No ejaculate/Sterile Stud?

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Is Your Stud Dog Really Sterile?
Treatment Possibilities

Is your dog really sterile? Does he have a diagnosis of*aspermia*(no sperm)? Did the veterinarian check him for*retrograde ejaculation? Were hormone studies done?

Just because your dog has no ejaculate at all, or no sperm in his ejaculate, he may not be totally and finally sterile. The first condition you should check for is retrograde ejaculation. After attempting to collect the dog that won't produce anything, take him out to urinate, and collect the urine. If there are sperm in the urine, the condition is known as retrograde ejaculation.*It is often possible to treat this condition*In our clinic, we have excellent success in returning these dogs to normal fertility. The blockage that causes the retrograde ejaculation is generally associated with the prostate gland, and a result of infection. Never accept a diagnosis of permanent infertility in such a dog as final until treatment has been attempted.

If your dog produces plenty of fluid, but no sperm - aspermia - he may have a testicular tumor. Dogs rarely have the highly malignant type of tumor that Lance Armstrong had. Generally, testicular tumors in dogs are benign. Through careful palpation, ultrasonography and hormone studies, a proper diagnosis of such a tumor can be made. These benign tumors are usually in only one testicle. If this is the case, the affected testicle can be removed, and the other one will*resume normal sperm production.

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Canine reproductive
diseases are rare

By Anne E Domit, DVM, MS, small animal reproduction consultant
at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine

IN general, dogs rarely have reproductive problems and most pet owners are concerned with preventing reproduction rather than enhancing it. However, for today's serious breeder of purebred dogs, there is an amazing variety of reproductive diseases and problems that can occur. For the veterinarian to treat the problems, a complete history and physical examination, as well a reproductive history and evaluation of the reproductive tract must be performed.

Infertility in the stud dog
When dealing with infertility, both the dog and the bitch must be considered. Ninety percent of infertility is due to poor breeding management, such as breeding at the wrong time or not breeding often enough; additionally, the male could have poor sperm quality. Acquired infertility is very common in the dog - if more than a couple of months have passed since the dog's last litter, he may now be infertile. Illness before, during, or after breeding could explain why the bitch did not conceive; likewise, a fever or other illness can adversely affect semen production and it takes about 60 days for the sperm cells to regenerate after such an onslaught. A breeding soundness examination can be conducted to evaluate the stud dog; it typically includes a general physical examination and an in-depth examination of the external genitalia.

Abnormalities such as severe arthritis or spinal problems may not allow a dog to mount. Hormonal diseases such as Cushing's disease can also reduce fertility. The penis and prepuce should be examined for irregularities, such as a persistent frenulum, growths, or inflammation of the prepuce (posthitis), that may prevent normal intromission. Inflammation of the prostate (prostatitis) may be painful and can prevent the dog from finishing mating or make him appear to have a lowered libido.

White blood cells (WBCs), red blood cells and bacteria from the prostate may damage sperm viability. Also, an infection in the prostate can potentially ascend to cause an infection in the testicles (orchitis). The size of the testicles correlates with the amount of sperm seen on collection of an ejaculate: small, soft testicles are often associated with poor semen quality, greatly enlarged testicles suggest an infection, and lumps in the testicles are suggestive of tumours. Scrotal abnormalities, such as dermatitis, may adversely affect sperm quality.

An ejaculate of semen should be collected and evaluated for colour, volume, total and progressive motility, concentration and shape (morphology), and the total number of normal sperm should be calculated. There are three distinct outcomes of a breeding soundness examination:

normal sperm parameters,abnormal sperm parameters, andno sperm seen in the ejaculate.

Volume varies with the amount of prostatic fluid collected but is generally two to 20 ml. Sperm motility should be evaluated immediately, and normal dogs should have 75 to 80 percent progressively motile sperm (ie, sperm that are moving in a forward direction). A sample of the sperm should be prepared for microscopic evaluation. It is important that the shape of the sperm be evaluated so that the total number of normal shaped progressively motile sperm inseminated is known, as only these will fertilise an oocyte or egg.

Sperm concentration (number of sperm/ml) can be determined by using a special sperm cell-counting device (called a densimeter) or other methods. The total number of sperm in the ejaculate is calculated by multiplying the concentration by the volume; normal is about 10 x 1O6 sperm/lb of body weight. Therefore a small dog can be expected to produce about 20 x 106 sperm per ejaculate and large dogs about 70 x 106. Infertility is very rare in dogs with normal semen parameters. Management problems and bitch infertility should be considered when sperm findings are normal.

If abnormal sperm parameters are found, the dog should be re-cheeked in two to three months to see if the problem is transient. The veterinarian should be informed of any recent illness and any medications (especially anabolic steroids) that the dog has received. Although the actual cause for abnormal sperm parameters is often never found, possible causes, including inflammation of the scrotum, testicular neoplasia, trauma and brucellosis, should always be ruled out. Inflammation of the scrotum can cause a high scrotal temperature that is deleterious to sperm production. An ultrasound of the testicles can be performed to evaluate for testicular neoplasia, as some tumours of the testicle are not palpable. This problem can be treated - a unilateral castration of the affected testicle often restores normal sperm parameters.

If no inciting cause of the sperm abnormalities can be found, the case becomes very frustrating for both the owner and the veterinarian. The absence of sperm in the ejaculate (azoospermia) can have three possible causes:

the dog's testicles are not making sperm,the testicles are making sperm, but the sperm cannot get out because the epididymides are blocked, andthe testicles are making sperm (which can get out), but a complete ejaculate was not collected.

When there are no sperm in the ejaculate the fluid can be tested for alkaline phosphatase, which is made by the epididymides. A high level of alkaline phosphatase indicates that epididymal fluid was collected. If epididymal fluid was collected and there are no sperm, it is likely that the testicles are not producing sperm. A low level of alkaline phosphatase indicates that the epididymis is blocked or that a complete ejaculate was not obtained. In this case, repeated samples should be collected and an oestrus bitch can be used as a teaser to obtain an ejaculate. A careful palpation and ultrasonography of the epididymides should be performed to detect any abnormalities. If the azoospermia persists, a testicular biopsy can determine whether the testicles are producing sperm; however, this procedure is rarely performed. The biopsy procedure itself may severely damage the testes, and it does not matter whether the testes are producing no sperm or sperm are being produced but cannot get out - neither condition is treatable.

[Officially Retired]

Interesting article, thanks for sharing.