USE OF SURGICAL INTRAUTERINE INSEMINATION TO MANAGE INFERTILITY IN A COLONY OF RESEARCH GERMAN-SHEPHERD DOGS

A colony of German shepherd dogs with inherited ventricular arrhythmia s and sudden death had infertility that was resolved by intrauterine i nsemination. Mating of German shepherd males to related German shepher d females (40 cycles) by vaginal artificial insemination resulted in a low pregnancy rate of 35% and a small median litter size of 3.5. When these same German shepherd males were bred to female beagles by vagin al artificial insemination, the pregnancy rate of 100% (P = 0.02) and median litter size of 7.0 were significantly (P = 0.04) greater. There fore, inadequate fertility existed when the German shepherds were mate d, Because matings between these dogs were necessary, surgical intraut erine insemination of fresh semen was instituted in eight German sheph erd females over nine cycles. In bypassing the cervix with this method , German shepherd fecundity increased significantly, with a pregnancy rate of 100% (P = 0.002) and median litter size of 8.0 (P = 0.001). Su rgical intrauterine insemination may be an important method for manage ment of canine infertility in the research environment.