- Factors affecting sperm quality
o Temperature
o Light
o Water
o Blood
o Urine
o Rubber on syringe plunger
o Detergent
o Debris
o Stuff
- Semen is ejaculated in 3 fractions
o First fraction-pre-sperm (prostate)-clear and acellular
o Sperm rich fraction (tail of epididymis)-opalescent in color
o Prostatic fraction-large volume of clear fluid in a normal dog
o Needs to be used quickly for artificial insemination
o Raw semen more sensitive to light and temperature than extended semen
o Keep it warm
o If used for several females need to determine if insemination volume will be adequate
o Extenders
• Prolong the viability and fertilizing capability
• Protect against cold shock
o Antibiotics
• Inhibit bacterial growth
o Allows maximum utilization of the ejaculate by increasing volume without reducing sperm viability
o Have the proper osmotic pressure and balance of ingredients
o Contains buffers, energy source, antibiotics and cryoprotectant
o When handling extended semen, take some care as with raw semen
o Types of extender
• Milk base
• Egg yolk base
o Preparation of extenders does not require expensive equipment and extenders can be stored in frozen aliquots (commercial
extenders better!!!)
o Has to be warm before added to sperm
o Volume added to the ejaculate will depend upon volume of the ejaculate and sperm concentration
o Dilutions are at least 1:1 (one part semen to one part extender)
o Extended semen should be used within hours if kept at room temperature
o Extended semen may be cooled or frozen for transport or storage
o For transport of short-term storage
o Lowering the temperature reduces metabolic activity of the sperm
o Extended semen is cooled at a slow rate of 5-10°C
o Cooled semen good for 24 hours (?)
o Avoid temperature changes once semen is cooled
o Semen has to be used within 24 hours
o Cooled semen may or may not need to be at body temperature prior to insemination (ex. Mares inseminated with semen
still cold, dogs inseminated with semen at 35°C)
