I read Robyn’s article with anger, sadness and a sense of resignation or futility. Growing up and living in the Midwest during the first half of my life, I’m well aware of dog auctions, the dealers, the wholesalers, puppy mills etc. that traffic in purebred dogs. I’ve fought the good fight, and am still fighting it ... but I’ve come to realize that what we’re fighting is greed, hunger for power and the attitude of those breeders who think if everyone else is doing it, why shouldn’t they?
       This attitude is hosted by many breeders, from the neighbors with their one pet female bred once a year for pocket money, to some of the most respected "show" breeders advertising their wins in national magazines! So where do I place the blame for outrageous situations like those Robyn described? Squarely at your own door, dear reader, go look in the mirror - stop shedding those alligator tears for the poor little Lhasa wretches pictured in last months issue and ask yourself if it isn’t possible that some of your own dogs are behind those pictured (and the thousands that suffer terribly across this nation that AREN’T pictured)?
       Oh, I can see your astonished looks and open mouths now - but let me ask you a couple of questions before you start sending hate mail, OK?

1. Have you ever had someone that you didn’t know personally ask to breed to one of your stud dogs; they seemed nice enough and their little bitch was of decent quality, and you felt your stud was so good that they would get a really quality litter - if you didn’t breed her, someone else would - and it might not even be to a good dog? Did you go ahead with the mating after Vet tests, etc.? Did you offer to help sell the puppies?
2. Now, can you tell me what happened to every puppy in the resulting litter? Multiply this occurrence hundreds of times across this country, and what do you get? Lots of pups, raised by amateurs, quickly tired of, hastily sold - with AKC papers, of course. Can you guarantee me that none of these pups ever wind up in commercial breeding situations?
3. Have you ever sold a female puppy as a pet, with AKC papers and no breeding restrictions, because the buyer thought he/she "might like to have a litter someday, didn’t believe in spaying - it’s unnatural, thought it was their right to have an ‘intact’ dog since they were paying so much, etc.", even though he/she assured you that was the last thing in mind in purchasing this dog? You just knew this buyer would never breed his little pet, right?
4. Have you ever sold/placed a Champion , top producer or other adult dog to someone you didn’t know personally who wanted to "upgrade" their line with one of your quality dogs, and then you kind of lost track of what happened to all (not just the winners) of the puppies from that dog?
5. Have you ever sold a "show" puppy to a potential show home, and found out later it wasn’t going to be shown, and was producing puppies that were sold with no restrictions?
6. Have you ever sold a "show" puppy to a show home because you knew the dog would be finished quickly, even though you knew the buyer was careless about where they sold their dogs? After all, one or more puppies to chalk up as winners for your name, right?

       Listen, I made those mistakes starting out, but I wised up when I saw what was happening. That was in the Sixties, and it wasn’t difficult to find out what was going on ... there were dogs turning up in puppy mills with my name behind them, and it made me sick! I vowed that I would be responsible for the dogs I loved and raised, that I would make sure this situation would not happen again. Sure, I got "taken in" a couple of more times, but it just doesn’t happen any more, at least, not with the restrictions I’ve put in place on sale of puppies.
       So, I’m pointing blame at those who DO know what they’re doing, but do it anyway - because they’re afraid the pups might be around too long, and they don’t want to be bothered. Because they’re afraid too many restrictions might put off potential buyers ... and they might have to cut down on breeding as the pet market just won’t support it. Breeders who are anxious to rack up statistics, "numbers" of Champions, Top Producers, records of all kinds, may be a little less than careful when they sell their puppies.
       It might be for profit for some breeders, but I don’t think that’s the principal reason for most. Puppy sales do help support showing our dogs, but breeding is not a profitable business unless you’re a commercial kennel with 100 dogs, and pups sold at 5 weeks to dealers - I’m not suggesting that. I guess I’m talking about the hobby breeder, working diligently out of his home, who’s trying to build a win record of quality animals to be proud of. Nothing wrong with that, is there?
       But - if you answered "Yes" to any of the above questions, there is something wrong, whether you admit it or not. You’ve got a good pet puppy market, and no problem selling pets - but what will happen in a couple of years when those little females you sold with papers start producing, and you start seeing the classified ads for "Lhasa Apsos, AKC champion lines - $150.00" in your local newspaper? Or someone calls you about a puppy they purchased from someone local, and they’re having problems with (housetraining, grooming, temperament, you name it), and they called you because one of the parents came from you (and once the pup is sold, the seller wants nothing more to do with the pup).
       You say, that can’t happen to me, I sell all my puppies on spay/neuter contracts - but how do you enforce those contracts? Is it even possible to do so? Well, you say, all AKC papers for pet puppies are signed as non-breeding status ... and I say Good For You! You are being a responsible breeder, and I commend you - but did you answer yes to any of the other questions above ... come on now, be honest. If so, you’re part of the problem.
       What can you do to avoid these bad situations? I can only tell you what I’ve done that works 90% of the time , and I modeled this after two Yorkshire breeders, Anne Serranne and Barbara Wolferman of Mayfair Kennels and authors of "The Joy Of Breeding Your Own Show Dog".

