Saturday, November 3, 2012

Answers

I'm a little later than planned with answers / explanations.  The dog is a Pug but I'm afraid the exact difference between a true hermaphrodite versus a pseudohermaphrodite still confuses me a little.  I think it would be considered a pseudo but I'll describe the findings for you and maybe someone with more interest / knowledge of repro stuff can clarify.  Outwardly, she had a vulva with a hyper-developed clitoris including an os clitoris protruding from the vulva.  Inside there was a normal bifurcated uterus, complete with cervix, but instead of ovaries, testicles were attached.  We did not send in any tissues or do further testing as this was a rescue dog so...some things must be left in the dark.  It was a fun case, however, and a nice little deviation from the "routine spay."

2 comments:

darchole said...

Here's an article about it in dogs:
http://vri.cz/docs/vetmed/52-2-74.pdf

Basically if external sex characteritics don't match the internal gonads (testes or ovaries) then it's pseudo. How the gonads are attached to the external gentalia doesn't seem to matter. If there isn't symmetry in the internal sex organs (so ovary on one side, teste on the other), or if there's something called an ovoteste, and maybe ambiguous external genitalia, then it's a "true" hermaphrodite. It's an interplay between genetics, development and hormones (also chemicals that act like hormones). It seems that for pseudo, development is normal, to a point, and something (hormones? genetics? chemicals?) throws it off, while in true, the development isn't right in the first place (which probably isn't related to genetics or hormones, since that should effect development on both sides). If the genetalia and gonads don't match the chromosomal makeup then it's a sex reversal. At least in dogs.

Unknown said...

I have a female blue heeler with an os clitoridis . If I get her spayed do you think the os clitoridis would cause any trouble? It sticks out just a little . Thanks