Cats do not normally have any problems with fertility.

With dogs, however, nature is not always so kind.

A female dog may have problems with her fertile period: either she does not come into season or the season is abnormal, she does not conceive or there is a pregnancy loss. There are numerous reasons why these things can happen. Often finding out the cause requires blood tests, vaginal smears, ultrasound scans, etc. depending on the problem and the dog.

Determining the best mating time may require a vaginal smear examination and testing the blood progesterone level. We have plenty of experience in performing and interpreting such test results.

The most common problems for male dogs are the inability to impregnate a female, problems with mating or changes in testicles/prostate. In such cases, the dog’s genitals will be clinically examined and sperm and urine samples, etc. may be taken.

Pevisa = a programme for the prevention of hereditary diseases and defects. It refers to the medical examinations of dogs before mating that are required by the Finnish Kennel Club and without which the resulting puppies cannot be entered in the Kennel Club’s register. The programme is reviewed every year, and you can check the up-to-date requirements here:
The Finnish Kennel Club’s requirements

Hip ,elbow, shoulder and spine  X-rays are available for dogs over 12–18 months old. The X-ray will be taken under anaesthesia or sedation. After the X-ray, the dog can be given medication that reverses the anaesthetic.

Knee X-rays are available for dogs that are more than 12 months old. A medical report on the knee of a dog that is less than 3 years old is valid for 2 years, while a report made when the dog is more than 3 years old is final.

The dog will not have to be anaesthetised or sedated for the examination.

For an official eye examination, some eye drops will be placed in the dog’s eye to dilate the pupil. After the drops have been allowed to take effect for about 15–20 minutes, the eye will be examined from top to bottom in a dark room using a special eye microscope.

We perform hip, elbow, spine,shoulder and knee examinations daily at our clinic. There are currently no eye veterinarians in Vaasa, but Licentiate of Veterinary Medicine Päivi Kallioniemi comes to our clinic roughly every 3 months to perform eye examinations. We provide information about her visits on our website. The closest clinic with an eye specialist is Evidensia Seinäjoki.