Reproductive Services

Canine Breeding & Reproductive Services

For 40 years, Veterinary Village and International Canine Semen Bank has served pet owners in Lomira, WI, and surrounding communities. Our veterinarians and support staff are proud to provide a comprehensive range of veterinary services to clients from across Southeast Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. In addition to general veterinary services, our practice specializes in canine breeding and reproduction. In 2002, Dr. Marty Greer opened our canine semen freezing center and became Penn-Hip Certified. Today, we offer complete breeding and reproductive services for local and out-of-state breeders. This includes counseling & assistance through every step of the process, from pre-breeding evaluations to 8-week check-ups of the puppies.

Our Canine Reproductive Services Include

There is genotype testing (DNA testing) and phenotype testing (appearance or other measurable testing). In most cases, this requires at least four weeks for results to be made available, requiring advanced planning. Specialized testing with a cardiologist or ophthalmologist requires an appointment at a referral center or scheduled health clinic. Other than PennHip, which we only do at Veterinary Village in Lomira, the additional testing can be scheduled at either Veterinary Village in Lomira or Nature's Preserve Pet Care in Sun Prairie.

• Pre-Breeding testing including Penn-Hip, OFA Hips, and Elbows, Genetic Screening for OFA, VWD, DNA

  • Most breeders opt to do genetic screening before breeding their males and females. The specific tests are dependent on the breed, the expected breeding plan, and the breeder who owns the dogs.

  • OFA x-rays: These include hip, elbow, shoulder, vertebrae, and trachea x-rays. In most cases, this can be done without anesthesia and sedation.

  • PennHip: This is a hip study approved for dogs over 16 weeks. This requires full anesthesia. Because it requires specialized equipment, and only Dr. Greer is certified, this can only be done at Veterinary Village in Lomira.

  • OFA Thyroid testing: This is a blood test that requires special collection, shipping, and submission criteria for OFA acceptance. This can be done at Veterinary Village in Lomira or at Nature's Preserve Pet Care and Checkout Veterinary in Sun Prairie, WI.

  • DNA testing: Each breed has its own DNA tests recommended by the national breed club or the CHIC website. The test samples can be harvested and submitted by our veterinary teams at Veterinary Village in Lomira or Nature's Preserve Pet Care and Checkout Veterinary in Sun Prairie, WI, with advanced planning to ensure we can collect and process the requested samples.

• Progesterone testing

  • Accurate and timely progesterone results are essential for the best pregnancy rates. At Veterinary Village, we have the capability to run progesterone tests on three machines. We also can run progesterone tests at both of our Sun Prairie offices – Natures Preserve Pet Care and Checkout Veterinary. In most cases, we can provide results for your time-sensitive decision-making within 1 hour of your appointment. We can offer these services 7-days a week in Lomira and Sun Prairie (Madison), Wisconsin.

  • Progesterone results are also essential for timing whelping and scheduled c-sections. With our ability to provide progesterone results at all three practices, collectively 7-days a week, we are there for your scheduling needs.

• Fertility Evaluation & Treatment of the Bitch & the Stud Dog:

  • We recommend scheduling pre-breeding fertility assessments and planning in advance of breedings for female dogs. For females with difficulty conceiving or carrying a litter to term, we can schedule a consultation at Veterinary Village in Lomira to discuss and provide diagnostics and a treatment plan to improve your breeding outcomes.

  • We recommend scheduling a pre-breeding fertility assessment for male dogs, including a physical exam and semen analysis in advance of planned breeding. We can schedule a consultation at Veterinary Village in Lomira to discuss and provide diagnostics and a treatment plan to improve your breeding outcomes.

• Semen Freezing with storage right here at our clinic!

• Fresh Chilled and Frozen Shipment of Semen: Semen stored at Veterinary Village/ICSB WI/IL/IN can be shipped to almost any US destination with a 3-weekday notice. For frozen semen release with fewer than three days' notice, we will need to handle this case-by-case due to staffing and charged tank availability. International shipments have specific requirements when the semen is collected and frozen to be eligible for shipping. Additionally, it requires extensive planning.

• Hormonal Timing of Estrus in the Bitch

• Fresh Collected and Fresh Chilled Vaginal, Transcervical, or Surgical Inseminations

• Frozen Transcervical or Surgical Inseminations

• Pyometra Medical Therapy: Pyometra is a serious, sometimes life-threatening infection of the uterus, most commonly seen in older female dogs after a heat cycle. There are two treatment options that we can offer at Veterinary Village in Lomira.

