Contents:
How to get sperm from a dog for artificial insemination
Sperm bank for dogs
Why Should You Use a Dog Sperm Bank?
System of Male Reproduction
Sperm booster for dogs
Artificial insemination with canine semen
Types of semen
INSEMINATION TIMING: MONITORING YOUR BITCH’S HEAT/ESTROUS CYCLE
SEMEN DEPOSITION SITE: ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION TECHNIQUES
INTRA-UTERINE SURGICAL INSEMINATION
THE IMPORTANCE OF SEMEN HANDLING AND EVALUATION
Introduction:
The dog is the first mammalian species in which a pregnancy-induced by artificial insemination (AI) has been described. AI in dogs is becoming more popular in recent decades. A limited number of doses may be obtained from a single ejaculation, especially when semen is cryopreserved. It is a limiting factor in canine artificial insemination. In cattle, 300 to 400 semen doses may be made from one ejaculate; in horses, ten to fifteen doses can be obtained from one ejaculate; in dogs, less than five cryopreserved semen doses can be collected from one ejaculate. Although dog breeding is not a good source of income in and of itself, most dog breeders cannot ignore the significant expenditures of semen cryopreservation. The quantity of insemination doses per ejaculate is tightly linked to the economic effectiveness of commercial AI. Semen cryopreservation in dogs is significantly less cost-effective than in cattle or horses.
How to get sperm from a dog for artificial insemination
Semen collection in dogs is a relatively simple task. Sperm must be collected and evaluated for excellent results in canine AI. However, practitioners frequently collect sperm and perform AI without detailed sperm analysis. Every sperm collected sample should be evaluated to check motility, total sperm count, and morphology before it is used for artificial insemination.
Without a teaser, most dogs’ sperm may be collected in a quiet, isolated environment where disturbances should be avoided. At the same time, the presence of a bitch might allow for better ejaculates. The presence of a female in estrus or the use of frozen-thawed swabs or gauze sponges collected from vaginal secretions of estrus bitches might offer stimulating estrus fragrance in hesitant males.
If the male is consistently used, the period between collections or between natural mating and collection should be recorded. Durations of 2 to 5 days between collections are ideal, but intervals of more than 10 days may result in an increased number of morphological defects and reduced motility. If the sperm is to be chilled or frozen for export, it is best to do one preceding collection over a longer time. If sperm preservation is desired, a sperm extender should be prepared before the arrival of the animal.
In the presence of a female, the most common approach for semen collection in the dog is digital manipulation. However, although the presence of a bitch is desired since it helps processes, it is not required to complete the collection. It should be noted that when the collection is performed in the presence of the bitch, ejaculates have a greater concentration.
Sperm bank for dogs
Professor Carrol C. Platz, Jr established the International Canine Semen Bank (ICSB) in 1971. This program is built on approaches found by Professor Platz over more than 40 years of study and operation.
There are around 30 ICSB (International Canine Semen Bank) centers in the United States alone, alternative sperm banks such as Canine Cryobank (which claims an 80 percent success rate), and others.
Because many owners do not intend to collect samples from their dogs, several facilities provide their collecting techniques. That’s when things become strange:
A teaser is a female dog in heat employed to prepare the dog.
Human technicians interrupt just as he’s ready to get busy.
A sperm sample is produced by manual or electrical stimulation, which is usually adequate for numerous future breedings.
NBC News offers a more colorful and extensive explanation for the procurement and several insemination choices.
Why Should You Use a Dog Sperm Bank?
People using these services are becoming popular nowadays. What are the motives for preserving sperm? Beyond business, dog owners are increasingly interested in using the technique for personal reasons.
Show Me the Puppy: Obviously, breeders who attend dog shows want their prize-winning hound to produce award-winning offspring similarly, and stockpiling future canine runway models is a fantastic way to extend that reign, especially if the current champ suffers an unforeseen injury.
Sharing is Caring: You believe your dog is the best, so why not share with the rest of the pack? In many situations, samples are preserved with bios and sold to customers who wish to breed your dog’s winning features with another to generate a similar dog or a hybrid that combines the best of both worlds. This may also be pretty profitable: the owner of one show winner earns $2,000 for each sample.
Reasons for a sperm bank
Buy dog sperm online UK
K9 Semen is in high demand.
Demand for sperm continues even after your dog has beyond his fertile reproductive years.
Your lifestyle necessitates frequent travel for you or your dog, making access to him challenging.
A reproductive exam, collection, semen assessment, freezing, and storage for the first year are all part of the freezing procedure. The number of litters a male dog may produce varies, usually between 4 and 8 litters. The sperm is kept on the Idaho Veterinary Hospital grounds and may be utilized locally or exported.
