No Covid 19 restrictions on dog breeding. If you cannot go to the sire, the sire will come to you…

Whether we like it or not, we are all getting used to so-called “new normal”. You might be scared to leave the country or even your town or on the contrary, you cannot wait to jump on the first plane that is going to Barcelona or Lake Garda but any of the current restrictions do not have to impact your breeding programme. When you cannot travel to the sire for the natural mating, the sire can still travel to you…

He will come to you in a box; i.e. chilled or frozen semen can be moved without any restrictions and even in the current climate it will reach most of your kennels or your vets’ clinics in 24 hours in UK or mainland Europe.

There are two main products that are available for breeders because life does not have to stop if we cannot take a ferry across to UK or hop on a plane. So, we are weighting alternative options to continue with our life as normal as possible. And here is what you might want to consider in order to still breed your next litter to the best sire possible.

What do you need to know in order to maximise your chances for a successful insemination with chilled or frozen semen?

“How many days will the semen be ok to inseminate?”

• For the chilled semen some extenders only prolong the life of the semen collection for a couple of days. Most extenders will give you 5-7 days to inseminate. There is also a 10 day extender available which Trade Genetics uses but we will still try to time it as close as possible to the optimal day of mating and to allow you two inseminations 36-48 hours apart.
• Frozen semen lasts forever as long as it is handled and stored properly.

“Do I need to test my bitch for chilled semen?”

• Nowadays you always need to test a female but it is crucially important when chilled or frozen semen will be used for the artificial insemination. If you are getting a chilled collection sent, test your female at day 5-7 for the first time. There is more planning involved as well, especially with the chilled semen since it can be only sent from Monday to Thursday. At Trade Genetics we don’t only do the progesterone testing like many other places now but we have years of experience and volumes of research done on this particular subject matter to give you the best advice possible for your next step.

“How many days will the semen be ok to inseminate?”

• For the chilled semen some extenders only prolong the life of the semen collection for a couple of days. Most extenders will give you 5-7 days to inseminate. There is also a 10 day extender available which Trade Genetics uses but we will still try to time it as close as possible to the optimal day of mating and to allow you two inseminations 36-48 hours apart.

“What is better: chilled or frozen? The owner has offered me both.”

• Chilled semen – it is cheaper to send and cheaper to inseminate but the timing is crucial and the semen might arrive too early or too late for the female in heat. Frozen semen will work out more expensive: to be sent and to inseminate. You require a vet to do the insemination but it can be sent in advance and stored until the female is ready. There is no time pressure or time limits with frozen semen. It can be used even for her next heat if the plans have changed or the female did not have a proper cycle. Chilled semen cannot be frozen or used after its “best before” date.
• Frozen semen – there is also a bit more guarantee with the frozen collections, as they are usually prepared under different conditions and by a veterinarian or a highly trained professional supervised by a veterinarian, so the clinic’s name and reputation is at stake.

And finally, recent sharp increase in prices for pups across all breeds might well justify the expenses of using canine artificial insemination services for your next breeding initiative.

There are no closed borders for us and our services.

Give us a call, send us an email or contact us on social media and we will walk you through the procedure and be with you every step of the way whether you are importing or exporting chilled or frozen semen with us.