Some aspects of the puerperium after singleton and twin parturitions in Santa Inês ewes submitted to energy restriction during pregnancy

The present work aimed to characterize the uterine involution after singleton and twin parturitions in Santa Inês ewes submitted to two nutritional diets. Sixteen pregnant pluriparous Santa Inês ewes, with age ranging from 3 to 5 years, were used. The animals were randomized into four experimental groups of four animals each. The experiment was a 2 × 2 factorial with number of lambs (singleton versus twin pregnancy) and diet (maintenance diet versus maintenance diet with 15% energy deficit). To determinate the number of fetuses, all ewes were submitted to an ultrasonographic evaluation at days 30, and checked at 45 and 60 days of pregnancy. Genital tract involution was followed by vaginal smear cytology and transrectal evaluation of the uterus by ultrasonography. Changes in cells from the vaginal wall were not useful to characterize the involution process of the genital tract in ewes, however leukocyte cells were. Ultrasonographic observations pointed to a longer period for reduction and stabilization of uterine size after twin parturition, and there was no alteration of the uterine involution process due to the level of nutritional restriction.