Animal Hospital of Woodstock

11711 Catalpa Lane - Woodstock, Illinois 60098     

815-337-2900  * 815-337-7173 - Fax

AHOW Home Page

 Canine Reproduction

Reference Material: (Click a Topic)

Pre-Breeding Screening

Female Fertility / Infertility Testing

Artificial Insemination

Pregnancy Evaluations

Whelping

Male Fertility / Infertility Testing

Chilled and frozen semen shipping

Semen Bank Collection and Storage

 

Whatever your animal's reproduction needs are, please feel free to contact us.  We are always available to answer questions and look forward to meeting breeders and pet owners who are interested in the exciting world of reproduction!! 

We will work together with you to achieve what we are all striving for……healthy and happy puppies!!!

● OFA radiographs of hips, elbows and hocks: to evaluate for OCD and dysplasia (St. Bernards, German Shepherds, etc.)

● Holter monitoring: to rule out cardiomyophathy (Boxers, Dobermans, etc.)

● Echocardiography: to rule out heart disease in susceptible breeds (Cavaliers, Newfoundlands, etc.)

● BAER testing: check for hereditary deafness (Dalmatians, English Setters, etc.)

● Patellar evaluations: help rule out luxations/"slips" (Yorkies, Chihuahuas, etc.)

● Optigen testing: genetic testing to check for PRA (Labradors, etc.)

● Blood testing: for PLE/PLN initial screening (Wheaton Terriers, etc.)

2. Laboratory tests offered-

● Vaginal cytology: in-house vaginal smears to assess period in estrous cycle

● Vaginal cultures: sent out for bacterial/mycoplasma evaluations.

● Brucellosis testing

● DNA testing

3. Ultrasound - For females with a history of losing litters or problems with conception, ultrasound can help visualize abnormalities of the uterus or ovaries.

4. Vaginal Endoscopy - We utilize both a rigid and flexible scope with a camera to allow us to visualize growths or congenital abnormalities in the vaginal canal that may be causing unusual bleeding or breeding problems.

It is a good idea to have a physical exam done on your female prior to her coming into season to be sure she is in good health and that she is current on vaccinations and free of internal and external parasites prior to becoming pregnant.  We can then discuss methods of breeding to help determine which would be best for you and your female.

We typically like to start doing vaginal smears/progesterone assays about the 3rd-4th days of visible bleeding, but that depends on your female's history and cycle.

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ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION

Breeding dogs naturally is always the best means to achieve the highest pregnancy rates, but there are circumstances that arise at times where this method is not feasible.  Heavy show commitments or scheduling difficulties may make it impossible to arrange for breedings to occur.

Artificial insemination is a good way to circumvent some of these problems with a good pregnancy outcome.   It is always easier and safer to ship semen rather than risk shipping an animal on an airplane.

Artificial insemination can be broken down into two categories: 

1.  Vaginal Insemination:  This is where semen is placed directly into the bitch's vaginal canal just outside of the opening into the uterus, at the cervix.  Usually this type of insemination is performed using fresh semen which has just been collected minutes prior from the stud dog or chilled semen shipped in overnight after collecting the stud dog from a distant location.

The procedure is done using an insemination tube gently inserted into the vaginal canal. The female's hind legs are then elevated to help the semen move forward to the opening into the uterus with the aid of gravity. 

2.  Intrauterine Placement of Semen:  Chilled and especially frozen semen live a shorter period of time than fresh semen and it is more successful if this semen is deposited directly into the uterus instead of in the vaginal canal.  There are 2 methods we currently use to accomplish this placement:

      Transcervical Insemination:   With the aid of a long, slender endoscope slowly introduced into the vaginal canal, the cervical opening is visualized and a sterile, flexible catheter is passed through the opening into the uterus, where the semen is directly deposited.  One of the main advantages of this type of insemination is that there is no anesthetic needed as the bitch usually will stand quietly for the procedure.  Also, we are able to perform more than one frozen semen insemination, so the percentages of a successful breeding are greatly increased.

      Surgical Intrauterine Semen Deposition:    There are definitely times when it is advantageous to surgically inseminate a bitch.  For example, if she has a history of losing successive pregnancies or is an older bitch having problems with conception, a great deal can be learned by visualizing her reproductive tract on the inside.  We can check for cysts, tumors, blockages, adhesions, etc. and take biopsy and culture samples to help diagnose a fertility problem. 

With surgical insemination, the bitch under a general anesthetic and an incision is made on her midline below her umbilicus.  The uterus is located and the semen is deposited directly into the uterus through a small catheter introduced with a fine needle.  The abdomen is sutured closed and the bitch goes home shortly after she wakes up.  Frozen semen is most commonly used for this type of insemination, but it generally has the lowest conception rate due to the critical timing and the short interval that the semen lives once it is thawed.

