DOG fertility clinics have sprung up to meet a demand for breeds that struggle to have pups naturally.
Flat-faced French bulldogs and pugs have soared in popularity but breathing problems stop many from mating.
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At least 37 clinics in the UK are now offering treatment, up from just one in 2015.
Services include turkey-baster-style artificial insemination (AI), hormone tests and caesareans, with Kennel Club figures showing these style of births rocketing in three years.
And the number of Frenchie pups rose by more than 3,000 per cent in a decade.
Vet and welfare campaigner Emma Milne said clinics were most likely “cashing in” on the popular dogs.
Experts say artificially breeding dogs unable to mate or give birth naturally may be cruel and illegal.
Vet Record journal found many C-section clinics are unqualified.
The start-up costs for a mobile clinic offering microchipping, pregnancy scanning, semen collection and analysis, progesterone testing and AI is estimated at £9,070.
A “stud dog” fee ranges from £100 to £2,000, meaning there are huge profits to be made.
Unlike businesses that breed and sell dogs, those offering stud dogs, canine AI and ultrasound scans do not require a licence to operate.
They are not usually regulated unless they offer services that are clearly acts of veterinary surgery.
They are not usually regulated unless they offer services that are clearly acts of veterinary surgery.
