Veterinarians and Artificial Insemination

							Veterinarians and Artificial Insemination
                           BY C. A. V. BARKER *
FfNHE ARTIFICIAL breeding of dairy cattle has developed rapidly in
   1 Canada during the last five years. Artificial insemination units have
 been established in the main dairying areas of all the provinces and in most
 instances have proven to be successful, expanding in services from year to
 year. Some of the success of these breeding projects must be attributed
 to the fact that veterinarians have been placed in charge of the technical
procedures involved in artificial insemination.
       The photograph accompanying -this article was taken at the recent
-opening of Oxford County Holstein Unit at Woodstock, Ontario. The
 veterinarians in tle photograph are at present actively engaged in artificial
 insemination work. Dr. J. S. Johnson is veterinarian in charge of the
 Waterloo Holstein Unit and in addition is chiefly responsibIe for the
 collection and disposal of semen from the famous Holstein bull Montvic
Rag Apple Sov.ereign. Dr. Johnson also conducts an extensive practice
 assisted by a graduate veterinarian.
       Drs. C. R. Reeds and R. Macdonald are former graduate assistants of
 Dr. Johnson, receiving practical tr'aning for a year with him. Dr. Reeds
 for the last two years has been supervising the York County Holstein Unit
at Maple, Ontario. This unit has been one of the most successful units in
tOntario, serving the breeders in that area and in addition supplying
 semen to veterinarians in surrounding districts. Dr. Macdonald has been
 in charge of the Woodstock Unit since its inception in May of this year.
iFourteen bulls are in service at this centre, supply~ing semen for the whole
 of Oxford County. Semen from the top price bulls costs $100 per cow
 settled, lower priced bulls rating $50 and the average fee being $5.00.
 Present plans indicate that over 200 members will soon be enrolled, en-
 tailing the services of additional technicians.
       Dr. D. C. Reid is veterinarian in charge of the New Jersey State
'Breeders Unit at Clinton, N.J., U.S.A. Dr. Reid has three graduate veterin-
 ar,ians as assistants. This unit was the first co-operative unit established in
 the United States. Dr. Reid spoke brie'fly on various features of artificial
-insemination at the opening of the Oxford County Unit.
       In add'ition to the units at Waterloo, Maple and Woodstock, a fourth
-unit supervised by Dr. D. Wilson is located at Forfar in Leeds County.
'Several -units snaller than these four are in operation in Ontario under
 the guidance o'f lay technicians.
      -The value of artificial insemination to the dairy cattle breeder has
 been clearly Shown in the results achieved by the work of artificial units.
 These results have stimulated breeders outside the unit areas to look
 for -some form of artificial insemination service. Consequently veterin-
 arians are frequently requested to render services of this nature. Many
 veterinarians in spite of the fact that they have more work than ever to
 do, have readily accepted artificial insemination and gradually it is
  * O.ntatis veterinary CDllege, Outlpl. Ont.
                                     [288]
Canadian Journal of          Artificial Insemination                          October, 1946 F QnI
Comparative Medicine                                                        Vol. X-No. 10   12891




             Left to right: Drs. D. C. Reid, R. Macdonald, J. S. Johnson, C. R. Reeds.


becoming a part of every day practice. There are several advantages in
this work. The veterinarian is able to diagnose and treat more cases of
infertility, in many instances prolonging the life of a cow that would other-
wise have been slaughtered. In addition it is a procedure whereby the
veterinarian may be assisting in the control of an infectious disease by
performing the insemination properly, and the owner will be appreciative.
Furthermore there should be some satisfaction from the improvement
noted in the resulting offspring sired by semen from superior sires. The
remuneration derived from artificial insemination work is by no means
snmall. Most of the artificial units have an advantageous salary scale, pay
mileage, and with some units permit sterility treatment fees. Possibly one
reason for lack of interest in this work has been the inability on the part
of the practitioner to obtain semen. This reason may be obviated by the
fact that sufficient units have been established in most of the provinces
to provide occasional semen samples. Agricultural institutions have also
undertaken to provide semen to a limited extent for custom service and
thus there should be available through either of these a supply of semen.
     If veterinarians take advantage of the opportunities provided by
artificial insemination ,work they will soon find a large clientele waiting
for their services, and no reason to believe that this phase of veterinary
medicine has escaped into the hands of trained lay technicians.