Breeding Animal Reproductive Cryopreservation - BARC

02/01/2022

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Looking for an opportunity to attend a Breeder's Summit without leaving home?

THIS IS IT!

Buckhorn Valley Kennel Club in Larimer County, CO is hosting this day-long symposium with Colorado State University - Vet Teaching Hospital.
The content will be live and available via Zoom for the low cost of $40.00!

Below is the summary of topics:
Agenda for “2022 BVKC Spring Breeder Summit”
Saturday, February 12, 2022
8:45-9:00 am
Welcome remarks from Dr. Burns (brief word from BVKC Club Representative)
9:00-9:45 am
“Hip Certification – OFA and PennHip”
Dr. Greg Burns
9:45-10:00 am
Q&A with Dr. Burns
10:00-10:45 am
“Heart Disease Prevention in Dogs with a Focus on OFA Screening”
Dr. Katie Abbott-Johnson
10:45-11:00 am
Q&A with Dr. Abbott-Johnson
11:00-11:45 am
“Practical Approach to Heat Stroke and Allergic Reactions”
Christy Tomcik Walker RVT, VTS (ECC)
11:45-12:00 pm
Q&A with Ms. Tomcik Walker
12:00-12:45 pm
Break
12:45-1:30 pm
“Update on Hypothyroidism and the Breeding Canine”
Dr. Alex Horner
1:30-1:45 pm
Q&A with Dr. Horner
1:45-2:30 pm
“Puppy Care and Resuscitation following Birth”
Kelsey Tofany CVT
2:30-2:45 pm
Q&A with Ms. Tofany
2:45-3:45 pm
“Dystocia Management in the Bitch”
Dr. Greg Burns
3:45-4:00 pm
Q&A with Dr. Burns
4:00 pm
Final Comments, Wrap-up and Thank you

TO SIGN UP
Simply go to bvkc.org
click the tickets picture
use the drop-down bar to choose how many non-member tickets you wish to purchase
complete the rest of the required info
click ADD TO BAG
go to checkout and pay through PayPal.

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We, at BARC, work closely with Dr. Burns, Dr Horner, and Kelsey Tofany with not only storage, frozen semen transfers and breedings for clients but also personally in our own breeding programs. To say they're a top-notch team is an understatement of their knowledge, skill, and success.

[We are unaffiliated with the summit/BVKC]

09/29/2020

This shipment just arrived after 5 days of travel from Slovakia carrying very precious cargo! These shipper tanks are not full of liquid nitrogen themselves in transit, though the liquid is used to “charge” the tank. Inside the tank is a spongey material which absorbs the liquid nitrogen during the charging period, this process takes 24-48 hours which is why we request as much notice as possible for any upcoming transfers. This absorbed nitrogen then ev***rates into nitrogen v***r which will keep the temperature inside the tank well below freezing for about 7 days time. The way you can be certain that the contents stayed at the proper temperature is this plume of v***r (pictured) that follows the removal of the lid from the tank. This “puff” of relief is welcomed with a grateful sigh of our own! We’re breeders, too, and we understand the anxiety of transporting frozen semen for important breedings with a specific timeline! If you have any questions about the process of shipping or transferring, please ask! We are happy to help. 😊

02/20/2020

What is a breeding unit, exactly? Well, the simple answer is 100-200 million progressively motile s***m. But what does it mean to be progressively motile and how do you know, and what else is there to consider? After a collection is frozen, a test-thaw is completed. This is how we can calculate exactly how many straws (or pellets) are required to make up an adequate breeding unit. On average, the freezing process will compromise about 30-50% of all s***m, and we expect there to be about 50-70% motile (forward-moving) s***m when evaluating the test-thaw. While that is the average number that we see, a breeding can still be successful with 30% motility or lower! But there’s more than just motility, we also look at morphology, or how the s***m cells themselves are formed, and make note of the percentages of defects in the total ej*****te. This is also taken into consideration when calculating breeding units as well as the method of insemination. While collections such as the one in this photo, which have over 55% abnormal s***m, *can* successfully fertilize oocytes, a surgical insemination may recommended to increase the odds of the bitch becoming pregnant. We know how much it matters especially when talking about 10-, 20- or 30- year old frozen semen, and we understand that every s***m matters. Good record-keeping is important to us and we are happy to discuss any questions you may have about your boys’ freeze records and what it all means! Call or email us to contrive a gameplan when the time is nearing and we will gladly help you the best we can in order to improve your chances on an important breeding. Keep in mind, timing is the most crucial component when it comes to breeding with frozen semen, though rest assured knowing we’ve got your back on this end. 😊

02/12/2020

As we all know, breeding dogs can get complicated. Timing and schedules can be tricky to align, but luckily this handsome, busy guy's owner thought ahead to have his semen frozen and stored with us for circumstances just like this one! This particular fellow was filming his latest movie in Canada when his services were needed, and when he couldn't be there himself, we shipped a breeding unit of the semen we have in storage to a breeder over 1,000 miles across the country! We love being an integral part of making sure an important breeding happens, regardless of circumstance.

(Posted with permission from the owner)

12/09/2019

Welcome new clients transferring from South Mesa Vet Hospital and Canine Health Clinic!

We know this seems like a big change, and our goal is to keep everything just as smooth as it's always been when you are using your breeding units with SMVH, as well as with Dr. Greg Burns of Canine Health Clinic. Our intention is to keep the behind-the-scenes process as seamless as possible with lower expenses on your end! Included in your yearly storage fees is the benefit of deliveries of breeding units to SMVH and CHC for use at no cost to you! Our transfer fees for shipping breeding units to facilities outside of our network are also kept as low as possible - we, being breeders ourselves, understand just how much every penny counts.

Please be assured that while your semen will be changing facilities, it will not be changing hands. It will be cared for as if it were still under South Mesa's roof, and with full disclosure, with the exact same dedicated staff who has cared for it over the past several years.

We understand that this initial change will take some time to adjust to. In the meantime we welcome any questions, comments, feedback and concerns you may have. We're here for you.

Thank you for supporting local breeders and small-business!

11/15/2019