In Vitro Maturation and Fertilization of Canine Oocytes

In vitro maturation of canine oocytes was first described in 1976 (1 ), but reproductive biotechnologies applied to canine species developed mostly during the last 10 yr. Few studies have been conducted on dogs because the availability of biological material (bitch ovaries in particular) is limited, whereas bovine, porcine, ovine, or equine ovaries can be found in a slaughterhouse and smaller animals (mice, rats) can be bred easily and at low cost.