1. How long does frozen semen keep in storage?  The technology that
created this canine semen freezing technique has been around for 35
years and we are using semen that has been stored that long and
getting puppies!! We hold the current world record of 34 years!!
Knowing that, we are assuming the semen will be good for an
indefinite period of time as long as it is kept at a constant
temperature in liquid nitrogen.

2. What if the electricity goes out, what happens to the semen?  The
storage tanks are completely self contained using liquid nitrogen.
No electricity is required so power failures are not a problem!!

3. Why should I choose ICSB for my dog’s semen collection and storage?
ICSB has the experience, reputation and world records to convince any
discerning dog breeder!!  Prof. Platz has built this company’s reputation
on being honest and having the utmost integrity and confidentiality for
our clients.  I researched several freezing methods out there when I was
looking to store my own dog’s semen.  I chose ICSB because of the staff
and the record of success the company had.  I was a client long before
I purchased a franchise!!  We have someone on staff for handling our
exports to other countries, scientists keeping up on the most recent
technology and formulas, technology for harvesting semen out of the
testicles of canines, technology for shipping fresh chilled semen both
for freezing at one of our centers and for breedings.

4. What are the differences between fresh, fresh chilled and frozen
semen? Fresh semen is when you have the dog and bitch available,
the collection is done from the male and immediately inseminated
into the bitch.  Fresh chilled semen is collected and added to our
media and shipped to the bitch owner in one of our Puppy Paks.  It
is very simple to use and can be shipped almost anywhere!  The semen
when mixed with our media lives for several days.  On one of my own
dog’s semen, I tested it over a 2 weeks period and still had motility
after 2 weeks!!  Frozen semen generally lives about 12-18 hours
average after thawing.  We have had success using frozen semen for
vaginal artificial inseminations, but recommend the surgical implant or
transcervical procedure for frozen semen.  Fresh or fresh chilled semen
can be implanted with vaginal inseminations, surgical inseminations or
transcervical procedures.

5. What are your success rates using frozen semen at your facility?
We use a couple of different veterinary hospitals in this area for our
surgical implants using frozen semen.  Our success rates for these are
over 90%, as good, if not better than natural breedings!!

6. My bitch is flagging and her vaginal smears are cornified, do I still
need to do progesterone testing? If you want the best chance of success,
then yes, progesterone testing is necessary.  Behaviors like “flagging”
and vaginal cytology indicating cornification are estrogen induced.
Ovulation is progesterone induced.  These should be in sync with each
other, but we are finding over and over again, they are not.  The bitches
don’t seem to be reading the “how to” manual, so many times, the
estrogen levels are high enough to cause flagging and vaginal cytology
changes, but their progesterone levels have not risen to trigger
ovulation. If you are using frozen semen, progesterone testing must be
done to ensure the semen, which only lives 12-18 hours, is implanted
at the correct time.

7. My vet uses an “in house” progesterone test, is this ok?   These can
be good tools, but personally have found them not to be as accurate
as sending the test out to a laboratory and getting numbers back.
The testing done at the veterinary labs is very accurate and we
know precisely where the bitch is with her progesterone levels. They
generally are not that much more cost wise than the in house tests
and have a better quality control.

8. I live in Canada, my progesterone numbers are different. How do
I interpret them?   The progesterone levels here are recorded in
nannograms and the testing done in Canada is recorded in micrograms
so it is not comparing apples to apples.  The nannogram is multiplied by
3.18 to compare to the Canadian system.  Generally we say a bitch
ovulated around 5.0 on our system,it would be around 16 on
the Canadian system.

9. Why would I do a surgical implant instead of just a vaginal AI?
Again, if it is frozen semen, the life expectancy of the semen is shorter,
so the surgical implant is the best option.  With a vaginal insemination,
the semen has to “swim for it”, up thru the vaginal tract, thru the cervix
and up into the uterine horns. This can take a day or more and quite
a bit of work on the sperm cell’s part.  If you are using fresh or fresh
chilled semen and the bitch has no history of conception problems,
regular vaginal inseminations will work well.  If the bitch is not
conceiving using vaginal inseminations, the semen is good, and the
timing is correct, I recommend a surgical implant to determine that
there are no cysts causing the misses. We find ovarian cysts, uterine
cysts and cervical cysts, which if large enough will impede the semen
from getting into the uterus at all.  With the surgical implant procedure,
we can bypass the cervical cyst and the bitches get pregnant!

10.  My dog has an enlarged prostate, is neutering the only option?  No!
We have some treatment options we can share with your veterinarian
that can treat prostatitis.  Generally Ovaban or Proscar are used for
treatment, and we have seen outstanding results.   Of course, if the dog
is not being shown and is no longer being used for breeding, it is the
healthiest option to neuter him, but these treatments work well when
neutering is not an option.

11.  What is the best age to collect my dog for freezing semen?  The
best age is generally 2-5 years of age, although I feel the younger the
better! Semen from a younger dog is stronger and survives the freezing
process better.  Some breeds we collect as young as 1 year of age and
have great results!  In some occasions, dog’s that are working or on the
show circuit need to be done after they are retired or on a break. Just
like with athletes, their fertility can be altered with stress.

12.  I have heard about your fertility supplement, what does it do?
Our ICSB Fertility Supplement was originally developed for arthritis.
In using it in the older, arthritic dogs, some interesting side effects
were discovered. The testes on many males firmed up and semen
quality was improved.  The semen samples were stronger and
survived better for shipping semen or for freezing semen.  In bitches,
the cycles were regulated and fertility seems to be increased. It
seems to stop them from having split cycles also. For those bitches
that were having irregular cycles, the entire body seemed to be in
harmony and they had normal cycles.  There is no drugs in this product,
it is all natural. It does not cure every dog, but does not harm any of
them.  I even have some clients using it for bitches to keep them from
shedding and blowing coats after being in season! They swear by it!!

13.  I have a bitch I want to breed and need a stud dog. Do you
have a catalog what I can choose one from?   No, we do not.  Unlike
the cattle industry, all of the information on the dog’s we have stored
is confidential. I know in the cattle industry they have catalogs available
for you to pick out a bull of your choice, but we cannot offer that. You
would need to contact breeders directly and find out if they have semen
frozen with us. Once you find a stud dog and the breeder agrees to allow
you access to the semen, the stud dog owner would fill out a form
releasing the semen to you for that breeding.
 
 

ICSB-Grass Valley, Inc Bridgett Higginbotham, RVT PO BOX 741 Cedar Ridge, CA 95924 530-273-9123..Office phone 530-273-9128..fax 530-913-4957..cell info@icsbgrassvalley.com