Bovine - Breeding Soundness Exam Flashcards
What is the typical return investment on a breeding soundness exam?
$42 per exam
When are breeding soundness exams done?
42-60 days prior to breeding season, if there are fertility concerns, or pre-purchase
Success of breeding in bulls is dependent on what?
survival and maintenance, identifying females in estrus, and depositing fertile semen into the females reproductive tract
How do producers measure a bull’s success?
their pregnancy rate or percentage of cows impregnated within time intervals of calving season
What are the three components of a bulls breeding ability?
History/physical exam, semen evaluation, and libido
When doing a PE on bulls, what are we evaluating?
movement, scrotum/testicles, rectal palpation, prepuce/penis
What should the testicles feel like in relation to firmness?
It should be as firm as a bicep and freely movable
When doing a rectal palpation during a bulls PE, what are you evaluating?
the sex glands, and you want to massage the ampullas to stimulate the start of semen ejaculation
When evaluating the prepuce/penis, what are you looking for?
abnormalities - make sure it can extend out
What are the methods of collecting semen?
artifical vagina, manual massage, and electroejaculation
What do you need to have if you plan on using an artifical vagina?
Jump/dummu/estrus cow, clean collection device, adequate temperature, personnel
What are the benefits of an artificial vagina?
see mounting ability, libido, and true ejaculate
What are the cons of the artificial vagina?
You can get a dirty sample and it is labor intensive
What do you need to have if you plan on using electro ejaculation?
chute/restraint, pulsator, collection device, and 1 additional person
What are the benefits to using electro ejaculation?
increased semen sample, can be used in bulls with injuries, and clean collection
What are the cons to using electro ejaculation?
not all bulls cooperate and you can have equipment malfunction
What are some potential complications associated with semen collection?
no ejaculation after full stimulation, recent cow exposure, nervous/wild bulls, urine contaminated sample
How do you try to resolve no ejaculation after full stimulation?
Let the bull rest, and repeat in 3-5 minutes
What is the ideal scrotal circumference at 15 months?
30cm
What is the ideal scrotal circumference between 15-18 months?
31 cm
What is the ideal scrotal circumference between 18-21 months?
32 cm
What is the ideal scrotal circumference between 21-24 months?
33 cm
What is the ideal scrotal circumference at greater than 24 months?
34 cm
Why is the 30 cm at 15 months requirement questionable?
the standards were made many years ago, bulls are different sizes now, and minature bulls would definitely not meet these standards
What is considered a fair motility when doing semen evaluation?
when greater than or equal to 30% of the semen are moving in the sample - this would be acceptable to breed
What is the the required normal morphology a semen sample must have to pass?
greater than or equal to 70% normal cells
What specifically about motility are we examining when looking at a semen sample?
that they are progressively swimming forward
What influences the semen viability?
temperature and time from when the sample was taken
What is the best way to evaluate the morphology of semen?
count 100 semen, if 70 or greater than that have normal morphology then they are viable
When looking at abnormalities, what questions must you ask your self?
Where are they localized to? Are they primary vs secondary? Are they compensable vs. non compensable?
What types of stains can you use to evaluate semen morphology?
Eosin-Nigrosin, India ink, or Diff Quik
What does the Eosin of Eosin-Nigrosin stain do?
it penetrates dead sperm cells (pink or red if dead)
What does the Nigrosin of Eosin-Nigrosin stain do?
it stains the background
What does india ink do to a semen sample?
it only stains the background
What does Diff quik stain allow for?
better visualization of WBC
How do you prepare a smear for semen morphology?
Place a small drop of stain and a small drop of semen on the slide and then smear like you would with a blood stain
What power should you view a semen smear under?
1000x in oil immersion
Where do primary semen abnormalities happen?
testicular origin, during spermatogenesis
Where do secondary semen abnormalities happen?
epididymal origin
What defects are associated with the head of sperm?
Pyriform heads, crater/diadem defect, abnormal contour, macrocephalic and microcephalic, acrosomal abnormalities, proximal droplet, dag defect
What defects are associated with the midpice of sperm?
Pyriform heads, proximal cytoplasmic droplet, pseudodroplet, dag defect, mitochondrial sheath defects, distal midpiece reflex, and bowed mid piece
What defects are associated with the tails of sperm?
Coiled or bent, tail stump, and accessory tails
What defects are not considered to impact reproductibility?
distal droplets and abaxial tail
When are cytoplasmic droplets typically seen?
In normal bulls (shed during epididymal transit) and increased occurance in peripubertal bulls
What is a cytoplasmic droplet?
It is something that was originally attached to the head and is supposed to be shed off in the epididymus and hasn’t due to either abnormal spermiogenesis or an epididymal issue
What does a proximal droplet cause?
decreased fertility
What are the underlying causes of a proximal cytoplasmic droplet?
immaturity or testicular degeneration
What is the most common head defect?
Pyriform-shaped head
What type of defect is a pyriform-shaped head (primary/secondary, major/minor)?
primary/major
Why does the pyriform-shaped head lead to decreased fertility?
inadequate zona penetration
What can cause pyriform-shaped head?
testicular hypoplasia or heat stress
What is the most common tail defect?
distal midpiece reflex
What type of defect is a distal midpiece reflex (primary/secondary, major/minor)?
secondary minor
How does a distal midpiece reflex appear?
sharp, hairpin bend at the end of the midpiece with a distal droplet
What is a distal midpiece reflex commonly seen due to?
heat/stress insult, reduced testosterone levels, or in jerseys
What type of defect is a coiled tail (primary/secondary, major/minor)?
secondary minor
What is the common etiology of a coiled tail?
heat stress, gossypol toxicity
What type of defect is a bent tail (primary/secondary, major/minor)?
secondary minor
What is the common etiology of a bent tail?
iatrogenic or real issue, or osmolality impact
What does a satisfactory breeding exam mean?
it meets or exceeds all the required values
What does an unsatisfactory breeding exam mean?
does not meet all requirements, previous history, not likely to improve with time
What does a deferred/questionable breeding exam mean?
Does not meet all requirements, but with time has potential to improve - will need a reexamination
When you are looking at semen in a sample, when was it produced?
60 days prior
