title: The relationship of semen quality to pregnancy rate and litter size following artificial insemination in the bitch.
abstract: Artificial insemination of 31 bitches with fresh, undiluted, semen resulted in 22 31 conceptions (71%) and the birth of 124 puppies. Inseminations using at least 220 x 10(6) spermatozoa of normal morphology resulted in a mean pregnancy rate of 81.5% (22 27 ). The pregnancy rates were significantly influenced by the total number of progressively motile or morphologically normal sperm cells per ejaculate (P < 0.05). The pregnancy rate was not influenced by the percentage of progressively motile or morphologically normal sperm cells per ejaculate (P > 0.1). Litter size was not influenced by sperm motility or morphology (P > 0.1).
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine and Surgery Washington State University, Pullman Washington 99164-6610 USA.
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Mickelsen
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Memon
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Freeman