RISE OF THE
BREEDERS are prepared to break the law and risk dogs’ health by artificially inseminating them to exploit the pandemic boom in demand for puppies.
The Sunday Mirror discovered a 10-fold increase in dog fertility clinics in the past two years, some in kitchens and back rooms of shops.
Some forms of artificial insemination are legal but our probe found ads for a handful of clinics offering a procedure for about £350.
Under the Veterinary Surgeons Act only qualified vets can legally perform a transcervical insemination (TCI).
This is where sperm is deposited through the cervix into the uterus using a catheter. It needs specialist equipment and can cause potentially deadly injury and infection if botched.
HORRENDOUS
The charity Naturewatch said the number of UK dog fertility clinics had boomed from 37 before the first lockdown to more than 300.
Its puppy farming expert Natalie Harney said: “This is heartbreaking. We are breeding dogs to their absolute limit. Something’s got to give.”
RSPCA chief vet Caroline Allen said: “Some of the breeding we are seeing at the moment is horrendous. There are types of bulldogs who can’t breathe, sleep or exercise properly.
“These people want to bypass vets because they don’t care about animal welfare. They are treating dogs as commodities – just things which will produce money.”
Some of these clinics showed menus of dogs as potential mates for customers’ mutts, which experts slammed for slashing the gene pool.
One clinic advised our undercover reporters on breaking local authority rules on creating multiple litters by, saying:
“You don’t have to be honest.” Social media pages of the clinics we visited are covered with shots of flat-faced pooches – like pugs and bulldogs – that they have created using controversial canine fertility treatment. Decades of overbreeding have caused these animals – brachycephalic dogs – to develop major genetic deformities.
Many cannot get pregnant naturally and have big issues in labour as their narrow pelvises mean puppies often get stuck in the birth canal.
Data released last month showed French bulldogs were expected to live to just four and a half. A healthy dog’s lifespan is 10 to 13 years.
And 80% of French bulldogs need to have caesareans – putting them at risk of deadly abdominal infections.
Several of the clinics we probed had a menu of “stud dogs” charging up to £500 for donor sperm. Flatfaced breeds, most at risk of health problems, dominated these lists.
All clinics offered artificial insemination services, some of which is still legal, despite concern from experts.
TRAUMA
A handful, including K9 Clinics in Ilford, East London, advertised TCIs. Its website and Instagram page had pictures of bulldogs created via this extremely risky method.
Its website said: “Overview of the service: Semen is inserted through the cervix into the uterus by using an endoscope (tube) – allowing to see the cervix and insert a catheter. This is known as transcervical insemination, and can be done while a dog is standing up.” Our undercover reporters posed as potential customers at the Ilford clinic, located down an alleyway.
It charged £50 for a consultation for our reporter’s one-year-old cockapoo Luna. Yet the staff member asked no questions about Luna’s medical history or if she had any genetic diseases. He confirmed he specialised in mating bulldog breeds but would do a TCI on Luna for £350.
He boasted of carrying out TCIs on more than 1,000 dogs and that: “Everything we do is legal.” We asked if there was any risks to her from a TCI, which can cause internal trauma and infections if done improperly, and he said: “No, nothing at all.” We queried his qualifications, saying: “We wouldn’t have to take her to the vet?”
He replied: “No, no.” Gesturing to certificates on the wall, he added: “I’ve had to do a course, on and off for six years. It’s practical as well. I’ve got all my certification.”
The certificates were issued by a firm which was slammed in a BBC documentary last year.
The staff member advised us how to get around laws requiring those breeding multiple litters to apply for a local council licence.
He said: “You don’t have to be honest with them. If they’re personal pets, they probably won’t ask questions.” K9 Clinics refused to comment when we presented our findings to them.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons said: “Transcervical insemination is an act of veterinary surgery and may only be undertaken by a veterinary surgeon in dogs.” A staff member at Southeast K9 Fertility Clinic in Gravesend, Kent, said artificially inseminating four-year-old toy poodle Honey would cost £450.
People bypass vets, they don’t care about animal welfare, dogs are to produce money CAROLINE ALLEN RSPCA CHIEF VET ON DOG BREEDING
BREEDERS
When asked over the phone he seemed to describe a TCI. After we told him this should not be done by an unqualified person he denied the clinic used that procedure.
He said: “I’m not qualified in this. I just receive calls, I’m the helper. This was my mistake and miswording. That’s not actually what happens.”
Essex Canine Fertility Services in Basildon promotes artificial insemination for dogs who cannot mate naturally due to their sizes.
Its website says: “Insemination is a quick and pain-free procedure where fresh sperm is deposited into the uterus either in front of or directly into the cervix (tci).”
When we approached the clinic , it said it had never carried out TCIs, adding: “We are going to have the [website’s] wording changed with this ASAP as we can now see this could/ has caused some confusion.”
Most dog fertility clinics in England are run by breeders, not qualified vets, and are unregulated.
Ms Allen said: “They have come about off the back of irresponsible breeding – breeding dogs for appearance, not health. Where the real health risk comes from is getting dogs who shouldn’t be bred to breed.
“If you are inserting something into the body of an animal, you need to have the right equipment and know what you’re doing.”