J. W. TEMPLETON, A. L. ROGERS AND W. S. FLETCHER 
1075 
The dogs learn to use self-waterers in a very 
short time and are fed ad-libitum, a diet of dried 
dog food. The food bin, equipped with a weather 
shield, is filled approximately twice a week. 
The dogs regulate their food intake well, shown 
by the fact there have been very few dogs with 
excessive weight gains. The puppies are offered 
moistened dry food at three weeks of age and 
with few exceptions readily adapt to this diet 
of solid food. 
The bitches are whelped in outdoor runs 
equipped with a house containing a heat lamp. 
Prior to whelping they are maintained singly. 
Four by eight foot sheets of plywood are placed 
against the wire enclosure on each side of the 
dog house to allow privacy during whelping and 
reduce the nervousness of the whelping bitch. 
At birth each puppy is weighed and given an 
identifying number. A clip mark is used for 
identifying the puppy until 10 weeks of age 
and then is replaced by a number tattooed in 
the ear. A neck chain medallion is also used. 
The puppies are weighed weekly the first month, 
every two weeks until 12 weeks of age, and 
then monthly as long as they are in the colony. 
The mild damp climate of Oregon is con- 
ducive to external and internal parasites. The 
endoparasites are controlled by deworming at 
3, 5, 7, 8, 12 and 14 weeks of age. Deworming 
of older puppies and adults is done as required. 
Ectoparasites are controlled by insecticide 
spraying of the dogs and the dog houses. 
Puppies are vaccinated with a DHL (Distem- 
per, Hepatitis, modified live virus vaccine and 
Leptospirosis bacteria) at 7, 9 and 12 weeks of 
age and with rabies modified live virus at 6 
months of age. Booster vaccinations of DHL 
and rabies are given at one and two year in- 
tervals, respectively. 
The scheduling of worming, vaccinations, 
weighing, pelvic radiographs, physical examina- 
tions, puppy behavioral testing, and blood typ- 
ing of each dog is done by computer each month. 
The data collected on each dog are stored in a 
computer disk file where the information is 
readily available for analysis. 
In 1971 the production cost of raising a dog to 
26 weeks of age was calculated to be $80.79. 
This included costs for feed, $31.86; labor, 
$43.65; and supplies, $5.28. The costs will un- 
doubtedly have to be adjusted upward but this 
figure will always be a minor portion of research 
costs due to the need for fewer animals required 
for meaningful data. 
Future husbandry research projects which 
are successful in preliminary studies are indoor 
whelping, improved individual dog identifica- 
tion by freeze branding, and artificial nursing 
of neonate puppies which would otherwise have 
to be put to sleep. 
The reproductive physiology research has pri- 
marily emphasized artificial insemination and 
long term preservation of dog semen. The first 
reported puppies born from a bitch inseminated 
with semen stored frozen for any length of time 
was from this colony. 
To date there have been 10 successful preg- 
nancies from semen stored frozen from one to 
nine months. The possibility of preserving 
semen for wide usage in improving breeds of 
dogs is imminent. The use of stored semen in 
maintaining genetic stocks for medical research 
models is certainly an important aspect of the 
semen preservation and artificial insemination 
studies. 
Another reproductive physiology study being 
developed in this colony is the effects of various 
light spectras on the female's reproductive per- 
formance. Female dogs are being reared from 
twelve weeks of age to two years of age in 
rooms that have light sources which are com- 
mercially available but have very unusual spec- 
tral qualities. The light sources are mercury arc 
vapor, incandescent, warm white fluorescent, 
and a full spectra fluorescent. The dogs will be 
followed through puberty and studied for de- 
leterious effects of the light exposure to their 
breeding capabilities. The effects of these light 
exposures on various hormones such as luteniz- 
ing hormone, progesterone, and estrogens will 
be studied. The levels of these hormones will be 
detected by radio-immunoassay and protein 
binding. 
The physiology studies to date have been con- 
cerned with defining the oxygen dissociation 
curves of the growing dog. The P50 at birth is 
21.2 ± 0.4 mm Hg and it shifts to the right to a 
maximum of 34.5 ± 0.4 mm Hg at approxi- 
mately 65 days of age. The P50 slowly shifts 
back to 31.7 ± 0.1 mm Hg at approximately 200 