1. Absolutely no public stud service. None. Period.
2. Only females owned by people we know personally are ever bred to one of our dogs, and we insist any resulting puppies are either kept by them, or will be sold on non-breeding papers.
3. We don’t even register pet puppies, only those we keep and show. These pet puppies are sold without AKC papers, but a copy of the full pedigree is given, along with a written contract stating our guarantee of purebreeding, and a life-time health and temperament guarantee. (PS - don’t tell me this can’t be done, people won’t buy puppies without AKC papers! Hogwash, I’ve been doing it for years, and when buyers understand we are doing this to protect our beloved breed, we’ve had no problems whatsoever!)
4. Any adults (champion or not) are sold with the understanding that they are for the buyers use exclusively. No puppies from them will ever be sold with breeding rights to a third party, under any circumstances. If the dog cannot be kept by the buyer for any reason, we will take them back, and hold them until such time as they can go home. And, again, if these people are not known personally, all this is contained in a written contract, with appropriate penalties.
       I’ve been told these are "unreasonable" restrictions, and no one will want to deal with me. Well, be that as it may, if we (Linda and I) never sold another puppy, we know in our hearts that we are not responsible for the waifs pictured in Robyn’s article. We love our dogs, and know that we are protecting them from the "profiteering" going on all around us. So, where does the blame lie? Ask yourself.

The main costs in storing sperm is in the initial collection.  Monthly storage costs are fairly reasonable.

I thought I’d call this column, Why AI, and give all the good reasons for artificial insemination as a part of a canine breeding program.Then the thought occurred to me that I’d also have to do one called Why Not AI, detailing the inappropriate excuses sometimes used to justify the decision to breed this way.

There are several circumstances in which artificial insemination may be the best way of delivering semen to the bitch. Where all relevant factors are known and normal, in small and medium sized breeds of dogs, a conventional artificial insemination is, in my opinion, likely to be 100% successful. However, the caveat here - that all other conditions are known and normal - is a substantial one. This presupposes that both the dog and the bitch are clean of any infection, that they are under 5 years of age, that their hormonal function and fertility are normal, and the dogs are sound. If any of these factors is other than stated, the likelihood of success of any breeding activity, whether artificial or not, is reduced.

The valid reasons for using artificial insemination include the following:

• 1. Use of frozen or fresh-extended semen.
• 2. Protection of the stud dog from infection by the bitch
• 3. An inexperienced stud dog
• 4. A stud dog with a physical disability.
• 5. Size incompatibility of the dog and the bitch.
• 6. An overly aggressive or dominant bitch.
• 7. Need to evaluate the semen before insemination.
• 8. Splitting an ejaculate between 2 bitches.

