Over the years there have been a few questions about AI on the forum. I am taking one of my girls for a Trans  cervical insemination tomorrow after having a series of progesterone tests to identify ovulation. She will have two inseminations day 3 and day 4 post ovulation to maximise chances of a litter.

If people are interested will post experiences and progress reports

Definitely.

I have a friend in Somerset who is considering the possibilities of AI for her champion bitch, but the poor success rate, red tape, logistics and costs are off putting.

I am seeing AI as an option becoming more popular in the last year or so but as Barbara says it is an expensive one.

Are the studs being used deceased or in another country?

I'd love to follow the progress of your experiences with this.
I only know of one in my breed that has done this, on a maiden bitch too, so that caused quite a stir in some circles, but it was all approved by the appropriate breed clubs and kennel clubs. I think the reasons behind doing it was to save the trauma of travelling to Europe from the States, it certainly wasn't cheaper though, only 2 pups were born, but the retained semen will be used at a later date.
Good luck klb

I imported semen from an Austrailian dog in 2004.  I have previously tried twice with surgical AI and failed. I now plan to try again with a daughter of the bitch I imported semen for, who was born from a natural mating after the failed AI attempts.

I imported the semen on a no pups free return contract and shipped four breeding units. Unfortunately the dog died following a snake bite shortly after he was collected. The retained semen from the same collection ( in Australia) has subsequently produced a litter.

My current girl is 4 year old multi champion, she is hip scored, elbow screened, heart tested, genetically tested vWD clear & CD clear ( both very rare occurrences in my breed) She is a maiden bitch.

She was progesterone tested from day 5 and at that time showed baseline levels. She was tested at three day intervals and ovulated on day 15 and will be inseminated twice on day 18 and day 19. I have two options either split a breeding unit,which is 1 million live motile sperm into two doses ( two straws / day)  or inseminate two full breeder units and use the remaining semen I have left.  I still haven't decided what to do..... Will I really try a fourth time if this doesn't work ??????  I have until 12.30 tomorrow to make a decision :)

Hopefully 3rd time lucky.

I am fascinated by how many straws you would get from one ejaculate/collection, when mated naturally the bitch would get the whole amount into her vagina and in AI only some is inserted through the cervix bypassing one hurdle the natural sperm have to struggle past.

I presume the semen is checked for quality after it has thawed before the insemination takes place.

It is a handy option for those breeds in small numbers in the UK that need new genes adding to the mix or where a health problem needs erradicating by bringing in unaffected genes.

Each dog will be different with regards to breeder units / collection. When I collect my old boy he produced 9 breeding units ( medium sized dog - 25 inches / 30 kg) The semen is evaluated for morphology ( how the little swimmers are formed), motility ( how well they swim) and total sperm count.

For frozen semen,if quality is good enough to freeze in first place, a sample is tested after a test thaw to check all the above again. Some quality will be lost due to freeze process, the sperm are sluggish and don't swim as well as fresh and deforested semen only lives a max of 12 hrs rather than up to 7 days. Low rates of motility and higher rates of abnormal morphology significantly reduce chances of successful litter with frozen semen.  Hence timing is essential, eggs must be ready for fertilisation when semen inseminated.

As greatest cost is usually in the shipping of frozen semen it is only worth shipping top quality frozen semen

Oooh good luck, keep us posted :)

This is really interesting. Good luck and I look forward to reading the rest of your story.

Well stage one complete. The TCI went well, I was allowed to stay with my girl who was relaxed and happy throughout. Cervix catheterised under visualisation via endoscope. Once catheter in place semen defrosted and injected. A quick check on semen showed motility of approx 50% so that was a bit disappointing as told quality was better than this when shipped. ideally you would want 70- 75% motility post thaw but we can only work with what we have.

Will repeat tomorrow to maximise potential to catch the eggs that might not have been just ready for firtilisation today. Then we will have a long wait !!!!

