Science Makes Reproductive Breakthrough: IVF for Dogs

Yup: Scientists managed to knock up a dog via in vitro fertilization, resulting in OMG PUPPIES!!!!!!

The Associated Press reports on the developments out of Cornell University. “We each took a puppy and rubbed it with a little towel and when it started to squiggle and cry, we knew we had success,” said Dr. Alexander Travis, one of the scientists involved. PUPPIES!!!!!!

It’s a technical achievement due to the quirks of dogs’ reproductive systems, says ABC News: “I like to say it’s because dogs are weird…They have a lot of fun, reproductive quirks,” explained researcher Jennifer Nagashima. “They experience really long periods where they don’t cycle. They go into heat once or twice a year.” Summer’s crazy, right?

While it may sound like a purely frivolous luxury item from Oprah’s Favorite Things 2027, the technology could in fact help with particular breeds’ harmful traits, plus:

Nagashima explained the experiment could be imperative to helping the survival of other endangered canid species, such as the red wolf or African wild dog.

“In most cases with canid species, their populations are declining,” said Nagashima, noting there are more than 30 canid species. “We need to develop a tool,” to keep their genetics alive.