Artificial insemination is commonly performed in dogs as either fresh artificial insemination where the bitch and stud dog are present in the examination room or as chilled semen artificial insemination in which the stud dog’s ejaculate is mixed with a buffering and extending solution and shipped to our clinic for insemination into a bitch.

Artificial insemination facilitates breeding between uncooperative pairs of dogs or dogs separated by long distances. Shipped semen can be an economic benefit when the dogs are located in different states and/or when temperature extremes do not allow for shipping. Chilled semen can be shipped year round. There are a number of shipping containers and many different extenders used in this process.  A test extension should be performed on the ejaculate to ensure that the semen will survive during the collection, extension and shipping process.

We offer vaginal insemination, transcervical insemination using video and endoscopy and surgical insemination. Frozen semen inseminations are most successful when the semen is placed into the uterus during a brief surgical procedure. Chilled semen or fresh semen breeding is performed with semen deposition in the vagina, transcervically or using the surgical procedure.

Reproduction services at Smith Veterinary Hospital are unique.  Frances O. Smith DVM, PhD is a Diplomate of the American College of Theriogenology. There are only 453 Diplomates in the College and Dr. Smith is one of the very few in small animal private practice. Theriogenology is the animal reproduction specialty and would be correlated to a combination of human Obstetrics Gynecology and Urology. Dr. Smith completed her PhD in 1984 with a thesis titled “Cryopreservation of Canine semen: Technique and Performance”.   As part of this PhD thesis Dr. Smith developed more than 20 extenders for use with canine semen and the technique for surgical insemination with frozen semen. At Smith Veterinary Hospital our doctors are cognizant of the newest techniques in reproduction. We can educate and support you in your efforts to produce the next great dog. We offer in house progesterone testing in one hour, semen freezing and storage, genetic counseling and testing and after hours support for our reproduction clients. Dr. Smith frequently speaks to breed groups, veterinary associations and the general public along with being a well-known, recently published author on various reproduction topics.

  • Semen Freezing – Must be done before noon
  • Chilled Semen Shipping – Must be done before 3:00 pm
  • Artificial Insemination – Must be scheduled before 5:00 pm

Transcervical Insemination

Through the use of a Stortz laparoscope, a small catheter is passed through the cervix. Semen can then be directly deposited into the body of the uterus.

Semen Freezing

After a complete semen evaluation, an individual’s sperm can be frozen in pellets and stored in liquid nitrogen. This process involves extending the collected semen in an appropriate media, chilling the semen for four hours via refrigeration, dropping 100 microliters of the extended semen on the dry ice to form pellets and plunging the pellets into liquid nitrogen.

Extending Semen For Shipment

By collecting semen and extending the semen into the appropriate media, semen can be shipped by Fed Ex overnight delivery anywhere in the United States.

  • Semen Freezing – Must be done before noon
  • Chilled Semen Shipping – Must be done before 3:00 pm
  • Artificial Insemination – Must be scheduled before 5:00 pm