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The most frequent circumstance in which an artificial insemination is requested, is when the stud dog doesn’t wish to breed the bitch on a given day. Often the fact that it is day 10, or 12, or 14, or 18 of the bitch’s season is the basis for the breeder deciding that this is the correct day for the breeding. It may be thought to be the time that "all" bitches of this particular breed are most receptive; it may be the day, counting back from a prior litter, that the most effective breeding was done. It may be that for reasons of time constraints of the people or the dogs involved, show commitments, travel opportunities, and so on, it is desirable to cover a period of three or four days when it will be impossible for the two to mate, even though it is likely to be early. Sometimes, less frequently, it is done toward the end of true estrous, when the dog’s interest, once again, has dropped to a less than willing level, and due to the generally held belief that the later breedings are most likely to yield a litter, or a large litter, so one last attempt is desired.

There are many ways of estimating the proper day. An experienced and reliable stud dog’s nose is the finest instrument for this. A ‘smear’, which is more properly termed a vaginal cytology, can be read with good success by an experienced reproductive veterinarian, and is best done every day, or every other day, from day 8 on. The next step up from this, and a tool which can be used by a relatively inexperienced veterinarian with good success, is the progesterone elisa test, or even better, the LH elisa test. When properly interpreted, any of the various kits available will provide useful information. These tests are useful only when performed routinely over several days. The technique I find most reliable, is the endoscopic examination of the cervix. I find this gives me the very best information on a bitch which hasn’t been available for repeated exams all through her cycle, or where the correct date isn’t known for the beginning of her season. Even this technique, however, works better when repeated exams are done. This gives a sense of the progression of hormonal events in a particular bitch. Progression through the estrous cycle generally follows a pattern which is similar in most bitches; however, like everything else in nature, is not universally applicable to a particular bitch. The most common reason for failure of artificial insemination is breeding at an inappropriate time, and lack of follow up inseminations over the correct time later in the bitch’s season.

The bitch which never appears to stand for breeding, or to swell and loosen up enough to admit the male comfortably, is often simply not cycling properly. Instead of going into artificials every season, it would be more useful to check on the bitch’s hormone levels through one complete cycle, trying to identify a correctable problem. Often such problems respond to thyroid supplementation, and frequently, with younger bitches, once one cycle has been corrected in this way, and a pregnancy achieved, it is not necessary to continue the thyroid supplementation in later cycles. Sometimes, the bitch just needs a jump start. A frequent cause of failure to conceive by artificial insemination is the lack of a fully developed season in the bitch, and the failure to ovulate.

A dog which hasn’t been bred for a period of months or years may be an unknown quantity as far as fertility is concerned. Ideally, an ejaculate would be evaluated before the actual day of breeding. If this hasn’t been done previously, an artificial insemination offers the opportunity to do a semen examination before being committed to a breeding with a sub-fertile male.

Young males often suffer from ‘performance anxiety’. Sometimes they can be helped with the bitch and a tie achieved. When this isn’t possible, rather than letting him lacerate or fatigue himself unduly without any success, a skillfully managed collection can help the dog gain confidence and actually train him for a natural breeding career, rather than spoiling him for breeding. Some very dominant bitches can simply be too much for a more reserved or young male.

When managing the virgin or young and underdeveloped male, care must be exercised not to force the dog beyond his comfort zone. Dogs of the same breed and age, may differ significantly in the size and apparent physical maturity of the reproductive apparatus. Underdeveloped physical development is often accompanied by an immature libido as well. An experienced veterinarian can collect semen from such a dog, and help to stimulate him and condition him for future natural breedings. However, if he just isn’t ready, it is better not to give him a bad experience which could later on result in an impotent adult. These individuals are easily identified by their lack of physical development and response to manipulation. It is very important to know when to stop with this dog, whether trying to force him to breed naturally, or artificially.

A dog with a missing limb or an injury to a rear leg may not be able to stand on his rear to tie bitches. As long as the disability doesn’t reflect a genetic or structural unsoundness, artificial inseminations can keep this dog producing.

Given the absolute certainty of the ‘dormitory effect’ in kennels, it is possible to encounter the need to breed more than one bitch on a given day. In order to legitimately cover both bitches from one ejaculate very good semen quality must be present. This practice requires an experienced evaluation of the semen if it is to be ethically attempted.

A few procedures, performed before the bitch comes in heat, may make the difference between puppies and a ‘miss’. Also, they ensure the safety of the stud dog if a natural breeding should desired. These procedures will in addition ensure the continued good health of your bitch. We like to start about one month before the coming heat, in order to have time to treat any problems found.

