Myra, AI's are only as good as the expertise of the person handling the mating. If you are lucky enough to live near a vet who specializes in reproductive problems, then an AI is probably a viable option. However, we have never had this option. The few times that we have tried AI's have not met with success. Indeed, most research shows that litter sizes tend to be smaller for AI litters than for natural bred litters. This may be due in some part to the likelihood that an AI litter is usually a last resort type of breeding rather than routine.
Also, I am sure that a breeder who routinely does AI's on their own dogs would become adept and have a higher success rate than a vet who seldom is called upon to AI a mating. Many factors can affect the success rate both ways. The natural way is what we strive for so AI's are not in our list of accomplishments. I much prefer a dog who is a good stud that rarely needs help and a female who is a free whelper and good mother. Your concerns about infections and safeguarding the health of your male are valid. Wasn't there a case in the past where a lovely, imported, blenheim male was rendered sterile in just the way that you describe? All the best, Susan Cochran ----- Original Message ----- From: "Myra Savant" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2001 4:47 PM Subject: Re: [CKCS-L] antibiotics, etc > Frankly, I wish that all bitch owners would be happy with direct AIs. They > are our very first choice, followed by a hooded culture, followed last of > all by the run of Baytril. AIs are safe for the dog and the bitch, and the > litter size appears to be the same. I find that a lot of bitch owners do > not have faith in the AI procedure. Myra Savant > > > >From: Leanne Bertani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Reply-To: The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel List > ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >Subject: [CKCS-L] antibiotics, etc > >Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2001 11:56:52 -0500 > > > >There will certainly be varied opinions among veterinarians regarding the > >antibiotic issue, and here's why: > > > >The problem with prophylactic antibiotics is that the best culture is taken > >at the beginning of the season because the cervix is partially open. There > >is no point in testing for mycoplasma in the vagina, because it is normal > >flora in the vagina -- you are looking for mycoplasma (or E Coli or > >whatever) in the uterus. A culture done prior to the season is probably > >going to show nothing, or show vaginal flora, but tell you very little > >about > >the what's in the uterus, because the cervix is closed when the bitch is > >not > >in season. > > > >And suppose we do wait until the onset of the season to get the culture? > >Well, we have established that pelvic disease may take 2-3 weeks to treat. > >Since you are probably not going to get the culture results until well into > >the season, and conception takes place prior to 14 days into the season, > >well, you see the dilemma. I know some people give Baytril to pregnant > >bitches, but you gotta wonder about its effect on cartilage development. > >If > >the infection is E Coli, then that may be sensitive to ampicillin, which is > >safe in pregnancy. If the infection requires Baytril, I guess you could > >treat that season and wait to breed until the following season. Al(Myra, > >maybe you could answer this one? Why does your vet choose Baytril? I know > >it's broad-spectrum, but if you are only worried about one bug -- > >mycoplasma --how about erythromycin? Next time you go in, ask if > >erythromycin would be sufficient? Cindy, are you here?) > > > >As Barb mentioned, Baytril is not innocuous. It is hard on the stomach, > >and > >can cause mental disorientation. Vets call it "Baythrill", for the mental > >effects it has (Vets and breeders sometimes take their dog's meds........) > > > >My own personal opinion, for what it is worth, is that I would not mess > >with > >the cervix of a healthy bitch (there is an important protective factor in > >the cervical mucus -- see abstract below), and I wouldn't put her on > >prophylactic antibiotics because I wouldn't want to mess with the normal > >flora, which is also protective. As a stud dog owner myself (different > >breed), I understand the stud dog owner wanting to protect their dog. I > >guess if I wanted to use Myra's dog bad enough, I might consider an AI. > >Interesting topic. > > > >Leanne > > > > > > > > > >Am J Obstet Gynecol 2001 Sep;185(3):586-92 > >An in vitro study of antibacterial properties of the cervical mucus plug in > >pregnancy. > >Hein M, Helmig RB, Schonheyder HC, Ganz T, Uldbjerg N. > > > > > >Cervical mucus plugs from 56 healthy women in labor were studied by 2 > >different antimicrobial assays: Analysis was done by overlaying the > >cervical > >mucus plug onto an agar plate with imbedded bacteria, and by radial > >diffusion assay with group B Streptococcus and Escherichia coli. > > > >RESULTS: In the agar overlay assay, there was complete inhibition of > >clinical isolates of Staphylococcus saprophyticus, E coli, and Pseudomonas > >aeruginosa and patient-variable partial-to-complete inhibition of > >Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, and > >Streptococcus agalactiae. In the radial diffusion assay, cervical mucus > >plugs had activity toward group B Streptococcus equivalent to 0.075 > >microg/mL of gentamicin and toward E coli equivalent to 0.5 microg/mL of > >gentamicin. CONCLUSION: A low-molecular substance with antibacterial > >activity in the cervical mucus plug may protect the fetus against ascending > >infections. > > > >========================================================= > >"Magic Commands": > >to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: > >mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL > >to start it up gain click here: > >mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL > > > > E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. > >Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html > > > >All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 1999 by its original author. > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp. > > ========================================================= > "Magic Commands": > to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL > to start it up gain click here: > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL > > E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. > Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html > > All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 1999 by its original author. ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. 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