Harvesting and Freezing of Equine Epididymal Sperm
The sudden death of a stallion is a devastating event, not just emotionally, but potentially financially as well. In addition to any competitive goals the stallion was working towards, his untimely death may mean the loss of future breedings. In this situation it may be possible to harvest and freeze epididymal sperm by castrating the stallion Read more…
Should Frozen-Thawed Semen Be Diluted Prior to Insemination?
For veterinarians and technicians accustomed to inseminating fresh or cooled semen in large (20-60 ml) volumes, the idea of inseminating 0.5 to 4 ml of thawed frozen semen can be intimidating. During processing, frozen semen is concentrated by centrifugation and is typically packaged in small 0.5 ml straws at a sperm concentration that is often Read more…
What is a Dose of Frozen Semen?
Is a dose a breeding? Is a straw a dose? How many straws in a dose? How many sperm in a dose? These are often questions we hear from our clients when purchasing or using frozen semen. There is so much variability in the format of doses sold throughout the world that it can be Read more…
What is Progressive Motility?
The most commonly used measure of semen quality is sperm motility, specifically “progressive motility”. But what exactly does that mean and how is it determined? The minimum post-thaw “progressive motility” generally recommended for commercial distribution of frozen semen is 30% to 35%. This article will address some of the factors that can affect the assessment Read more…