Short Communication Partial Foetal Retention Following Aglepristone Treatment in a Bitch T Rigau 1,2 , J-E Rodrı´guez-Gil 1 , F Garcı´a 1,2 and MM Rivera del Alamo 1,2 1 Animal Medicine and Surgery Department, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain; 2 Veterinary Clinic Hospital Foundation, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain Contents This short communication describes the case of partial foetal retention in an 18-month-old female French bulldog following induction of abortion owing to an undesired mating. Abortion was induced with aglepristone administered in two consecutive protocols of a dual injection 1 day apart. After failure of the first treatment to achieve abortion, 15 days later, a second treatment was administered. Delivering of aborted foetus occurred 2 days after the last administration. Five weeks after the abortion, the female showed a weak haemorrhagic vaginal discharge. On ultrasound examination, the presence of uterine wall distension as well as a puppy skull inside the uterus was observed. This clinical case makes clear that although aglepri- stone is a very reliable drug, follow-up of the female during treatment and in the immediate post-partum is necessary to ensure a good outcome. Introduction Termination of pregnancy in bitches has been performed with several drugs through the years. Dexamethasone has been prescribed for this purpose on oral adminis- tration (5 mg) twice daily for 10 days from the 30th day of pregnancy on (Austad et al. 1976). However, its administration induces many side effects like polydipsia, polyuria, vaginal discharge, restlessness, anorexia and emesis (Wanke et al. 2002). Another drug shown to be effective for canine pregnancy termination is prosta- glandin F 2a (PGF 2a ) or its analogues. Several doses and regimens of application have been described to induce abortion in bitches (Concannon and Hansel 1977; Vickery and McRae 1980; Romagnoli et al. 1991, 1993; Fieni et al. 1997). However, prostaglandins have strong side effects like hyperpnea, hypersalivation, vomiting, defecation, diarrhoea, micturition, tachycar- dia, lactation, nesting and transient hypothermia (Van der Horst and Vogel 1977; Oettle´ 1982; Paradis et al. 1983; Feldman et al. 1993). Prostaglandins can be combined with prolactin inhibitors to enhance abortion. This association allows to reduce PG dosage and consequently the intensity of the PG side effects (Onclin and Verstegen 1996, 1999; Aslan et al. 2001; Gobello et al. 2002). Nowadays, antiprogestins are the most reliable drugs to induce abortion in bitches in any stage of pregnancy, being aglepristone the most widely used in bitches. Aglepristone binds to progesterone receptors, blocking the action of progesterone in the uterus, resulting in foetal death and resorption if administered before 25 days after ovulation and in expulsion of the foetuses if administered later (Fieni et al. 1996). In the study of Fieni et al. (2001), aglepristone prevented pregnancy when administered between days 0 and 25 after mating in all cases, whilst when administered between days 26 and 45 of pregnancy, it induced embryonic resorption or abortion within 7 days in 96% of the situations. According to the manufacturer label, the most frequent side effects to be expected when administering aglepri- stone are anorexia, vomiting and diarrhoea. Case report An 18-month-old female, French bulldog was referred to the Veterinary Clinic Hospital of the Autonomous University of Barcelona for induction of abortion following to an unwanted mating by a cross-breed dog four weeks ago. In the physical examination, the female presented a good general body condition, the mucous membranes were pink and capillary refilling time was lower than 2 s. Temperature was 38.6°C, and cardiac and respiratory rates were 95 bpm and 15 rpm, respectively. The physical examination was considered to be normal. B mode, colour and pulsed Doppler ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity was performed with an 11–13 MHz high-frequency linear transducer (Mylab 70; ESAOTE, Genova, Italy). Five to six thin-walled anechoic structures compatible with embryonic vesicles were observed inside the uterus. The foetal heartbeat was detected. According to the ultra- sound findings, gestational age was approximately of 1 month. The bitch was administered 10 mg ⁄ kg of aglepristone s.c. (Alizin Ò , Virbac, France) in two consecutive days according to the instructions of the manufacturer. The owner did not report any side effect after the adminis- tration of the drug. Two weeks later, the bitch was referred again to the Veterinary Clinic Hospital to perform a control ultra- sound. The abdominal ultrasound scan showed the presence of six foetuses with no anatomical abnormal- ity. Cardiovascular activity under colour and pulsed Doppler examination was within physiological values, showing all of them a heart rate between 200 and 220 bpm. A second treatment with aglepristone using the same protocol was administered again along with 5 mg⁄kg of enrofloxacin for 10 days to avoid the risk of uterine infection owing to such a late abortion induction. Two days after this treatment with aglepristone, the owner reported the abortion of some foetuses. At that time, the owner refused to perform a control ultrasound. Reprod Dom Anim 46, 738–741 (2011); doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0531.2010.01713.x ISSN 0936-6768 Ó 2010 Blackwell Verlag GmbH