pregnancy
As gestation or pregnancy (from Latin graviditas , pregnancy ' ) refers to the discharge of the offspring in the uterus in female live-bearing animals . It extends from fertilization to the litter and thus corresponds to human pregnancy .
Determination of pregnancy
Establishing or confirming pregnancy is a common task of the general practitioner . It can be done by:
- Feeling ( palpation ) of the enlarged uterus or the fetus itself through the abdominal wall or, in larger animals, via the rectum ( rectal examination )
- imaging procedures (especially ultrasound )
- Hormone determinations (dog: relaxin )
Gestation period (gestation period)
The gestation period (gestation period) varies depending on the species. In addition, breed-specific and also individual fluctuations can occur within an animal species. It is known, for example, from rats that if there is a shortage of food, they can inhibit the fetus from maturing or regress completely.
| Days of gestation in pets | |
|---|---|
| Animal species | medium duration |
| Golden hamster | 16 |
| House mouse | 18-23 |
| Black rat | 21-23 |
| Domestic rabbit | 30-32 |
| Domestic cat | 58-63 |
| Domestic dog | 63-68 |
| House guinea pigs | 63-70 |
| Domestic pig | 114 |
| Domestic goat | 150 |
| Domestic sheep | 150 |
| Domestic cattle | 280 |
| Domestic horse | 336 |
| House donkey | 365-370 |
| Gestation period of selected wild animals in days | |
|---|---|
| Animal species | medium duration |
| Hedgehog | 35 |
| racoon | 65 |
| Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) | average 230 |
| Bonobo (Pan paniscus) | 220-250 |
| Galápagos sea lion | 342-365 |
| giraffe | 420-450 |
| rhino | 450-540 |
| African elephant | 630-722 |
| Alpine salamander | 730-1095 |
For comparison: pregnancy in humans lasts an average of 266 days.
Individual evidence
- ^ Karl Ernst Georges : Comprehensive Latin-German concise dictionary . 8th, improved and increased edition. Hahnsche Buchhandlung, Hannover 1918 ( zeno.org [accessed on August 19, 2020] dictionary entry 'graviditas').
- ↑ Joachim W. Dudenhausen , Willibald Pschyrembel , Michael Obladen, Dieter Grab: Practical Obstetrics. Walter de Gruyter, 2011, ISBN 3-11-022869-6 , p. 19 .