The importance of a reproductive veterinarian and how to choose one
Common sense disclaimer: As with everything that I write, it’s critical to seek the advice of a qualified veterinarian, preferably one that is board certified in theriogenology (reproductive science) for reproductive matters. This article and its contents are NOT designed nor intended to replace the need for a qualified veterinarian, but instead to help educate people to to work optimally with their veterinarians. All recommendations should be reviewed with qualified professionals, such as a board certified reproductive veterinarian, prior to implementation in a breeding program. Always seek the advice of your veterinarian.
Breeding successfully requires several important partnerships, and our veterinary partners are critical.
Most pet owners have a general practice vet they use, and may see a specialist such as an orthopedist or a cardiologist. For a breeder, one of your most important veterinary specialist partners is your reproductive vet.
Some of the many services a repro vet can provide include:
Soundness exams for breeding
Heat cycle and fertility management
Infertility treatment
Semen analysis and collection
Semen shipping and preservation (freezing)
Artificial insemination (vaginal, transcervical, surgical)
Pregnancy exams
Medical and surgical management of reproductive disorders
Medical treatment of reproductive diseases
Management of dystocia
Management of high-risk pregnancies
Cesarean sections
Biopsy of reproductive organs
Diagnosis and treatment of prostatic diseases
Board certification
Specialists are often board certified. Board certified veterinarian specialists have completed extra training in their area of expertise and have taken and passed an exam showing they have expert-level knowledge. Once they pass their exams, they are known as diplomates. There are 22 specialties recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association. Each of these specialties has its own organization, known as a college, however these colleges are groups of experts, not schools.
Reproductive vets (often called repro vets for short) manage breeding challenges, fertility (or infertility), diseases of the male or female reproductive systems, diseases or complications of pregnancies, and diseases or complications of the post-partum period.
Repro vets are formally known as Theriogenologists and are members, or diplomates, of the American College of Theriogenologists, or more commonly known as board certified repro vets.
To become board certified, a veterinarian has to graduate from an accredited veterinary school, practice for at least a year, complete a two-year minimum residency in theriogenology, and pass an exam.
A graduate of a veterinary school has the title of DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) or VMD (veterinary medical doctor) after their name. Once completing board certification, a repro vet also add the designation DACT, which means diplomate of the American College of Theriogenologists.
There are veterinarians that specialize in reproduction but are not board certified. Those vets will not have the DACT designation after their DVM.
Choosing a veterinarian
Just like you want your heart surgeon or your obstetrician to be board certified, you want to work with a board certified reproductive veterinarian if possible.
Board certified repro vets have extensive education and experience in this specialty. Reproduction is all they do, so when they go to conferences, they primarily go to reproduction conferences. When they read journals they primarily read reproductive journals. They are clear specialists.
There are some veterinarians who are not board certified but who specialize in reproduction. Without the board certification, you’ll need to do a little more homework to determine the skill level of these practitioners and how much of their practice involves reproduction. The more specialized a vet is in reproduction, the more likely she is to go to theriogenology conferences and be up-to-date on current therio research.
General practice vets have had rounds in reproduction in veterinary school. They may even take progesterone tests for you or do your pregnancy confirmations, pre-whelp x-rays, or even your c-sections. But remember, these veterinarians also need to stay up to date on vaccines and immunology, management of illnesses and injuries, conditions of ALL the organ systems in your dog. Manage infections and cancers, and so much more. So when they go to conferences or read papers, they have to gather information for all of their areas of care, not just reproduction. Most general practice vets are limited in their knowledge of the reproductive specialty. That’s not to say they aren’t good vets, but simply that they are not specialists in this area.
The less you know and the less experienced you are with breeding, the more you need a specialist. I’m very experienced and I still prefer to work with a board certified theriogenologist if at all possible.
You can search for a board certified reproductive vet here: https://www.theriogenology.org/search/. If the veterinarian is not in this database, they likely are not board certified. As of this writing, there are 381 members in the database, some of whom may be retired. And, the database includes subspecialties for different species, so most of these are not dog repro vets.
They may, however, still consider themselves specialist in reproduction or at least be interested in reproduction. Those veterinarians often join the Society for Theriogenology. If you don’t have a board certified veterinarian near you, you can see if there’s a vet who specializes in reproduction without the board certification using their database, found here: https://www.therio.org/search/custom.asp?id=1107
Board certified reproductive vets are few and far between. Some states have only one practicing, and many states have none. Experienced breeders find it so valuable to work with a board certified reproductive veterinarian they will drive several hours for vet visits, even though there are other vets much more conveniently located. I know of more than a handful of breeders who travel 3-4 hours each way to see their repro vets.
Working with a reproductive specialist
Whether or not your reproductive specialist is board certified or not, you want to find a veterinarian to work with that you feel comfortable with and feel you can develop a good professional relationship with—remember, she will be a critical partner for your breeding program.
I just moved and had to find a new repro vet. I used the databases I linked to earlier to find the reproductive vets within 4 hours of me and then called their practices to speak with the staff. I wanted to see if they were still in business and if the information I had was correct. I asked what reproductive services they offered. Sometimes the staff person who answers the phone may need some prompting, so I have a list of what services I was interested in. You can ask if they specialize in any breeds or breed types or have breeds they prefer not to work with.
I narrowed down my list of veterinarians based on the conversations with the staff, and either emailed or phoned to talk directly to the veterinarians to introduce myself and was looking for a new vet. I briefly introduced myself and told them what I breed and what I’m looking for. You will be asking your reproductive vet a lot of questions and having to call and talk to them or even ask for last-minute appointments, so you want a vet happy to answer your questions and able to find time for you. You don’t want to spend an hour doing this as their time is valuable, but you do want to find a vet who can make a few minutes for you. If a vet won’t talk to me or give me solid email answers, I’ll move on.
My local list started with about two dozen veterinarians who were either in the Society for Theriogenology database or whose websites showed they offer some kind of repro services. I found two veterinarians I plan to try, one 45 minutes from where I plan to live and another an hour and a half away. The state I’m moving to doesn’t have a board certified reproductive veterinarian, but there are several about 6 hours away, and there are two I know I can work with if I need to and I’m opening communications with them. I’m moving from a place where there was a board certified reproductive vet 12 minutes away, so this is a big change for me but I consider it a win.
If you don’t have a reproductive vet close by, you’ll also need to establish relationships with emergency facilities. You don’t want to be calling emergency clinics at 4 in the morning to see if there’s one close to you. Do that now while you are building your veterinary relationships. Tell them you are a breeder and ask about c-sections and other emergencies you might need help with, such as eclampsia. I recommend finding at least two emergency clinics if possible. Emergency veterinary clinics can get crazy busy with long wait times just like human ERs, so you’ll want a backup if time is of the essence.
