Laparoscopic Artificial Insemination With Frozen-Thawed Semen In A Bitch

Abstract

Laparoscopic artificial insemination (L-AI) in a bitch is described. Breeding management of a six-year-old Rottweiler bitch was accomplished by blood progesterone and luteinizing hormonal assays. For L-AI, the bitch was anesthetized, and the surgical site prepared under aseptic techniques. Two incisions about 1.5 cm in length were made, one for the laparoscope and the other for the instrument portal. The uterus was elevated to the ventral abdomen where a 20g indwelling catheter was threaded into the body of the uterus and fed into each horn individually delivering 2.5ml of frozen-thawed semen. The incisions were closed, and the bitch discharged two hours after L-AI. The bitch’s pregnancy was confirmed by transabdominal ultrasonography. On day 60 after insemination the bitch vaginally delivered two stillborn puppies. Because of abdominal contractions without delivery of remaining fetuses, the bitch was taken to a veterinary clinic where a cesarean section was performed. Five live and three dead puppies were delivered. Laparoscopic artificial insemination provides another option for depositing frozen-thawed semen in the canine uterus. The main advantage of L-AI compared to traditional surgical AI is the quick recovery.