CULTURE, SENSITIVITY, AND WHITE BLOOD COUNT

Certainly the most common cause of missed litters is a bacterial infection in the uterus. To determine if a uterine infection exists, a bacterial culture and sensitivity should be done using a ‘guarded culture instrument’. The culture is taken high in the vagina, near the cervical, and is termed a ‘high culture’ or a ‘cervical culture’. We find that even in young bitches which have not been bred before, there are very often significant numbers of bacteria which are capable of being uterine and reproductive pathogens. We always tell people that the reason we have to check on even maiden bitches, is that the bitches don’t wear panties ( and the dogs aren’t circumcised)! No matter how clean the environment, there will be a continual source of bacteria (of fecal origin), present where the bitch sits. Every time she has a heat, her cervix opens and her resistance to infection goes down. The distances between the outside world and the bladder and cervix are shorter in the bitch than in the dog. The dog, with its longer urethra, is less likely to acquire a bladder infection, even though the condition of pus accumulating at the end of the sheath makes it seem likely that males would often be affected. In humans, upright posture and gravity tend to work against infections ascending from the external genitalia. Bitches don’t have this asset. If ‘vaginitis’ (an infection in the vagina) is present and established fairly well in the bitch, when her cervix opens and the ability of her white blood cells to fight infections is reduced during estrous (heat), the infection will often gain entry to the uterus where it may become an ‘endometritis’ or a ‘pyometritis’. An endometritis is an inflamed uterus, and a pyometritis is the condition of frank pus in the uterus.

In order to gauge whether a positive bacterial culture means a vaginitis, an endometritis, or a pyometritis, we must do a white blood count. The culture-and-sensitivity, and the white count are always both required to generate information in a useful form. A normal to mildly elevated count with a positive culture usually indicates a vaginitis. A moderately elevated white count implies a severe vaginitis or an endometritis, and a white count of 30,000 and above is a severely affected uterus; in this last condition, the uterus may be distended with pus which can be felt by palpation and may be visualized on x-ray. This is then known as pyometra. NOTE!! These bitches will either exhibit no signs, or mild depression and perhaps some loss of appetite. There may be a thick creamy discharge, but just as often there is not. If the disease has progressed to the pyometritis point, it is well beyond the point we like to have caught it. One way to monitor your bitch and avoid the problem is to do a white blood count about 3 weeks after each heat period whether or not she has been bred. If an infection exists and the white count is high it is often necessary to administer prostaglandin therapy to open the cervix and empty the uterus in order to get the infection under control, even with concurrent antibiotic therapy. Those bitches with a frank pyometra and an extremely high white blood count may become septicemic, toxic, shocky and die. Of those which are followed in a routine manner, and which receive early treatment, we should be able to preserve about 85% as useful breeding bitches.

A sensitivity is performed along with the culture. This is done in a petri dish filled with a culture medium which will support the growth of most bacteria. The culture swab is swept evenly over the medium, to provide a solid growth pattern. Then, small discs of blotter paper, each impregnated with a different antibiotic, are placed on this surface. Where the growth of bacteria is prohibited in a circle around the disc it is said that that organism is ‘sensitive’ to that antibiotic. Where there is no interruption in the growth of the bacteria around the disc, the organism is said to be ‘resistant’ to that antibiotic. This gives us our third item of useful information; what antibiotic to chose to treat the infection.

The use of a guarded culture instrument or a sterile stainless steel speculum will ensure that the organisms come from the area near the cervix, rather than the area around the vulva. If a guarded culturette or a stainless speculum is not used, the culture will be contaminated by the organisms the bitch last sat on, rather than those which are actually in residence at the cervix.

If an infection is found, four days after treatment has been completed a follow-up culture is necessary to be sure the organism has been eliminated, or reduced in numbers below an acceptable level. It is important to obtain the actual report of the lab on the culture and sensitivity, as many labs are incorrect in which organisms they identify as ‘significant’ in a reproductive infection. A report of ‘clean’ or ‘no significant organisms’ is not sufficient. Also, the first antibiotic to which the organism is reported as sensitive may not be the best one to give. Most of these pathogens are enteric in origin and do not respond well to amoxicillin, for instance, even if the report says they are sensitive to it.

