Maintenance of Pregnancy and Evaluation of Subsequent Fertility in Unilaterally Ovariohysterectomized Rabbits

Uterine pathologic changes can occur during pregnancy in rabbits. Unilateral ovariohysterectomy during pregnancy was performed in rabbits and pregnancy maintenance and the subsequent fertility after the operations were evaluated. The operation was performed in second term of pregnancy in 12 New Zealand White pregnant rabbits, weighing 2600-4600 g. Two rabbits were out of study and one rabbit was died during the operation. Five does whelped normally. Although, the number of remained implantation sites and corpus luteums were recorded during operation, precise number of live born fetuses was only observed in one doe. The nine does were mated again and whelped live and healthy fetuses after operation. Unilateral ovariohysterectomy had negative effects on pregnancies but the operation had no adverse effects on length of gestation, the weight of newborns and further fertilities. However, the procedure allows an alternative operation to ovariohysterectomy during pregnancy pathologies in rabbits.