Current Status of Canine Artificial Insemination (AI): Semen Processing and AI Technique

Artificial insemination (AI) in dogs has become wildly popular over the last decades—partly due to advances in canine reproduction and partly due to the lucrative pet industry. Some dog owners opt for AI to avoid complications of natural breeding such as injury or transmission of venereal diseases. Others prefer to improve their genetic line by use of a sire some distance away; it is easier and cheaper to ship semen than either dog. Other owners have no choice but to use AI for problem breeders including subfertile bitches or studs, geriatric or young, inexperienced studs which cannot achieve a tie, aggressive bitches, or conformationally challenged breeds (e.g. English Bulldog). Recently, many owners have elected AI to improve pregnancy rates and litter size.

Pregnancy rates (# of bitches pregnant/# of bitches bred) and conception rates (# of fetuses/# of ovulated oocytes) achieved using AI can equal or exceed rates achieved by natural breeding. This is in large part due to accurate timing of insemination in relation to ovulation and improved semen extenders when cooled shipped semen is used. Perhaps the greatest contributing factor is the widespread use of trans-cervical insemination (TCI): non-surgical deposition of semen directly into the uterus by catheterization of the cervix. TCI can be achieved using a “Norwegian catheter” or rigid cystoscope. It has major advantages over surgical AI (“implant”) in that it avoids anesthesia, surgical complications, and most importantly, can be easily repeated. Pregnancy rates and litter size are significantly improved with multiple breedings.   [...]