Reproductive Technologies in Companion Animals

Abstract The domestic cat and dog are the most popular companion animals, and their reproduction involves veterinarians, breeders, and owners, as well as researchers interested in the use of these pets as models for biodiversity conservation in wild felids and canids. This chapter presents an overview of the main reproductive technologies employed in these species, from the generation of embryos in vivo (through artificial insemination) and in vitro (through maturation and fertilization of oocytes in laboratory settings) to the preservation of male and female germplasms and their optimization with cloning and stem cells technology. Whereas some techniques work better in one of the two species due to the different physiology, some still need to be developed in both of them, and cats and dogs can be valuable topics of breakthrough researches focused on assisted reproductive technologies.