Reproduction

Monash Veterinary Clinic has vast experience in canine and feline reproduction.
We are skilled in all areas of canine and feline reproduction including:

• Insemination timing techniques.
• Reproductive difficulties.
• Transport of semen within Australia.
• Management of your breeding program.
• Storage of your pet's semen.

Monash Veterinary Clinic Seminar Notes

October 2006

On the 5th of October 2006, Dr Ray Ferguson and Dr Stuart Mason held a very successful seminar at KCC Park in Cranbourne for the Poodle Club of Victoria. Topics discussed included fertility issues and increasing fertility of both male and female dogs, abortion and reabsorption of puppies, Fading Puppy Syndrome and DNA disease testing of breeding animals. Over 70 people attended the evening.

Notes from the seminar are available for your viewing.

July 2007

On the 13th of July 2007, Dr Stuart Mason held a very successful seminar at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club of Victoria. Topics covered included normal bitch cycles, timing of matings/inseminations, new techniques in artificial inseminations and caesarean sections.

Notes from the seminar are available for your viewing.

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Import and Export of Frozen Semen

For all your import and export requirements of semen into and out of Australia we recommend Cryo Genes. Cryo Genes have extensive experience in the import and export process for frozen semen and can meet all of your requirements at a very competitive price.
For more information on their services, please or visit the Cryo Genes website.
Monash Veterinary Clinic can then meet all of your storage needs.

Planning a Frozen Semen Breeding

Frozen semen has greatly facilitated international breeding and preserving genetics from animals which have passed away or been desexed. Special shipping containers keep the semen viable while it is being transported. It will allow you to expand and improve the available gene pool without the risks and expense of shipping dogs for breeding or importing the dogs themselves.

Plan in Advance

The use of frozen semen should not be an emergency and must be planned well in advance. Each country has individual regulations regarding the importation of frozen canine semen as well as the registration of litters born through AI with imported semen.
Advance notice will allow the time necessary to:

• Identify a desired stud dog and make arrangements with the stud owner.
• Investigate regulations/requirements of the country of importation and local kennel registry.
• Obtain necessary documents.
• Have semen frozen according to regulations.
• Arrange shipping of semen.

Use an Experienced Veterinarian

The use of frozen semen requires expertise above and beyond that of fresh or chilled semen for artificial insemination. Camelot Farms and Symbiotic affiliated veterinarians throughout the world are trained to handle frozen semen inseminations. A current list of these veterinarians is available from Monash Veterinary Clinic.
It is important that:

• The bitch being bred is reproductively normal. Frozen semen use is not a solution to infertility problems.
• Accurate ovulation timing is performed. Since frozen semen lives 24 hours or less after it is thawed, it must be inseminated during the short 2-3 day fertile period for conception to occur.
• Frozen semen is handled and thawed properly.
• Proper insemination techniques are used.

Insemination Techniques

Each time semen is frozen from a stud dog, a small amount is examined to assess the quality of the semen and recommendations for use are made accordingly. Three different methods of frozen semen insemination are presently available for use in the bitch. In most cases however, imported semen is inseminated surgically since this technique is the most reliable, yields the highest rate of conception and uses the lowest quantity of semen.

1. Vaginal Insemination:

   In this simple technique semen is deposited into the cranial vagina using a rigid pipette. No sedation or special equipment is required. This is the same method used in most fresh semen and chilled semen inseminations. Once deposited, sperm must travel through the cervix into the uterus and then into the oviducts where conception takes place. Therefore, the motility quality of the sperm cells must be adequate for them to travel this distance through the natural barriers present. In addition, since most of the sperm cells do not survive to reach the site of conception, total sperm numbers needed per insemination are high.

   Historically, procedures necessary to enable canine sperm cells to survive freezing and thawing also interfered with their ability to reach the site of conception when inseminated into the vagina. Considerable research and efforts by Camelot Farms using their frozen pellet system have been devoted to overcome this limitation. Higher conception rates can now be achieved using vaginal insemination of semen frozen in pellets.
   In general, vaginal inseminations may be used when:

   • Post-thaw motility is 40% or greater.
   • Post-thaw sperm motility quality is good.
   • Sperm numbers are adequate.
   • At least 200 million live sperm cells should be used with a vaginal insemination.
2. Transcervical Insemination (TCI):

   In this procedure semen is deposited directly into the uterus by passing a catheter through the cervix. The bitch has an endoscope passed into her vagina to enable us to visualise the cervix and then the catheter is inserted through the cervix. This procedure is quick and does not involve a general anaesthetic. The bitches tolerate this procedure very well and it is suitable for most medium to large breeds.

   Passing a catheter can be difficult in smaller breeds. If we are not able to pass the catheter then the bitch will need to have an anaesthetic and a surgical insemination. TCI allows us to do repeated inseminations 24 hours apart and so enhance the chance of a pregnancy and a larger litter. The expected conception rate for TCI is the same as for surgical inseminations.

3. Surgical Insemination:

   In this procedure semen is deposited directly into the uterus via a fast, simple surgical technique. Because sperm is placed close to the site of conception semen of low motility and/or poor quality may be used and still achieve a high rate of conception. In addition, a reduced number of sperm cells may be used per insemination since more of the deposited sperm will reach the conception site.

   The bitch is placed under general anaesthesia. An incision is made into the abdominal cavity and semen is injected into the uterus. Sterile technique is maintained. The expected conception rate is usually 80-90%.
   Surgical insemination may be used when:

   • Post-thaw motility is less than 30%.
   • Post-thaw motility quality is poor.
   • Total sperm numbers are low.
   • A breeding is particularly important to increase the chance of conception.

Quantity of Semen to Acquire

Frozen semen is stored in either small plastic straws or pellets. Pellets usually provide a higher quality of semen. A breeding unit is that quantity of semen required to produce a pregnancy at one surgical insemination. The breeding unit is 100 million live sperm cells. To achieve 100 million it may require 4–10 straws or several pellets. Vaginal inseminations usually require twice this amount to produce a pregnancy.

The quantity of semen obtained per collection is dependent on the dog's sperm count and size. Most medium to large breeds produce 4-5 breeding units of 100 million sperm cells. Small dogs may only produce 1–2 breeding units. In general, a young mature dog (2-4 years of age) will have a higher sperm count and better quality semen than older dogs or young immature dogs. Breeders may need to obtain more than one ejaculation in order to obtain sufficient semen for their breeding plans.

Breeders should contact the clinic in advance of using frozen semen so as to ensure their needs are fulfilled. A plan for the number of bitches to be bred and the number of straws to be used should take the above factors into account to prepare everyone involved for the expected time and costs.

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