  • Medical management. Upon confirmation of a pyometra diagnosis, our doctors can discuss the medical management options with you. This generally involves up to 5 days in the hospital, a series of injections, and ongoing antibiotic treatment. Cost is similar to the cost of surgical management. Select females may be good candidates for this intervention.

  • Surgical management. Surgical management typically is to remove the ovaries and uterus, similar to but more complex, costly, and risky than a routine spay. Our doctors are experienced in providing this surgical intervention. The cost is several times that of a routine spay.

• Ovary sparing spays: An alternative to a "traditional" spay, this procedure involves removing the uterus down to and including the cervix while sparing one or both ovaries. This is an increasingly popular option for many owners of dogs with a breed that tends to be sensitive to the loss of her ovaries or for dogs in performance events where physical activity is essential. Please call to set up a consultation with Dr. Greer to determine if your dog and her lifestyle make her a great candidate for this procedure. Most veterinary clinics in our area do not offer this procedure.

• Complicated spays or spays on high-risk dogs: In some situations, our veterinary colleagues prefer to refer their patients to our doctors and team at Veterinary Village in Lomira for complicated spays or spays on high-risk patients. This may include dogs with a history of previous abdominal surgeries, who are older or carrying a bit too much weight or have had reproductive complications. When you contact our team, please share her medical history with us so we can best prepare for our doctor's consultation with you.

• Mammary tumor/cancer surgical management: Mammary tumors are most frequently seen in older female dogs who were not spayed under two years of age. Surgical intervention to remove one or several mammary glands may be required to alleviate this disorder. At this time, there is no chemo or radiation treatment for dogs or cats. Our doctors are experienced in managing these tumors surgically. This may include a recommendation to spay the female as well. When you contact our team, please share her medical history with us so we can best prepare for our doctor's consultation with you.

• Neuters: Neutering a dog /cat involves full general anesthesia to remove both testicles. The testes are in the scrotum in most cases, meaning the surgery does not require opening the abdomen. The surgical recovery is generally relatively fast and improved by using post-op pain medications. We can offer this procedure at Veterinary Village in Lomira and Nature's Preserve Pet Care in Sun Prairie (Madison).

• Cryptorchid neuters: A cryptorchid neuter means a neuter when the testicle(s) are not in the scrotum, requiring a more complex procedure. Some of our veterinary colleagues prefer to refer these to our hospital for our experienced doctors to perform. When calling to schedule this with our team, share this important bit of information in advance of your pet's procedure.

• Vasectomies: In some cases, dog owners prefer to have a vasectomy performed instead of a neuter. A vasectomy means the male dog retains his testicles, but because a portion of the vas deferens is removed, he cannot sire a litter. Some owners opt for this for health, personality, or performance reasons. Most veterinary clinics in our area do not offer this service. Please call to set up a consultation with Dr. Greer to determine if your dog and his lifestyle make him a great candidate for this procedure.

• Treatment for Accidental Breedings: Now and then, there is an accidental breeding, leading to a pregnancy you did not plan for. There is no "morning after" pill for dogs. Should this happen to you, we can help. Call us as soon as the "oops" occurs so we can schedule her for an ultrasound 4-weeks after the event. Avoid the use of estrogens or progesterone at this time, as these can cause harm to your female. Should she show up pregnant on the ultrasound, we have effective medical management to drop her progesterone level and hormonally terminate her pregnancy.

• Whelp-Wise Monitoring & High-Risk Pregnancy Management: Whelpwise is a uterine contraction monitoring service based out of Colorado. With this specialized equipment, their experienced team can assess the type and quality of your dog's uterine contractions, help manage her using telemedicine and your veterinarian's recommendations, and determine if a c-section intervention is your best option. Our doctors at Veterinary Village in Lomira are experienced working with the Whelpwise team.

• High-risk pregnancy management: Some pregnancies have associated risks. These include brachycephalic dogs, dogs with expected c-sections, dogs with a history or family history of pre-term labor, or dogs who are sick or injured during pregnancy. Our doctors in Lomira at Veterinary Village have experience in managing hundreds of pregnancies and c-sections a year. Please call for a consultation and/or appointment for this situation.

• Pre-term labor pregnancy management: There are occasional females who have a previous history of going into labor early or who come from a line of dogs with this history. With appropriate progesterone timing and working with our experienced veterinarians at Veterinary Village in Lomira, we can often help manage these pregnancies, helping to improve these outcomes.

• C-sections, both Planned and Emergency: there are three key components to successful c-section outcomes. All 3 of these are taken seriously by the entire team at Veterinary Village in Lomira. We only offer this service in Lomira at this time.

  • Accurately timing a scheduled c-section is a key component of the delivery of healthy puppies. The window to safely deliver pups is tiny – only 48 hours.

