Transcervical insemination in bitch

Abstract

To perform a successful transcervical insemination, the operator must be able to accurately stage the estrous cycle, have a thorough understanding of the anatomy of the bitch and confidence to perform the procedure diligently. Estrous cycle timing is best undertaken using a combination of LH assay, vaginal cytology, progesterone assay and vaginoscopy. Transcervical insemination results in higher pregnancy rates with both fresh semen when compared to vaginal insemination and frozen semen when compared to surgical (laparotomy) insemination. Using this technique, a pregnancy rate of 86% was attained from 1850 inseminations using fresh semen with an average of 5.4 puppies per litter. In addition, utilising the same insemination technique, a pregnancy rate of 77% was attained from 940 inseminations when > 150 million frozen-thawed dog sperm were inseminated. In regards to frozen semen, there was a trend for greater pregnancy rate with increasing sperm numbers; however, in this study, there was no benefit to using > 150 - 200 million sperm.