ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION IN FARM ANIMALS - Phenix-Vet

4Artificial Insemination in DogsRita Payan-Carreira 1 , Sónia Miranda 2 and Wojciech Niżański 31 CECAV – Univ. of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro,2 Escola Universitária Vasco da Gama,3 Univ. Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław,1,2 Portugal3 Poland1. IntroductionIn Artificial Insemination (AI) the semen is collected manually from a stud male andthereafter deposited (inseminated) in the female so that fertilization can occur in the absenceof natural mating. Artificial Insemination, one of the earliest techniques for assistedreproduction in animals and humans, took longer to be implemented in dogs due to speciesspecificparticularities. In past decades, progresses in the knowledge of canine physiologyand new advances in canine semen technology allowed these services to become availableworldwide. Hence, subsequent to the increase in the artificial insemination demand amongdog breeders and owners and the broaden of the AI to preserved semen as a managementtool in canine breeding, as through international exchange of frozen semen, inbreedingwithin breeds can be reduced. Therefore, with spread of canine AI dog, breeders now mayselect stud dogs from all over the world to improve their kennel´ genetics, withouttransport-associated stress to the animals. Also, it is possible to save semen from valuabledogs into sperm bank to be used in next generations, after their death or the peak ofreproductive age. In addition, breeders also are aware of the sanitary benefits associatedwith AI. Avoiding direct contact between the male and female, AI also prevents the spreadof sexually transmitted diseases, as those originated by Brucella canis or Herpes virus(Farstad, 2010; Linde Forsberg, 2005a).Although the first reports on AI in dogs subsequent to the Spallanzani experiments (in lateXVIII century) appeared by the end of the fifties, reporting the use of fresh semen, or in thesixties, the use of frozen semen, only in the nineties this technique was introduced into dogbreeding practice, particularly in USA and Nordic countries (Foote, 2002; England & Millar,2008). The reproductive physiology of this species and unfavourable response of the dogsperm to freezing were the two major constraints to the initial efforts to improve the AItechnique in dogs (Linde Forsberg, 2005a). A lot of research was performed in those areas,especially in the northern Europe, to overcome these issues, generating a large amount ofinformation and allowing technical development, in particular in the canine sementechnology. Nowadays, as a consequence of the demand for reproductive technologies, inparticular the AI with fresh or refrigerate semen, this is a current service offered in the smallanimal veterinary practice.