure to conceive after two or more mating attempts were enrolled. Vaginal cytology, vaginoscopy, and trans-abdominal ultrasonography were performed, and serial blood samples were collected during the perceived inter-oestrous period and at proestrus and oestrus for measurement of serum oestradiol, progesterone, luteinising hormone, prolactin, and thyroid stimulating hormone. Progesterone profiling revealed short luteal phases below 55 days in 17.5 percent of bitches. Elevated prolactin concentrations consistent with pseudo-pregnancy were detected in 22.5 percent. Thyroid stimulating hormone was elevated in 12.5 percent, suggesting subclinical hypothyroidism as a contributing cause of infertility. Oestradiol profiles suggested anovulatory cycles in 10 percent. Normal hormonal profiles with concurrent structural uterine pathology detected ultrasonographically accounted for 20 percent of cases. These findings indicate that hormonal evaluation is an essential diagnostic component in canine infertility workup and that endocrine disorders represent a significant proportion of infertility aetiologies in Abuja companion animal practice. Keywords: infertility, bitch, hormonal profiling, progesterone, Abuja.