Darkrai Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Can anyone who has been through the process of transporting chilled semen give me an idea of how it's done? (process from semen collection through to insemination). What is the general success rate of chilled semen AI? How long does fresh Semen last? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burdy Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I cant offer alot and I'm sure others would have more vast experience but as noone has yet replied.... I have just done my first frozen AI from semen transported interstate so can answer a couple of the questions.. i was absolutely packing it all the way through it until I realised how easy it really is. I wasn't there for the collection and haven't ever done one so dont know much about that. I was there for the insemination and was gob smacked at just how simple it really is. My girl was put under, a small incision about 3cm long into her abdoman then the vet just syringed up the defrosted semen and injected it into her uterus, half in eah horn, used his fingers to sqeeze it up the horn then just closed her up, job done. When they defrosted it they did tests on it to see how viable is was etc and he said is looked really good. Their success rate is about 98% and my girl is definately preggers with just a week to go. To have it transported was pretty easy too, the sires owner released the semen to me and I just arranged road transport from her vets to mine. Not any vet though, had to be to the nearest Frozen AI clinic (not all vets deal with it obviously and unfortunately) The hardest part of the whole thing was the travelling every other day for prog tests 2 1/2 hours one way. Sorry I cant help any further but give the thread a bump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwaY Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 How long does fresh Semen last? According to the lecture Monash/Stewart Mason gave a few months ago, you can now keep chilled semen for up to 10 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelsun Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 Fresh chilled is way easier than frozen for both collection, preparation and shipping as well as insertion. Collect the dog...that's easy....depending on the method of chilling, combine the semen with the chilled suspension. Most times (in the methods I used to use) it was equal parts, so if you got ten mil semen, you added ten mil suspension. Fluid is nicely sealed in a tube and placed in the transport shipper, which is most often a simple styrofoam box with a chill/ice pack inside. Most shippers have a groove or separate area so that the ice pack doesn't come into contact with the vial. Seal up and air freight or courier to destination. Upon arrival, do NOT warm up the fluid. Get bitch on the table if you're doing the AI yourself or off to the vet. Basically what they do is insert a tube (I use aquarium air tubing) into the vulva. Insertion needs to be at a forty five degree angle til you feel a firmness and can't insert more. Lifting the tube to the horizontal, it can be inserted quite a bit further and continue til it no longer moves forward with light pressure. Take the chilled fluid and load into a non spermicidal syringe (don't use the ones with the black plungers, they can drastically kill semen) Attach syringe to tube and slowly plunge, touching the vulva to entice the bitch to contract around the tube. Detach syringe and open to fill with air. Reattach and slowly push that syringe of air into the bitch. This pushes any fluid that is left in the tube, into the bitch. As you are finishing the syringe of air, slowly pull the tube out, continuing to tickle the vulva. Another trick upon removal of the tube is to touch the vulva lightly with an icecube....she will 'suck' in and it helps hold everything where it needs to be. Many at this point will elevate her back end using phone books or the like and hold her there about five to ten minutes. it's not totally necessary but what is important is that regardless of the breed, you don't lift or restrain with your hands/arms under the belly as you can force the liquid backwards and your next best in show pup will land on the floor with a splash! Take the bitch and confine her to a crate (not permitting her to pee) for ten or fifteen minutes. Depending on the amount of fluid, you can split the shipment and insert half and then the remaining 6 to 12 hours later. Be sure that the semen remains chilled. The bitches body heat warms everything up properly and there is no risk of killing sperm by sitting at the wrong temp too long, because it's where it needs to be anyway. many suspensions are out now that allow semen that is chilled to last between three and fourteen days, depending on the company and suspension. Remember that it's also the quality/motility of the semen that matters as well as to how long it will remain viable. Proper timing is always essential and a chilled semen AI can be as effective when it comes to numbers of pups as a natural mating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkrai Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 If I do go with chilled she'll be going the vet to get it done Thanks for the info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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