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PREGNANCY EVALUATIONS

Ultrasound:

After your female has been bred, you will be anxious to know if she is pregnant!  The most common method used for pregnancy diagnosis is an ultrasound exam.

We typically recommend doing a pregnancy ultrasound 28 days after the first breeding.  A small area of her lower abdomen in the middle under her umbilicus will be shaved and she is placed comfortably on her back in a padded trough.  There is no anesthetic used and you can be there to visualize the puppies!  We can give you a C-D Rom of your ultrasound so you can have the "first pictures"!

Another advantage of ultrasound evaluations is that we can assess the well-being and stability of the puppies in the uterus at that time by looking at puppy heart rates to evaluate fetal stress, evaluating the placentas, and the determine developmental stage.  Oftentimes, we can detect a problem early in the pregnancy and take measures to help sustain a pregnancy to term.

Radiographs:

 We like to take an X-ray about 2-4 days prior to the expected delivery date to assess the positions of the puppies, number, and general size.  We use digital radiography so we are able to give you a copy of the X-ray for your files on a C-D, or we can E-mail them to a specialist if we need a second opinion on a problem.

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WHELPING

The delivery of puppies can be a very exciting and nervous time.  We are on-call after hours to answer any problems and help talk you through a lot of situations.  If problems arise, we will assist you at the clinic where we have access to diagnostic equipment.

We will perform a C-section should the need arise.  We use Propofol and Sevoflo (gas) anesthetics and the bitch is continually charted throughout the procedure with cardiac monitors, etc.  

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MALE FERTILITY / INFERTILITY TESTING

It is important to maintain good physical health and immunization status on your stud dog to enable him to be reproductively healthy.  We offer a large range of testing for infertility problems such as:

   ●  Ultrasound: assess prostatic condition to check for abscesses, cysts, etc.

   ●  Hormone analyses: to help evaluate testosterone levels, etc.

   ●  Brucellosis testing

  ●  Culture/sensitivity: bacterial and mycoplasma testing

   ●  Semen evaluation: assess such values as motility and morphology

   ●  Digital radiography

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CHILLED/EXTENDED SEMEN

Semen is collected from the dog, chilled, and extended in a solution to help it survive the trip.  It is then packaged in a special shipping container with ice packs and shipped FEDEX overnight to the veterinarian who is inseminating the bitch.  The AKC requires DNA certification on all stud dogs whose semen is being collected and extended.

It is a good idea to have a semen analysis done several weeks PRIOR to using your stud to be sure he is currently fertile.  Prostate disease, hot summer heat or illnesses are some conditions which may significantly decrease fertility.  Oftentimes, the dog owner is not even aware that the dog's fertility has dropped and a bad time to find out is when you are collecting to ship out for a planned breeding!

Contact out office EARLY when the recipient bitch starts her estrous cycle, so we can initiate communication with everyone involved.

FROZEN SEMEN

Frozen semen is stored in liquid nitrogen in tanks in either straws or pellets.  At our facility, we process semen in pellets, but we do store straws that are shipped to us from other facilities.

Semen that is frozen has very short longevity compared to fresh or chilled semen, so timing of the insemination is critical for success. Communication between everyone involved is a must in order for semen to arrive on the proper day.  It is shipped in a vapor shipper by FEDEX overnight to keep it frozen.

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SEMEN BANK COLLECTION AND STORAGE

The following is a list of requirements for freezing semen for storage.  We are an AKC approved semen storage bank facility and store the semen here in our hospital.

√  All health screenings need to be done prior to collecting your dog, such as OFA and CERF evaluations.  We will do a complete physical exam, including a digital prostate exam when your dog arrives, unless we have done one in the past 3 months. 

√  If your dog has never been collected, it is a good idea to do a preliminary semen analysis prior to the collection day to assess fertility.

√  Your dog must have a negative Brucellosis test within the past 3 months.  We can run a screening test on the day of collection if he is not current.

√  The AKC requires that the dog have a DNA profile number or test pending at the time of collection.  We can run this test here on the day of collection if he does not have this number yet.

√   We need a copy of your dog's registration papers and there will be many forms to fill out here for permission to collect, storage forms, etc.

√   It is extremely important that we have a teaser bitch in heat present at the time of collection.  We have collected many dogs without one, or with scent only and the results are much better using a teaser.  Please try and arrange to have access to one. 

√   Please call us ahead of time as we can send you via E-mail or FAX an informational packet about freezing including prices and registration forms, so the process will run more smoothly.

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