Reading book by E.Fitch first pub 1961 paragraph reads
A FREQUENT CAUSE OF A BITCH FAILING TO BE IN WHELP AFTER WHAT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN A SATISFACTORY MATING IS THE ACID REACTION OF THE CONTENTS OF THE VAGINA.THIS DESTROYSTHE SPERM CELLS BEFORE THEY CAN REACH THE UTERUS , AND THUS PREVENTS CONCEPTION. THE CONDITION MAY BE OVERCOME BY DOUCHING THE VAGINAL PASSAGE WITH LUKE WARM WATER SOLUTION OF BICARBONATE OF SODA AN HOUR OR TWO PRIOR TO SERVICE. THIS TREATMENT IS SIMPLE AND HARMLESS AND MAY BE ADOPTED AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE BEFORE ALL MATINGS, ESPECIALLY IN THE CASE OF THE UNTRIED BITCH AND THOSE WHO HAVE MISSED TO SEVERAL PREVIOS MATINGS
UNQUOTE
wish i had found this before as just mated a maiden bitch Has anyone else heard of this?
book is called "dog breeding"

One would have thought that anything within the bitches system is natural and may act as a protection against infection so I would not dream of interfering unless it was suggested by my vet.

well this is in an old book by
e.fitch Daglish
a foyles handbook
50 years old probably an old remedy (which sometimes) are handy to know

50 years does not seem old to me ;-)

I have that book as well; not all the old remedies are the best! ;-) The douching one is not one I'd use without having swabbed and tested in advance whether the bitch's vagina was abnormally acidic in the first place.

Water and semen dont mix.Contact with water kills semen instantly

> Water and semen dont mix. Contact with water kills semen instantly

What a fabulous contraceptive!!! That can't be true- surely - I can see how osmotic changes could limit effectiveness but think that's too wide a statement to make.

Give it a go and let me know what the survival rate is.

I'd have thought douching a bitch would also destroy the interesting smells that make the stud dog interested?

TBH anything that alters the pH of the bitches is a risky business... it is that way for that bitch for a reason that we might not understand as yet :-( .

Saying water kills sperm sounds a bit dubious... its a bit like the age old statement that says you can't get pregnant if having sex in the shower

Paris, where do you get your information from?

this is taken from Forensic studies.. from a peice on Sexual assault

"Some women believe that douching after s@x will decrease their chances of pregnancy This is actually the opposite; douching can help push the sperm up the va**na. Sperm enter the cervical canal as quickly as 15 seconds after ejaculation. Some women will douche with Coca Cola, because it is said to kill sperm. This has only been proven in a test tube, not in a woman's v**ina"

~to the OP... its not something I would even consider.. Old wives tales and myths are just that.. and some can be pretty dangerous.. not worth the risk

I get my information from the work I do everyday canine reproduction using fresh and frozen semen

> I get my information from the work I do everyday canine reproduction using fresh and frozen semen

so you would be using distilled water for cleaning equipement etc.. since its the chemicals added to tap water that kills sperm.. not the water itself?

For a number of years I worked in assisted conception units(human) selling IVF medicines. I watched sperm samples spun, embryos implanted ad sat in on many many clinics. I never heard one consultant or embyologist discuss baths pre sex or showers etc doing harm or limiting chance of succesful outcomes by killing sperm at any stage of treatment. Not saying you are wrong just not something I came across which when spending most days in this environment I would have thought I would have

No we autoclave everything

Obviously a bath or shower pre sex is not going to have any effect is it.The point I am making is that if you add water directly to a sample of semen it will kill it.

The OP was asking about douching an hour or two pre mating

Ok sorry I dont know the answer

So in order to answer the op's question  in your opinion could it work.

I have no idea was just facinated to see your comments ( I love all things scientific!) and wondered if it was true. Wish I had a microscope to try it out! :-) Like others I wouldn't mess around with a bitch and guess it's a very old book.