title: Artificial insemination with frozen semen in dogs: a retrospective study.
abstract: In a retrospective study, from 1994 to 1998, of inseminations with frozen semen in dogs, a total of 312 bitches of 70 different breeds were inseminated with imported (n = 183) or domestic (n = 129) semen. The overall whelping rate was 70% and mean (+/- SEM) litter size was 5.3 +/- 0.2 pups. The whelping rate was higher after intrauterine insemination (71%; n = 305) than after intravaginal insemination (29%; n = 7; P < 0.05). Timing of insemination was crucial; timing classified as optimal resulted in a higher whelping rate and larger litter size (P < 0.05) than did timing classified as early, late or too late. In the too late category, none of the bitches (n = 5) whelped. For optimal timing, whelping rate and mean (+/- SEM) litter size were 76% (n = 252) and 5.6 +/- 0.2, for early 33% (n = 6) and 1.5 +/- 0.5, and for late 47% (n = 19) and 2.8 +/- 0.7. Two inseminations yielded a higher whelping rate (P < 0.05) and greater mean litter size (P < 0.05) than that of one insemination, 77% and 5.6 +/- 0.3, and 60% and 4.6 +/- 0.3, respectively. However, the results obtained after one insemination were poorer partly because of an over-representation of late insemination in this group. Semen classified as of poor quality (progressive motility < 50% or percentage of abnormal spermatozoa > 20%) gave a lower whelping rate (53%) than did semen of medium (progressive motility = 50%) or good quality (progressive motility > 50% and percentage of abnormal spermatozoa < 20%), which gave whelping rates of 76 and 74%, respectively (P < 0.05). The mean litter sizes were not significantly different. Eighty-two per cent of bitches (120 of 147) inseminated twice into the uterus at a time classified as optimal with frozen semen of good or medium quality whelped. The mean (+/- SEM) litter size was 5.6 +/- 0.3 pups in this group. These results show the potential of transcervical intrauterine insemination for routine artificial insemination in dogs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Reproduction and Forensic Medicine, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, PO Box 8146 Dep., 0033 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Thomassen
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Farstad
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krogenaes
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Fougner
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Berg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015925:Cryopreservation / Q000662:veterinary*; D004285:Dogs; D004972:Estrus Detection / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D007315:Insemination, Artificial / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D008098:Litter Size; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012662:Semen Preservation / Q000662:veterinary*; D013081:Sperm Motility; D014599:Uterus; D014621:Vagina