Comparing pharmacological and manual collection for semen cryopreservation in dogs

The cryopreservation effective use is intrinsically linked with reproductive success for the reproductive biotechnologies application, facilitating genetic material storage. Alternative ways of collecting semen in dogs open up new horizons for use by veterinarians in clinical routine. This work aims to evaluate the cryocapacity of semen samples collected by urethral catheterization after pharmacological stimulation using dexmedetomidine. The pharmacological collection and digital manipulation techniques was compared using 5 dogs without statistically significant results (p>0.05) for fresh semen samples for motility (86 ± 5.48 manual vs. 79.7 ± 12.45 catheter), vigor (3 ± 0.1 manual vs. 10.46 catheter), plasma membrane integrity (83.5 ± 8.15 manual vs 77.2 ± 15.72 catheter) or cryopreserved for motility (53 ± 13.5 manual vs 43 ± 17.17 catheter), vigor (1.8 ± 0.57 manual vs 1.7 ± 0.44 catheter), acrosomal integrity (53.7 ± 16.17 manual vs 50 ± 22.01 catheter), plasma membrane integrity (52.8 ± 18.37 manual vs 40.4 ± 21.18 catheter). There was a statistical difference (p<0.05) when comparing seminal volume (3.24 ± 1.36 manual vs 0.35 ± 0.11 catheter) and sperm concentration (115.6 ± 79 manual vs 259.6 ± 81.75 catheter). Based on the findings, it is possible to state that the semen collected by urethral catheterization after pharmacological stimulation showed favorable results for cryopreservation.