I sent frozen semen to Finland earlier this year. It is mixed with another solution before it is frozen. The vet got 15 straws out of one collection. She works on 3 straws per AI attempt. The AI in Finland was successful, the bitch produced 4 puppies.

I'll follow this with interest as both my attempts (2 bitches, 2 dogs, 2 AI specialists) resulted in no pups.

It's a dodgy job for sure ... Refuse to get excited this time round but I can live in hope :)

Good luck.  I imported chilled and done TCI in February and unfortunately it wasnt successful.  A very costly experience at almost £1500!!!
Someone within our breed has just had a litter of 10 healthy puppies from frozen semen brought back from the US that was shipped there many years ago from a UK dog ( died years ago) so some people do have success!!  Having looked into the success of this I really do think that a lot of it comes down to the person doing the procedure.  Finland have great success rates and I can only presume its because it is so common over there and they are good at what they do.
I would have loved to try again but as I despretely want a puppy from my champion bitch and she is now 6 (already had one litter) this is her last shot so I took her to a German stud.
I look forward to hearing how you get on.
Good luck x

Meant to add the semen I used was down to around 50 % and the frozen semen that produced the litter was around 60% when thawed.  I was told that semen of even 30% has been successful.

This was why I think if at all possible it is better and more economical to travel with the bitch to the stud. 

Even better if someone was willing to lend you the stud, now that they only need to have had Rabies at least 3 weeks before in listed countries, plus pet passport/Certificate, much more a possibility for international co-operation.

Second AI done yesterday so now it's a long wait ... Will be back with scan results in due course.

Oh Good Luck klb, fingers crossed after all that effort and expense results in a lovely litter.

Very interesting, will wait progress with interest

I had an interesting conversations about this topic with many people reporting great success when shipping from the UK to be implanted abroad..the problem seems to be the other way round.

Bringing IN semen to be implanted by UK 'experts' seems to have a far greater failure rate than overseas repro vets.
My US friends have great success within the US and Ive been offered semen from two dogs Ive sent over but with the statistics against me I dont think Ill bother.

Do you think the KCs reluctance to allow AI for so long has left the profession here playing catch up?

I don't think so as AI was primarily used for importing new lines rather than due to distance with a UK resident dog (distances are far greater in USA and Australia where AI is used more often). 

The only other restriction (now removed) was that the bitch was not to be a maiden.

There just seems to be far less interest in canine reprodcutive work in the veterinary proffesion here outside of GDBA, and the Greyhound Racing Industry.  Our population size is much smaller than in USA, and I suspect there isn't enough call for it to be profitable.

I too was thinking lack of use in the UK has led to lack of skill.

If we can collect and export successfully then there must be an issue with timing or/ how the semen is treated during the thawing process or the actual process of inserting the semen through the cervix of imported semen.

I know of several dachsie breeders in the US who have used fresh/chilled and frozen semen for AI but numbers in a litter have been very low, one or 2 pups in a bitch who has produced 5 or 6 when mated naturally.

It could be a bit of a chicken and egg scenario .... UK repro vets do spasmodic AI work as Uk breeders don't use this method often,  as a result post grad education skills are used infrequently which then contributes to lower success rates ? It would certainly seem that Uk stats are less successful favorable than when compaired to USA or Australia.  That said surgical AI is still the norm overseas and this is certainly a more reliable method especially with frozen semen or semen with low motility.

>That said surgical AI is still the norm overseas and this is certainly a more reliable method especially with frozen semen or semen with low motility.

Surgical AI, although not illegal like ear cropping and feline declawing, is considered unethical by the RCVS and so the careers of vets performing it would be in the balance.

I cannot believe that! They do surgical AI on thousands of sheep at this time of year. Vaginal AI does not work well in sheep.
The sheep are sedated not anaesthetized and seem none the worse with the 2 keyholes. I used to get mine done when I had a pedigree flock. It was the only way to get the best genetics.

