Reproduction Services

Welcome to Auckland’s most advanced companion animal reproductive clinic.

At True Vets we love the magic of puppies and kittens. We do, however, understand the importance of responsible breeding and are aware of and support the great efforts that breeders go to in order to deliver good quality pets. That is why we want to do our best to offer a hand in the process.

Dr Jennifer Dauth has completed numerous courses on animal reproduction including a course by Auburn University and has recently received her Membership at the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Science, in Animal Reproduction. She eagerly shares her knowledge and experience with the rest of the team to offer TRUE assistance in breeding, from start to finish.

Breeding Soundness Examinations & Fertility Consultations

We offer thorough examinations to determine whether your dog or bitch is suitable for breeding. This may include microchipping and relevant Dogs NZ certification depending on breed requirements.

In situations where you are concerned about the fertility or wellbeing of your pet, we offer consultations for more involved or high-risk cases.

We are also able to manage contraception if required for your pets.

Semen Analysis

Thorough assessment of semen quality is fundamental for rating a sire’s reproductive potential. We therefore take the time to assess sperm morphology as well as running an objective, computerized analysis of semen using some of the latest technology in semen assessment. Every analysis is stored and displayed in a graph, allowing us to track your sire’s fertility and make recommendations on how to manage or improve it if.

Semen Freezing (Cryopreservation)

Let us preserve your dog’s breeding potential! A major advantage of “freezing” semen is safeguarding against loss of breeding ability in the future, as frozen semen can be stored indefinitely, if stored and handled in an appropriate manner. There are further advantages to freezing semen though. Shipping of frozen semen is much more convenient and less stressful than live animal transportation, both for you and the dog. Frozen semen can be shipped ahead of the bitch’s breeding period, thereby eliminating stressful last minute travel arrangements.

We are able to freeze canine semen routinely in straws, however if pelleted semen is preferred this could be arranged.

Semen freezing is done at 100 million viable sperm per mating, as is current international accepted minimum. This leaves the owner with the choice of using one or 2 (recommended in some countries) doses per mating depending on how well the semen froze.

Post-Castration Semen Harvesting

Occasionally a situation arises where other options of semen extraction is not possible. This includes the sudden loss of your pet. We can harvest semen from the testes and depending on the quality and quantity thereof, can freeze it for use in a future insemination.

Chilled Semen

In some cases you may want to transport chilled semen rather than transporting your pet. Chilling semen for domestic transport allows semen to stay viable for approximately 4 days after collection and may be divided into 2-3 doses for repeat AI’s.

Frozen Semen Storage & Distribution

We are able to store semen for later use or distribution.

Semen storage is charged per sire per annum.

On occasion where semen is sold (or purchased) the distribution of it both domestically and internationally can be arranged by us.

Oestrus Monitoring/Ovulation Timing

For optimal chance of conception, one should pinpoint the bitch’s most fertile period. Since there is such variation amongst bitches making use of one guideline only means inaccurate timing for some. For this reason, we make use of in-house progesterone blood tests while you wait, as well as vaginal cytology and vaginoscopy as these provide valuable information with regards to breeding timing.

Artificial Insemination

We offer various assisted breeding techniques. These include:

• Transcervical Insemination or “TCI”, an endoscope assisted method of depositing semen directly into the uterus by passing a catheter through the cervix.

• Surgical semen implant – where semen is deposited directly into the uterus through a small abdominal incision (similar to that of a spey) under general anaesthetic.

• Intravaginal insemination by means of a pipette.

Pregnancy Management

We recommend doing an ultrasound at around 28 days to confirm pregnancy and estimate fetal numbers (Dr Adri can even tell the sex), as well as a pregnancy x-ray at 8 weeks pregnant to determine fetal number, size and evaluate for likely dystocia.

Some pregnancies are also considered “higher risk” and may need closer monitoring throughout the pregnancy, which we will guide you with.

Caesarian Sections

Our staff are very experienced with delivering puppies and kittens by caesarean section and our facility is well equipped for this. We find joy in this! We have a wonderful incubator for the newborns to feel cozy in and where they can receive beneficial supplemental oxygen for their introduction to the world.