If you have decided to breed your pet and need assistance, there are many ways that we can help. First and foremost is determining the right time to breed your dogs. This is done primarily through the use of a progersterone, or hormone assay. Vaginal cytology may also aid in predicting the best time to breed.

 As they say, “Timing is everything!”

If breeding has taken place, we can confirm the presence of live fetuses with the use of our ultrasound machine. The pregnancy must be at least 4 weeks along to do this. Normal gestation is 9 weeks. X–rays may be taken 1 week before delivery in order to count the puppies and evaluate the birth canal diameter for passage of the pups.

VAGINAL ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION
The bitch is held up by one of our technicians, head down, to facilitate the gravitational flow of semen to the opening of the cervix. The semen is inseminated from a syringe through a plastic rod. This method is best used in situations where both the male and female are deemed reproductively healthy and a natural breeding is not desirable or attainable.

A major advantage of this method is that it allows evaluation of the male's semen, not easily done after a natural breeding. This technique does not require any sedation, only manual restraint and is the most common method used.

INTRA-UTERINE SEMEN DEPOSITION
The advantage of depositing semen in the uterus was first realized when canine frozen was first utilized. Conception rates increased six times when the canine frozen semen was deposited in the uterus rather than vaginally. Two methods of intra-uterine semen deposition are currently being performed at The Animal and Bird Hospital of Clearwater located in Florida.

 

 

 

SURGICAL INTRAUTERINE DEPOSITION OF SEMEN gives a bitch the greatest chance of conception. The procedure allows for the examination of the uterus for cysts, occlusions and adhesions. Many times, corrections of any problems are possible at the time of the surgery, greatly increasing a bitch's chance of conception. The procedure does require anesthesia. Propofol(R), a short-acting injectable anesthetic, is given. The bitch is then intubated and placed on Sevothane(R), a gas anesthetic. A 2-3 inch abdominal incision is performed, then the uterus is isolated and evaluated and the semen injected into the uterus through a hypodermic needle. No incision is made in the uterus. The muscle and skin are sutured. The total technique takes approximately 15-30 minutes. The bitch is sent home immediately after the surgery. When using frozen semen, surgical insemination is used. This ensures this compromised semen is delivered to the uterus, close to the oviducts where fertilization takes place. Surgical insemination is also useful when breeding a reproductively older bitch (four years or older) or using semen that is of lower quality. The basis of artificial insemination is to enhance the bitch's chance of conceiving and present you with the puppies you desire. Dr. Katherine Murphy and her highly trained staff will be more than happy to consult with you concerning the best method of artificial insemination for your individual bitch.