Original Article

Collection and cryopreservation of epididymal spermatozoa in dogs

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Abstract

When a male dog is not able to ejaculate, epididymal spermatozoa can be used to artificially inseminate the bitch. In the present study, two methods to collect epididymal sperm after castration were compared, i.e. the float-up method and the aspiration method. With the float-up method, more spermatozoa were collected than with the aspiration method (1810±718.1 million versus 694±244.5 million respectively, p-value = 0.018). A trend towards a higher post-thaw motility was observed when using the float-up method compared to the aspiration method (52±9.4% versus 44±9.4%, p-value = 0.060). Semen samples collected with the float-up method showed more blood contamination than with the aspiration method; however, this seemed to have no effect on the quality and quantity of the semen. It can therefore be concluded that the float-up method is the method of choice when epididymal sperm has to be collected in dogs.

How to Cite:

Simons, N. & Van Soom, A. & Domain, E. & Wydooghe, E., (2019) “Collection and cryopreservation of epididymal spermatozoa in dogs”, Vlaams Diergeneeskundig Tijdschrift 88(2), 77-82. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/vdt.v88i2.16028