The organisms we generally feel are significant in a properly obtained cervical culture are : beta Strep, E. coli, Pseudomonas spp., and Staph aureas, as well as several others if they are found in large numbers. Additionally, it is sometimes necessary to check for Mycoplasma, which is done on a different culture.

Thyroid is the basic ‘trophic’ hormone in the body; trophic means promoting or supporting growth. In order for all of the more specific reproductive hormones to play their proper role in the very complex series of events resulting in successful production of a litter, thyroid must be present at an adequate level.

There is some controversy about what is reported as the ‘normal’ range for T4; additionally, we have no breed normals. Even though the labs have been computerized for a long time, most submitting veterinarians neglect to note this important item when they submit their samples. Thyroid requirements vary with age and with stress and disease demands. The bitch for whom we may recommend l-thyroxine supplementation to assure that this is not the factor preventing a breeding from being successful, is not a bitch which we would say had abnormal thyroid function. If the dog were exhibiting clinical signs of a true thyroid deficiency, she would not be the one you would be proposing to breed anyway. She would be an unthrifty animal, and not the one you would choose to breed. Almost all of the normal breeding animals I check have a T4 in the low normal range. I feel, and this is an opinion I have discussed with several other reproductive practitioners and with endocrinologists, that we should try to have bitches in the upper third of the normal range to assure that thyroid is not a limiting factor. In addition, almost every bitch of 5 years or more will have a measurably low thyroid - and this is a normal affect of aging. As human women should reproduce before 40, bitches should reproduce before 5. Yet through the simple agency of supplementing l-thyroxine, we are most often able to extend that breeding range to 9 years, all other things being equal. The argument as to whether we should be breeding bitches with low thyroids is, in my mind, totally useless until we take a better look at the validity of published ranges. Thyroid varies just like body temperature throughout the day; for a normal appearing and functioning animal, the ballpark is more important than hyperfine determinations of thyroid values. Often once a successful pregnancy has been established and the bitch is checked again after she has finished with weaning and shedding, she may be able to go off supplementation and maintain higher levels on her own. Again, rechecks are necessary to determine needs, if any as the bitch’s age and circumstances change. It is not a certainty that a bitch with a low normal T4 can’t have a normal heat, become pregnant and whelp a litter; rather, it is a matter of trying to cover the bases and eliminate areas where potential problems can occur in order to enhance our chances of producing the litter.

For any bitch we see in our practice, we recommend the following work up be done on the prospective stud dog. The exam must be done after the dog’s last breeding or within 2-3 weeks prior to the breeding to our bitch patient.

1. Semen examination, full report to be sent or faxed to us. A verbal report by either the stud dog’s owner or by the stud dog’s veterinarian is not sufficient.                                                                                                         
2. Semen culture and sensitivity. Required after the last natural breeding, or approximately 2-3 weeks prior to our anticipated breeding. The actual laboratory result must be mailed or faxed to us. A report of "clean" will not suffice.                                                                                                             
3. Mycoplasma culture. After the last natural breeding or 3-4 weeks prior to our anticipated breeding.                                                                                
4. Brucella titer.                                                                                                  
5. White blood count.                                                                                           
6. Physical findings of the dog’s reproductive exam, reported by the stud dog’s veterinarian (e.g. Size and consistency of testes, Prostate palpation,)

 

Just as it is possible for a bitch to be infected or infertile, it is also possible for the stud dog to be infertile or to transfer an infection to the bitch. An active stud dog which is infected may cover several bitches, transmitting the infection to each, before the resulting infection in a bitch prompts testing of the male. It is wise for the stud dog’s owner to require a workup of each bitch to be bred, and to periodically and regularly test her male, even though all of the visiting bitches were reported to be "clean". The reliability of the culture results collected on each bitch is affected dramatically by the procedures used by the bitch’s vet. The reliability of the culture results of the stud dog is more likely to be acceptable.