Comparative study of different methods for dog semen cryopreservation and testing under clinical conditions

The extenders and freezing rates from three different freezing protocols were combined and compared to each other in order to study the post-thawing acrosome integrity and fertility of frozen dog sperm. A commercial bovine TRIS-base extender (TRILADYL) and two self-made canine semen extenders (Norwegian and Dutch) were combined with a conventional bovine and two canine freezing regimes, and acrosome integrity of frozen/thawed spermatozoa was assessed by fluorescein isothiocyanate conjugated peanut agglutinin staining (FITC-PNA). Differences between freezing/thawing protocols were reflected in the proportion of cells with acrosomal damage and not based on motility results. It was concluded that during dog semen cryopreservation extenders had less influence on the post-thawing sperm quality than did the freezing rates. The optimal extender/freezing rate combination (TRILADYL/Norwegian) was used in the clinical practice to evaluate the fertility of frozen sperm administered by intrauterine insemination using a surgical approach. The pregnancy rate was 57% (4/7), but the average litter size was low (2.8). This may have been due to the insufficient sperm numbers contained in an insemination dose and/or to the incorrect timing of artificial insemination (AI). The final conclusion is that the commercial bovine extender is useful for freezing dog semen, and the TRILADYL/Norwegian freezing protocol is recommended as the most advantageous combination for the freezing of canine semen in the clinical practice.