Objectives: To chart saliva crystallisation patterns throughout pro-oestrus and oestrus in bitches, and to assess their reliability as a tool for optimising the timing of breeding.
Methods: Six beagle bitches with normal reproductive activity were used. Saliva ferning patterns were established during pro-oestrus and oestrus. Vaginal cytology, progesterone (P4) levels and behavioural signs were used to determine the optimum mating time. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed.
Results: Different ferning patterns were scored from 0 to 2. Although variations in saliva crystallisation were noted during the follicular phase of the oestrous cycle in bitches, the test did not prove accurate; test sensitivity was 40.6%, i.e. too low to reliably discriminate the fertile period, while specificity was 86.1%.
Clinical significance: This test could be used to complement other methods of determining the fertile period in bitches, but its potential capacity remains to be demonstrated.