My first two attempts with AI were surgical prior to current rules/ guidelines. Having  now experienced both methods I certainly have no issues with surgical, my girl was quite happy with the TCI process and stood happily without any sedation but it took ages to getthe catheter in possition as its a bit like threading a needle with string, so she got a bit fidgety at times. I was told she was just the most difficult bitch they had ever done ...but that figures with my luck !!!!!!

The surgical AI's I had in early 2000's took far less time and my girl had a tiny skin wound closed with glue. I too find it rather odd that the RCVS do not feel it is ethical for surgical AI on dogs but 1000's sheep are inseminated this way each year makes no sence to me.

Is it done guided by scan to ensure the catheter has passed far enough in to the correct spot as in the case of return of embryos in IVF?

Having 2 horns makes the anatomy more tricky than just putting the semen in one cavity and waiting for it to meet up with the eggs.

The RCVS state "Canine surgical artificial insemination

27.14  Surgical Artificial Insemination (AI) carries many disadvantages for the bitch and is unlikely to be carried out in the best interests of any particular dog, but a veterinary surgeon may carry out surgical AI:

     in the rare circumstances where Transcervical Insemination (TCI) has been  demonstrated not to be a practical option

    AND
     the invasive nature of surgical AI is justified* and accompanied by an appropriate regime of post-operative pain relief.

* Veterinary surgeons are advised that on the information available to the Advisory Committee, surgical AI is justified only for exceptional reasons, for example, the incorporation of new genetic traits into a line or breed when the sire is not easily available or unable to mate naturally for reasons other than inherited disease.

27.15  When carrying out surgical AI, a veterinary surgeon should record in the bitch's clinical records why TCI is not a practical option and the justification for the invasive procedure."

In other words the vet has to justify, in writing on the animal's history, why TCI could not be performed. Any falsification of a history is a serious matter.

The catheter is passed using video endoscope and semen deposited in uterine body so sperm need to swim up horns to reach eggs. As frozen semen doesn't swim as well as fresh this is a big disadvantage over surgical insemination where semen injected directly into each horn.

Well aware of RCVS statement on AI ... IMHO it is a load of tosh. Why are dogs any different than sheep ? And let's not forget that AI in sheep is common practice unlike in dog breeding :) That said we have to play by the rules and we did ...

>Why are dogs any different than sheep ? And let's not forget that AI in sheep is common practice unlike in dog breeding

Castration of newborn ramlambs without anaesthetic is common in sheep, but not in dogs. It's wrong to compare species.

Not sure I agree with that ..

> I too find it rather odd that the RCVS do not feel it is ethical for surgical AI on dogs but 1000's sheep are inseminated this way each year

Well...as I always say...as far as animal welfare goes......if youre gonna eat it...anything goes.

Double standards abound in this ethical high ground that they take. Pets .....almost everything is a no-no.

Farmers just wont pay...so they let that one slip, etc etc.

Now that statement I can agree with :)

Yes ditto docking of tails and deballing male lambs by ligature, yet it's unethical to dock puppies whose nervous systems are far less developed at the tiem it would be done.

> Why are dogs any different than sheep ?

Because dogs are a hobby not feeding a nation.

You don't need to AI sheep to produce lambs for the table either. This is more about pedigree breeding than producing food

> This is more about pedigree breeding than producing food

Such as?

So just because they are to be eaten they feel less pain? 

So where do Rabbits come. 

I have always viewed them as a food animal first, pet second, ditto poultry.

Can never understand Rabbits and chickens needing to be rehomed as unwanted, for me an unwanted chicken or Rabbit is dinner, if not for me then the dogs.

Their welfare though is equally important.

Pedigree Texal breeding for one... Top rams worth a fortune and semen shipped all ovr the world.