Sperm count in male dogs, particularly those used in breeding programs, is influenced by various variables such as organ development, environmental conditions, and the pace at which sperm is collected, whether artificially or by breeding.
Early male development
To comprehend what influences the male dog’s capacity to create sperm, one must first learn about the male dog’s reproductive system. While in the early phases of development, each dog is female. A Y chromosome’s existence impacts the testes’ development, stimulating the synthesis of the hormones necessary to construct the male reproductive system.
System of Male Reproduction
The testes are enclosed in the scrotum and separated from one another by a connective tissue wall. A complex system of blood arteries and muscles in the scrotum work together to maintain a consistent temperature in the scrotum, perfect for sperm production. If this temperature rises above or below the ideal, sperm production is reduced or even stopped.
Environment issues
Pesticides have also been linked to decreased sperm production in dogs. Scientists have discovered that the following compounds, routinely used to treat crops for pests, have a harmful influence on sperm counts in otherwise healthy dogs: alachlor, atrazine, and diazinon.
Considerations for Breeding
Overbreeding a dog reduces sperm count because the spermatozoa do not have enough time to develop before being released in the sperm. Dogs bred at least once a day will have low sperm counts. It is suggested to breed a dog every other day for maximum potency. Reproductive more than once a day during the breeding cycle is not hazardous to the dog. However, following matings will be less successful since the viable sperm count decreases with each consecutive mating.
Age
Finally, age affects a dog’s capacity to produce sperm. As a dog matures, the pituitary gland produces less and less testosterone, signalling the testes to make sperm. This normal phase of ageing cannot be reversed, but giving the dog high-quality dog food, frequent exercise, and good veterinary care can reduce the ageing process and maintain the dog in breeding conditions for many years.
Sperm booster for dogs
Glycosaminoglycans. This is the most often utilized nutraceutical category for increasing sperm quantity and quality. Many manufacturers use it in their formulas. Perna (green-lipped) mussels are the principal active element in several, including International Canine Semen Bank’s CF-PlusR.
Anti-oxidants. Vitamins C, Vit E, beta carotene, and selenium are examples. Many manufacturers sell these without a prescription. They seem to protect the cells by eliminating free radicals. Furthermore, increased sperm counts in the ejaculate have been documented. This product’s usage is not supported by documentation. Anecdotal evidence suggests that when this product is used, semen concentrations improve, there are fewer head and acrosomal abnormalities, and semen tolerates chilling and freezing better. Some components might be dangerous if used excessively, so caution when this is suggested.
Omega-3 fatty acid supplements: Many manufacturers sell these without a recommendation. Much evidence suggests that when the dog has a large proportion of proximal droplets, the semen shape improves.
L-Carnitine This dietary supplement affects fat metabolism. It is sold by numerous manufacturers and may be included in senior dog diets. It has been reported that it improves sperm motility anecdotally. The mechanism of action has yet to be identified.
Artificial insemination with canine semen
The type of semen (fresh or frozen), the quality and amount of the semen, the age and fertility of both the stud dog and the bitch, the site of semen deposition (intrauterine or vaginal), and the timing of insemination all affect the chance of conception with artificial insemination.
Types of semen
Three types of dog sperm may be used for insemination:
Fresh
Fresh-chilled
Frozen
Fresh
The vitality of freshly ejaculated dog semen is the longest. Semen from young, healthy stud canines may survive in the bitch’s reproductive system for up to 5-7 days.
Fresh-chilled
Dilution of frozen semen in specific canine extenders containing egg yolk and buffers that preserve the sperm throughout the chilling process results in fresh-chilled sperm. The extended semen is then gently chilled to 4 degrees Celsius, where it may survive for up to 3-4 days. (Semen from certain stud canines has been observed to sustain viability and fertility after 10 days of storage at 4 C.) Chilling sperm conserves its energy, extending its lifetime and viability.
Preserving canine semen in the refrigerator makes it easier to export it inside the United States or abroad to Canada or Mexico. It is an excellent alternative to shipping the stud dog to the bitch or vice versa when they are located far apart, which may be expensive and impractical.
Frozen
Frozen semen is kept in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of -196 C. Semen is frozen and stored in either “straws” or “pellets.” The freeze-thawing procedure causes sperm damage, lowering the sperm’s lifetime in the bitch to just 12-24 hours. When dealing with frozen semen, it is crucial to determine when ovulation happened so that the frozen sperm is put into the uterus when the oocytes or “eggs” are ready to be fertilized.
