As the bitch
owner, you need to know that you will pay for most of the fees involved
in chilled or frozen breedings and these fees are all in addition to the
stud fee. Now is a good time to discuss the fees and costs related to
using chilled or frozen semen.
Chilled
Semen:
The semen is
collected, cooled and an extender is added to keep the semen alive. The
chilled semen is then shipped in special kits called "puppy paks" via
FedEx or UPS Overnight. Remember that FedEx and UPS will not deliver on
Sunday and so we must work to assure that semen arrives as close as
possible to the height of the fertile period. Chilled semen is better to
have early than too late as the semen will generally live up to 48 hours
once inside the bitch.
Chilled
semen will involve costs for the special shipping packs, the overnight
shipping, and the stud dog's veterinary costs of collecting as well as
your veterinary costs to inseminate. Check to make sure the stud dog
owner has the special shipping kits and that overnight shipping can be
accomplished from their location.
If the stud
owner needs the special chilled shipping packs, please contact our
office as we can ship the packs ahead of time so the stud dog owner's
veterinarian has them on hand when your bitch is ready. Most chilled
breedings should be done twice about 24 to 48 hours apart so again, plan
accordingly. Also, don't forget the progesterone tests for your girl.
Have a
back-up plan in case the weather, a weekend or a holiday interferes with
shipping.
Chilled
breedings take the most coordination between all the parties so everyone
must be flexible to accomplish this type of breeding.
Frozen
Semen
Frozen semen
is usually stored with us or at a facility somewhere in the US or
possibly overseas. One nice thing about frozen semen is that it can be
shipped anytime to our office so it can be waiting in our storage tank
until your bitch comes into season therefore weather, weekends and
holidays do not play as much of a roll in the shipping coordination.
When frozen
semen is released/shipped, it must be paid for and it is then "yours"
essentially. You must still work with the stud owner to determine what
guidelines you must follow when using the semen, the stud owner will
need to sign off on any registration papers so be sure you understand
any and all restrictions up front. Most stud owners will only release
one insemination unit per breeding.
In addition
to the stud fee, you will be charged a release fee for the frozen semen,
the rental fee for the shipping tank, and the shipping costs of the
nitrogen tank. Shipping costs are higher due to the size of the shipping
container for frozen semen. Don't forget the Progesterone tests, which
are critical and mandatory as frozen semen will only live about 12 hours
once inside the bitch.
Your
veterinarian will also charge for the surgery required to implant the
semen into the uterus.
