Following a decision of the RCVS Standards Committee lay people are now being advised to cease offering of intravaginal artificial insemination (‘AI’) breeding services for dogs.

At its May 2023 meeting the Standards Committee agreed the following guidance on the topic of canine intravaginal AI, confirming a limitation on who is legally entitled to undertake the procedure:

• Intravaginal artificial insemination of bitches is an act of veterinary surgery which should only be undertaken by a veterinary surgeon or a professional with a relevant exemption, such as a registered veterinary nurse under direction.
• As there is no specific exemption order allowing lay people to undertake this procedure, they are currently legally prohibited from doing so regardless of training or qualifications.
• Note that canine transcervical artificial insemination is also an act of veterinary surgery subject to the same restrictions, although the invasive nature of this procedures means that it should not be delegated to registered veterinary nurses. Canine surgical artificial insemination is prohibited by UK animal welfare legislation.