INSEMINATION TIMING: MONITORING YOUR BITCH’S HEAT/ESTROUS CYCLE
The timing of insemination is critical. Monitoring your bitch’s heat, or estrous cycle, to find the best time to inseminate involves performing one or more of the following procedures:
Progesterone levels in the blood are being measured.
Vaginal smears for cytologic assessment to help in determining when to inseminate and to screen for infectious or inflammatory processes
Vaginoscopy is used to evaluate the vaginal vault, which corresponds to the estrous cycle stage and is a handy tool for timing. Before breeding, vaginoscopy may also rule out anatomical anomalies (strictures, septa, persisting hymen).
The amount of samples required to determine when to inseminate differs amongst bitches. It suggests early testing five days after the onset of heat (first visible indication) and continuing every second or third day until we identify when the bitch has discharged her ovulatory hormone known as “luteinizing hormone” or “LH.” The day this happens is known as the “LH surge” or “LH Day 0,” corresponding to a progesterone level of up to 2 ng/ml.
Artificial insemination is performed on the days prescribed by doctors based on the type of semen used. For example, insemination using frozen-thawed semen is performed on Day 5 if only one insemination is done on Days 4 and 6 or Day 5 and 6 if two inseminations can be performed.
SEMEN DEPOSITION SITE: ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION TECHNIQUES
TRANSCERVICAL INVESTIGATION: A veterinarian conducts transcervical insemination on a dog. The vet performs transcervical insemination.
In which semen is deposited directly into the uterus to optimize the possibility of conception is the intrauterine insemination method experts suggest when utilizing frozen-thawed semen or low amounts of possibly contaminated fresh or chilled semen.
Dr. Marion of New Zealand created this internationally recognized procedure in 2001. It offers the benefits of not requiring anesthesia or sedation, being non-surgical, and causing less stress. In addition, unlike artificial surgical insemination, it allows for many inseminations to be performed throughout the bitch’s heat.
Transcervical insemination may not be an option for pigs, usually due to behavioral reasons.
The dog transcervical insemination endoscope has seen major advancements. A new scope has been developed, particularly for transcervical insemination in dogs. Transcervical insemination is made more accessible in large breeds and maiden bitches.
VAGINAL INFECT: When fresh or chilled semen with sufficient sperm counts and quality, deposition of semen at the end of the vagina may result in pregnancy and litter sizes comparable to random mating.
Catheters for vaginal artificial insemination come in a variety of shapes and sizes. A unique artificial insemination catheter is inserted into the end of the vagina. A bulb at the end of the catheter is inflated at this time to stimulate the enlargement of the dog’s bulbous glands during mating. It not only inhibits sperm backflow but also stretches the vaginal wall, causing oxytocin secretion and stimulation of vaginal and uterine smooth muscular contractions, allowing semen to be transported into the uterus. Fresh sperm is carefully put down the catheter into the far end of the vagina once the bulb has been inflated. The warm canine semen extender is then used to assist flush the semen into the uterus in the same manner that prostatic fluid does during natural mating.
This procedure may be employed in all breeds, is non-invasive, involves less expertise and equipment than intrauterine artificial insemination techniques, and is, therefore, less expensive. It is often used in maidens and studs who fail to “tie” or mate for various reasons.
The use of frozen-thawed sperm through vaginal artificial insemination is not recommended. Aside from the previously noted drastically shortened lifetime, frozen semen breeding units contain significantly fewer numbers (i.e. 100 million motile sperm per “AI dosage”) than a fresh or cold insemination dose. As a consequence of the deposition of a few frail frozen-thawed sperm into the hostile vaginal environment, few sperm migrate past the cervix into the uterus and reach the fallopian tubes (oviduct), the site of conception. As a consequence, the pregnancy rate and litter size are reduced.
INTRA-UTERINE SURGICAL INSEMINATION
Researchers do not encourage surgical insemination. This technique entails general anesthesia and surgery, both of which include hazards. The uterus is identified and exteriorized after making an incision in the abdomen. The sperm is then immediately inserted into the uterine horns. It can only be done once during the heat of the bitch. Furthermore, surgical insemination does not affect conception rates or litter size.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SEMEN HANDLING AND EVALUATION
A careful and skilled handling of the semen is required regardless of the kind of semen (fresh, fresh-chilled, or frozen) or the technique of artificial insemination utilized to deposit the semen. Furthermore, the evaluation of a sample of sperm by a skilled and educated specialist before insemination is crucial to increasing pregnancy rates.
Artificial insemination is a powerful tool for reproductive management. It enables the movement of sperm both domestically and internationally. It is vital to manage both the stud dog and the bitch to optimize pregnancy rate and litter size following artificial insemination.