  • Experienced doctors and staff are an essential component of highly successful outcomes. Knowing when a c-section is safe, when it is the best treatment option, and efficient and accurate surgical intervention makes for the best possible outcomes.

  • Great supportive care of the bitch and her puppies, which includes IV fluids, appropriate anesthesia including an endotracheal tube during the surgery to protect the bitch's airway, proper post-op pain management for the bitch, and outstanding puppy resuscitation techniques all lead to the best outcomes possible.

• TCI breedings: TCI or Transcervical Inseminations are a technique to directly introduce semen into the uterus of your well-timed estrous female dog. We can use fresh, freshly chilled, or frozen semen with this technique. This allows improved fertility outcomes without the need for a surgical and anesthetic procedure. In most cases, we can perform this procedure with less than 1 hour spent at the hospital at Veterinary Village. We have five doctors who are proficient at this procedure. We can provide this service at Veterinary Village in Lomira 7 days a week.

• Surgical Breedings: On occasions, our doctors may recommend, or our clients may select surgical breeding over TCI breeding. These cases are typically chosen for fertility concerns. This requires full anesthesia and is an open-abdomen procedure. This will require 2 to 4 hours spent at the hospital. We can usually provide this service at Veterinary Village in Lomira 7 days a week.

• Fresh chilled breedings: At Veterinary Village and International Canine Semen Bank WI/IL/IN in Lomira, we can provide outgoing fresh semen collections shipped overnight for fresh chilled semen. We are limited to outgoing shipments when UPS can accommodate the shipment. We can also receive incoming semen fresh chilled semen shipments and provide vaginal AI, TCI, or surgical semen inseminations.

• Neonatal Health Checks & Sick Puppy Care: Up to 40% of newborn puppies are lost between conception and weaning. We think this number is too high. Our experienced veterinary professionals can help you navigate these challenging times with fragile patients. Planners save puppies. Don't wait till you have a litter in trouble. Contact us before your breeding and let us help you provide great prenatal care so we can help keep you on the right track. Our doctors and team are available 7-days a week.

• Spinal manipulation therapy: Dr. Griffiths has advanced training in Veterinary Spinal Manipulation Therapy, acupuncture, and pain management. He is skilled at determining the underlying cause of lameness or pain and developing a treatment plan to get your dog or cat back on all 4 feet. He has limited appointments only at Veterinary Village in Lomira, so call today for your appointment.

• Class IV laser therapy for chronic pain management: Class IV laser therapy is used for human and veterinary patients to speed healing and manage pain. It is effective in improving wound healing, ear infections, acute and chronic lameness, and back and neck pain. After Dr. Griffiths develops a diagnostic and treatment plan, our veterinary assistants can schedule your pet for individual or package treatment plans to improve their activity and quality of life. Call us at Veterinary Village in Lomira for your pet's appointment.

We also offer Breeding Services at Local Events:

• Semen Freezing, DNA, and Blood Samples for Genetic Screening at Local Dog Shows: The semen we collect and freeze at Veterinary Village in Lomira is also stored in Lomira for your breeding convenience, efficiency and economy.

  • We can arrange for a mobile semen freezing and health clinic at dog shows held within our territory with advance notice and adequate registrations. Call and ask for Katie or Roxann to make plans!

• Canine Reproduction Educational Presentations for Breeder Groups & Clubs: Dr. Greer enthusiastically will provide on-site and online educational programs on many topics, including but not limited to canine reproduction and neonatal care. Please call her at Veterinary Village in Lomira at 920-269-4000 to make arrangements.

Why Choose a Dog Breeder?

Working with a locally-sourced dog breeder can offer many benefits for pet owners and buyers. When you are choosing to purchase a puppy from a local breeder, you will often have the benefits of:

• Working closely with your dog breeder

• Meeting the breeder in person

• Going to their home or facility and seeing the conditions where the puppies are bred and raised

• Interacting with the sire and dam

• Seeing the whole litter and being able to choose the right puppy for you from among the group

• Having the breeder's support when it comes to taking your puppy home and getting them acclimated to their new life

• Having inside track information about your pet's breed-specific and family-specific information, whether potential health concerns or general characteristics

Veterinary Village and International Canine Semen Bank endorse several local Wisconsin breeders. These dedicated individuals are committed to producing healthy, happy dogs. In addition, they are active in completing health screenings on fathers, mothers, and puppies to ensure you receive the best possible pet for your family. To see a list of the breeders we work with, please visit our Puppy Breeder Referral page.

Please contact us to schedule a breeding appointment!