Cutting-edge artificial insemination technique improves breeding success and animal welfare

Abstract

The Reproduction Clinic of the Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital (OVAH) at the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Veterinary Science, uses video-endoscopy, an innovative method for transcervical artificial insemination (AI) of female dogs. This technique, which uses frozen-thawed semen to breed dogs with great success, avoids the use of surgical AI under general anaesthesia. This not only improves fertility with frozen semen AI but importantly, reduces risk to the animals and in turn, contributes to improved animal welfare. The use of frozen semen to breed has become a relatively common procedure. Freezing semen not only ensures the preservation of excellent genes and making these available for use in future generations, it also allows the desired genes to be safely moved to and from international destinations.