OVERCOMING THE FRUSTRATION OF INFERTILITY VIA SURGICAL INTERVENTION

OVERCOMING THE FRUSTRATION OF INFERTILITY VIA SURGICAL INTERVENTION

So you’ve tried everything – natural breedings, cultures, progesterone testing and making sacrifices to the fertility gods and still no puppies. You have a lovely bitch, an outstanding stud dog and a nearly terminal case of puppyitis. What do we have to offer you?

Enter the wonderful world of surgical insemination. Who? What? Why? How? When?
Who? Any bitch or stud dog with a history of infertility or when she’s absolutely positively gotta have the best possible chance of conceiving a litter.
What? This is an invasive technique using surgery to visually and digitally evaluate the uterus, treat cysts of the uterine lining and deliver semen directly into the uterus.
Why? This technique, called implantation by some, is valuable when you have compromised semen (frozen, fresh chilled, poor quality semen, low sperm counts) or with bitches who have not gotten pregnant through conventional breeding techniques.
How? Semen is either shipped to us (frozen or fresh chilled) or collected here. The bitch is put under general anesthesia, a small less than 2 inch incision is made through her abdominal wall. The uterus evaluated by feeling and looking at it. Then the semen is injected into the uterus. Your girl will generally be ready to go home within 2 to 2 ½ hours of your arrival.
When? Fresh semen inseminations are done 48 to 72 hours after ovulation and frozen inseminations are done 60 to 80 hours after ovulation (estimated based on progesterone blood tests). Regardless of weekends and holidays, surgical inseminations go on. Presurgical lab work (CBC, Chem panel and protime), EKG’s and progesterone levels are required for your bitch to qualify for the specialized approach to breeding.

Please feel free to contact Trish CVT (our repro specialist) or William (reproduction assistant) for details and to schedule.

Canine Brucellosis - Do I really need to test my dog for this?

I have a few things to share about brucellosis testing. I have lots of questions about why we should test for this disease - do we really need to, isn't it a disease we don't see anymore? Yes, we need to test and no, it is still around.
1. It can be transmitted in non-sexual ways so even virgin dogs and bitches can have it.

2. It is communicable to people - and it is a nasty disease to have, not to mention most doctors won't think to look for it, so it may go undiagnosed.

3. When you have it in your dog, the recommendation is euthanasia, or at the best and least, spaying or neutering. So much for the lines you have spent 30 years developing.

4. It is still a disease we see. It has not been eradicated.

5. The remote bitch cannot transmit it to the stud dog, but if she becomes positive at some point and she wasn't negative before the breeding, who do you point the finger at if YOU didn't test her?

6. Is a $60 test cheap? Relative to losing your health and your dogs lives, I would say so but that is just me. I have watched a client lose her life's work. She would take it all back for $60.

7. It also can withstand freezing so frozen semen can transmit it. We need to be sure we test our stud dogs so we don't infect a new generation of dogs many years from now.

8. I especially worry about well-meaning rescue participants - that may pick up a dog, male or female, being retired from a breeding program. You may want to ask why she is leaving the commercial breeder - well, this may be why, not because she has had her share of litters but because she can't get pregnant or stay pregnant. Don't throw away your breeding program for lack of testing the rescue dog before he or she comes into your house and yard and contaminates it with this dangerous bacteria. Stop at your vet and test him or her before they enter your household.

Talk to your local vet or repro vet about this - be safe.