Basic reproduction of the dog

Lecture Notes

Here we see a picture of a portion of the reproductive tract of a female dog, or bitch.

The paired ovaries are the female gonads; they contain the oocytes and are responsible for much of the dog's reproductive hormone production.

The oviducts are small ducts that transport the oocytes from the ovary to the uterus. The uterine horns join and form the uterine body anterior to the cervix. (Remember that anterior means toward the head of the animal.)

The cervix is a structure consisting of dense connective tissue that connects the uterus to the vagina.

And the vagina is the female copulatory organ that opens at the external genitalia, or vulva.

The mesometrium is part of a larger support system throughout the abdominal cavity; the mesometrium is specifically the part that supports the uterus.