Evaluation of the Stud Dog

Question 1

What is the FIRST thing to deteriorate when dogs are too closely bred to one another?

Answer 1

fertility

Question 1

What website contains most breeds and a list of the conditions that they are at risk for?

Answer 1

OFA

Question 2

at what age(s) is PEAK fertility in dogs?

Answer 2

2-4 years

Question 3

at what age(s) is PEAK sperm freeze-ability in male dogs?

Answer 3

2-5 years of age

Question 4

T/F: freezing semen is a way to preserve genetics for the future and for convenience.

Answer 4

false – freezing is NOT convenient. It cost more, requires progesterone, and requires to be placed into the uterus, all of which costs money and requires extensive planning and maintenance making it NOT convenient.

Question 5

what test should you ALWAYS perform when evaluating a breeding stock?

Answer 5

brucella canis

Question 6

why are weight issues a concern for male dogs intended to be bred?

Answer 6

excess fat is stored in the scrotum which increases heat. Heat is bad for sperm quality.

Question 7

What endocrine abnormalities can affect males intended for breeding?

Answer 7

Cushings (hyperadrenocorticism) and Addisons (hypoadrenocortcisim)

Question 8

Why should you ideally perform your physical exam AFTER you collect the semen samples?

Answer 8

because it can distract dogs or make them less likely to giive you a sample if you’ve already laid hands on them/made them nervous.

Question 9

What current medications can affect male breeding dogs and their fertility and why?

Answer 9

isoxazolines (affect rapidly dividing cells)
antibiotics (affect semen morphology)

Question 10

why do diseases that cause increased body temperature affect male fertility?

Answer 10

because spermatogenesis must occur at lower temperatures.

Question 11

What should the MALE pre-breeding physical exam entail?

Answer 11

examine all internal and external structures (penis, prepuce, testicles, epididymis, spermatic cord, scrotum, and prostate gland)

Question 12

what is normal preputial discharge called?

Answer 12

smegma

Question 13

hemorrhagic preputial discharge would be indicative of…

Answer 13

penile injury

Question 14

How should you go about doing semen collection in dogs?

Answer 14

manual
use a teaser bitch. Make sure the male has good footing (grass vs indoor floors)
allow them to urinate and defecate prior to collection
and keep distractions at a minimum
have a collection tube ready

Question 15

why do we need to avoid lubrication contamination of the semen sample?

Answer 15

K-Y contains chlorhexidine which is toxic to sperm cells.

Question 16

Describe manual ejaculation technique.

Answer 16

grasp the penile body behind the bulbus glandis
apply a strong, constant pressure to simulate “lock and tie”
pulsations should begin with or w/o thrusting

Question 17

what does the first fraction of ejaculate contain?

Answer 17

presperm, prostatic fluid, +/- urine

Question 18

what does the second fraction of ejaculate contain?

Answer 18

sperm-rich fraction

Question 19

what does the 3rd fraction of ejaculate contain?

Answer 19

prostatic fluid only

Question 20

T/F: some dogs have brief pauses in pulsations between each ejaculate fraction.

Question 21

what would be the purpose of keeping the 3rd fraction of ejaculate?

Answer 21

to diagnose prostate disease.

Question 22

T/F: the first fraction of ejaculate is basically trash.

Question 23

what are the normal colors and amounts for the following fractions of ejaculate:
a. presperm
b. sperm-rich
c. postsperm

Answer 23

a. presperm – slight cloudy (0-10 mL)
b. sperm-rich – grayish/white (1 mL)
c. postsperm – crystal clear (0-20 mL)

Question 24

what would ORANGE, purulent prostatic fluid indicate?

Answer 24

prostatitis

Question 25

If you have bloody ejaculate, what should you do?

Answer 25

determine where the blood is originating from – the urethra versus the external surface of the penis

Question 26

When evaluating sperm motility, you have to do this process quickly. This is typically done on a warm slide and examined under microscope at 10x.
What are you looking for?

Answer 26

progressive linear movement.
canine sperm swim STRAIGHT

grossly, it will appear as a giant swirling mass, but individually, they will swim straight

Question 27

T/F: the morphology is the most reliable part of a BSE to predict fertility.

Answer 27

false – no singular part of a BSE can reliably predict fertility. It is the combination of everything that can.

Question 28

How do you determine sperm morphology?

Answer 28

stain a sample
look under microscope at 100x oil immersion
you must classify the morphology of 100-300 cells as normal or abnormal
and then for the abnormal ones, classify them as primary (occurred during spermatogenesis – head, midpiece, severe tail) or secondary (occurred during maturation/storage – no head, distal droplet, mild tail)

Question 29

What sperm morphology is considered abnormal in dogs but normal in horses?

Answer 29

piriform head

Question 30

how do you measure the concentration of ejaculate?

Answer 30

nucleocounter (stains DNA, expensive)
or
hemacytometer (cheaper)

Question 31

what sperm concentration per ejaculate is considered normal for dogs?

Answer 31

200 million sperm per ejaculate
although toy breeds can have 100-150 million

Question 32

T/F: you need to stain sperm with diff quik/modified wrights stain in order to look at sperm morphology

Answer 32

false this is not an appropriate method for morphology, but better for cytology.
You can note the presence of RBCs, WBCs, and epithelial cells.

Question 33

why should you always compare the prostatic fraction cytology and culture results to a urinalysis?

Answer 33

dogs constantly have retrograde ejaculations into their bladder. If something happens in the prostate, you will see the same thing occuring in the bladder and vice versa.

Question 34

Why do bacterial cultures of ejaculate need to be interpreted carefully and usually only performed if a specific problem is suspected?

Answer 34

there is normal flora on the penis, prepuce, and urethra. These organisms are similar as the vaginal normal flora (pasteurella, staph, strep, mycoplasma, E. coli, ureaplasma, etc.)

you must compare the results to a urine culture and urinalysis to determine significance.

Question 35

T/F: you should screen a male dog for any congenital or heritable defects prior to breeding.

Answer 35

true