Artificial Insemination in Dogs - Conditions Treated, Procedure, Efficacy, Recovery, Cost, Considerations, Prevention (2024)

Artificial insemination refers to the procedure of artificially introducing dog sem*n into the vagin* or cervix of a female dog in order to bring about pregnancy.

Artificial insemination (AI) has been widely used in cattle for decades, but only in recent years has it found a niche amongst dog breeders. It is most frequently carried out by experienced inseminators or by vets in practice.

In the US, it is a useful way of decreasing the stress on parent stock who are separated by large geographical distances. In the UK, it is becoming popular as a way of widening the gene pool of breeds where low numbers of dogs exist in the country.

First, sem*n is collected from the male dog. This is done by exposing the male to a female in heat. When he goes to mount her, his penis is diverted into a false vagin* which collects the ejacul*ted sem*n.

If a female in heat is not available, swabs which have previously collected pheromones from the vulva of a female in estrus, can be rubbed onto the rear of a female dog. This is usually sufficient to engage the male's interest.

The sem*n is checked under a microscope to ensure healthy numbers of active sperm. The sem*n is either used straight away, chilled (used within 24 hours), or frozen in liquid nitrogen (viable for months to years).

The female recipient must be in heat (which occurs roughly twice a year) and about to or recently ovulated. This stage of her reproductive cycle can be gauged from blood tests monitoring her progesterone levels or by looking at slides of her vagin*l cytology.

A plastic or glass straw containing the sperm is then introduced into her vagin*, and the sperm released. More sophisticated methods of insemination involve passing a fine endoscope into the vagin* and using it to guide the straw through the cervix and into the womb.

With the usual forms of insemination, there is no recovery time, as the female is fully conscious. Some experts advise preventing her from squatting to pass urine for half an hour after insemination, to stop the sem*n being washed out of the vagin*.

Endoscopic placement of sem*n tubes is slightly more invasive and requires sedation. The welfare costs and benefits to the female should be considered before going ahead with this method. The UK Kennel Club uphold the right to decline to register the litterif they feel the female's welfare was compromised in any way.

A typical stud fee for a one-to-one mating is $500 to $1,000.

A straw of sem*n varies in price depending on the heritage and pedigree of the dog. For this reason, the cost is usually available "on request" from each specific breeder.

Artificial insemination is becoming increasingly popular, but is not without controversy. There is some concern that it overlooks the natural mating process and could eventually select for dogs that don't know how to mate naturally.

As the parents never actually meet, there are additional concerns about concealing that one of the dogs is aggressive. This matters because to some extent aggression can be genetic and passed on from parent to pup. Responsible breeding means only selecting dogs of exceptional conformation and character, to produce future generations.

Also, AI does not eliminate the risk of cross infection from the male dog to the female. Conditions such as brucellosis can be transferred via the sem*n, although obviously the risk to the male of infection from the female is eliminated.