You guessed right !
My flock was a Texel flock. It was just small but I dispersed it when I lost half the grazing. Breeding good pedigree tups was the aim but 99% of mine were only commercial. There is always the off chance of breeding a really outstanding one with the right genetics.
BTW when I spoke to a Racing Greyhound kennel assistant the other day she implied that nearly all the litters were by AI. She must have known because her job was to care for the bitches and puppies. So there must be some operatives who are  skilled with dogs

klb, Im thinking about importing frozen semen for my bitch from US. Where to start and what is the full procedure? Thanks.

> So just because they are to be eaten they feel less pain?

I didn't say that.  Personally I would eat a lot less meat so such intensity would not be brought into farming but the demand for meat is such that it will be.  Also farming provides a livelyhood to many so some justification there but breeding dogs is just a hobby so I would agree with the veterinary take on this.

> Top rams worth a fortune

But why are they worth a fortune?  Because they provide the quality that is required to produce the desired product.  This is a commercial enterprise not a hobby.

Playing devils advocate here....

So vets should find AI by surgical means unethical for pet dogs....... but not Greyhounds ...or anything we eat?

That's quite a judgement call, to say if its for our enjoyment ( and a HUGE part of their income), it is somehow trivial compared to say... Aberdeen Angus cattle. Bulls can fetch upwards of £100,000. Thats is not entirely just for meat production, that is every bit as competetive and vanity driven as any dog show.

Im all for natural mating, concepttion and rearing....... and pride myself in it  - but I dont believe vets are being even handed in this matter.

>So vets should find AI by surgical means unethical for pet dogs....... but not Greyhounds ...or anything we eat?

You seem to including transcervical insemination with surgical insemination. The two are different procedures, and one is considered less unethical than the other. Cattle are generally inseminated transcervically, if they're not implanted with an embryo.

We used to have a racing greyhound chap on here who was very proud of the fact that, using AI, a greyhound could sire a litter every day of the year. He truly couldn't understand the problem of popular sire syndrome.

For dog junkie

First you need to know the Import rules which can be found here http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-trade/imports-non-eu/iins/live-animals/genetic/iin-cfs-1/

From the USA if the dog is still alive I would ensure it met the Uk PETS scheme rules and get the dog collected.
1. Apply import licence from DEFRA as this will need to travel with the semen
2. Plan to ship - you will need a dry shipper filled with liquid nitrogen. Some repro centres can help with shared shipments which keeps cost down. When I import from Australia it was difficult to find a share, so I purchased a shipper and sold it once semen here in uk, to hire a shipper and pay for return flight to Australia wasnt cost effective.
3. I had a courier collect semen and take to my selected shortage location But you can collect yourself and deal with customs - I left it to the experts !!

I would also negotiate about the quantity semen sent, in US they will often only issue one breeding unit / stud fee but greatest cost will be in the shipping. A Shipper will hold hundreds of breeding units so I negotiated to be sent 4 breeding units on a no pups free return basis, as AI in Uk doesn't seem to be as effective as in US. I have now just used my third unit having failed on two previous occasions in mid 2000's

Also ask for post thaw analysis report - for maximum potential for pups you would want >50%  motility and <20% abnormal morphology. IMHO it isn't worth shipping poor quality semen as this further reduces chances of success

4.

most recent successful AI in our breed (we have only had two) was over 10 years ago, and Prof England used all six straws, and 6 pups resulted.  It had been unsuccesfully tried on antoerh bitch.

His view was chances were better with more semen used.  After all in a natural breeding a lot more as well as better quality semen would be available.

It really was not a cost effective way of doing it, as travelling to Norway would have been cheaper, but not an option then as pre Pet passport.

Agree totally Brainless,  the uterus can only hold a small amount of semen but if you can use two breeding units and inseminate one each day you are maximising chances of litter. This is where you need to discuss options with stud owner, if you have to pay two stud fees for two breeding units it will be a very expensive gamble when you add import costs and vet fees.

Any up to date news?

Scan tomorrow so it's wine to celebrate or to drown my sorrows !!!!