Stud Dog Fertility

• Increasing stud fertility
• Popular sire and semen soundness concerns
• Stud fertility in a multi-stud household
• Fertility in older stud dogs

Increasing stud fertility

Q: How to up the male sperm count? 

A: I think that the start of good stud dog management is food and environment. Heat is not the friend of semen production, so if you live in a warmer area, you will need to make sure that there is the opportunity for your boys to be in a cooler place and not laying on warm concrete or warm gravel. The same goes for the show dogs who are blown dry, be careful of the hot/warm dryer around the testicles!

Ruling out infection is a good step to take in stud dog management; as your boy ages, there can also be issues with the prostate gland, including infections, with a bacterial infection being a frequent cause of a sudden decrease in semen quality. So having your Vet do a culture can determine if this is the problem and which treatment or antibiotic is appropriate. 

Supplements are often used to help increase the stud dog sperm count. The daily oral supplementation of fatty acids (salmon oil, omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids) which dogs cannot produce on their own, along with Vit. E for 60 days has been shown to significantly increase the ejaculate volume and cell vigor and decrease the number of morphologically abnormal spermatozoa. (Rocha et.al., 2009)

The following is from the book “Canine Reproduction and Neonatology by Dr. Marthina L. Greer, DVM, JD” 

These supplements* are suggested based on anecdotal evidence to improve male fertility: 

1.Glycosaminoglycans. This is the most common nutraceutical category used for improving sperm quantity and quality. It is found in many formulations by many manufacturers. Many, like International Canine Semen Bank’s CF- PlusR, contain perna (green-lipped) mussels as the primary active ingredient. Anecdotal reports suggest improve semen quality in bulls, horses, and dogs. The theory of the mechanism, according to Dr. Roger Kendall is enhanced cellular reactions and amino acid uptake. There is no documentation to support the use of this product in the dog. The dosage for this application has not been determined; there are dosage regimens for the use of these products for other purposes such as improving joint mobility. Unless there is an allergic response, it is unlikely this product would cause any harmful side effects.

2. Anti-oxidants. These typically include Vitamins C, E, beta carotene, and selenium among others. These are available from many manufacturers over-the-counter. They appear to act by removing free radicals, thus protecting the cells. In addition, greater sperm numbers in the ejaculate have been reported. There is no documentation to support the use of this product. There are anecdotal reports that semen concentrations are improved, that there are fewer head and acrosomal abnormalities when used, and semen tolerates cooling and freezing better when patients are on this type of product. Some components can be harmful if used in excess, so care should be taken when this is prescribed.

3. Fatty Acid supplements. These are available from many manufacturers over-the-counter. The reports indicate anecdotally that there is improvement in semen morphology when the dog has a high percentage of proximal droplets.

4. L-Carnitine. This nutritional supplement alters fat metabolism. This is available from several manufacturers and is found in some senior dog diets. Anecdotally, it has been reported to improve sperm motility. The mechanism of action has not been determined.

*Supplements should be evaluated by your veterinarian to ensure safety and to identify potential contraindications.

Lopate C. The problem stud dog. Vet Clin North American Small Animal Practice. 2012 May;42(3):469-88, vi. doi: 10.1016/j.cvsm.2012.01.014. PMID: 22482813.

Rocha AA, Cunha IC, Ederli BB, Albernaz AP, Quirino CR. Effect of daily food supplementation with essential fatty acids on canine semen quality. Reproduction Domestic Animals, v.44, suppl. 2, p.313-315, 2009.

https://todaysveterinarypractice.com/role-of-dietary-fatty-acids-in-dogs-cats/

Popular sire and semen soundness concerns

Q: How many times can you breed a stud dog per year without contributing to popular sire or negatively affecting sperm quality? 

A: Your question has two parts, so I will start with the popular sire portion first. Bear with me as I explain for others the definition of popular sire syndrome, so that we can see what the impact of this could be. A popular sire is a dog who is used extensively in the breeding pool, and every breed has its prominent sires. Therefore, the popular sire syndrome is not limited to any breed. Because these influential sires are so sought after for breeding, their sons, and sometimes even their grandsons add genes that are both desirable and undesirable and can easily create a bottleneck in the breeding population. Many times this happens so quickly due to their popularity that there is not even time to evaluate the specific genetic attributes that this individual passes along. Because of this some European countries have breeding legislation that limits the number of litters a dog can sire. An example is the Norwegian Kennel Club that recommends no individual stud dog should have more offspring than 5% of the number of puppies registered during a 5-year period. So, the popular sire determination could be looked at as a factor of the number of puppies born in your breed over a specified number of years. I searched but could not find a specific number of breedings per year, so I am sorry, but I do not have a hard number of breedings for you, just a description of how it is determined for others.

As I answer your next question about the number of times a dog can be bred without impacting sperm quality, it is important to know other factors that can impact semen quality too. A stud dog’s semen can decrease in quality due to a number of factors including heat, disease, medicines and over breeding. While the male reproduction system is always producing sperm, full regeneration takes 62 days. This means that if your dog has a traumatic testicle event or fever that kills the stored semen, your dog will ejaculate dead sperm for a 60 day minimum.

The general recommendation is that a recovery of 2-5 days between breedings maintains sperm output. Every dog is different and doing morphology on your dog will give you a good idea of your dog’s numbers, including any abnormal or non-motile sperm that you may be dealing with. I have put an article link below that you might find useful.

Semen soundness: https://www.dvm360.com/view/canine-semen-collection-and-evaluation-proceedings

Popular Sire Article: https://www.vin.com/apputil/content/defaultadv1.aspx?pId=11203&id=3853865

Stud fertility in a multi-stud household

Q: Does housing males in close proximity affect fertility in all but the "alpha?" I've heard and read that, over time, the dominant male will remain potent but the semen quality of the others will suffer. (Assuming all things being equal regarding health, exercise, regular social time with other dogs, etc.)

A: Over the years, I have had boys together, and I have not had a problem with their fertility due to the ‘pecking order.’ What I have done is to make sure that I manage their reproductive health so that they each are fertile and potent. Remember sperm matures at the base of each dog’s testicles where it is stored until needed. This process takes 62 days, so if there is a traumatic event such as excess heat from laying on concrete, or being blow dried, or an infection, the stored sperm will die, and you will lose potency. 

You should also be watching for prostate issues in your boys as well. This is common when your dog is over 4yrs old. Signs of prostate issues include seeing white blood cells in the collection, or he ‘dribbles’, or has recurring UTI’s. Another issue can be subfertility, this is a condition where there are sperm but not enough to impregnate a girl.

For your active stud dogs, you will be running brucellosis testing, and I would also do complete blood work 1-2x a year, along with morphology to track fertility. Doing morphology is important as it lets you know that when you are shipping to breed with chilled semen, or even doing a side-by-side AI, that you have plenty of mobility and numbers to achieve pregnancy.

Maintaining fertility for me is also about using appropriate supplements for the boys. Using nutritional support products like Breeder’s Edge Oxy Stud, Breeder’s Edge Problem Male, and Breeder’s Edge Get Him Going has been helpful. These products are available at Revival Animal Health. I have also used IMA STUD from Nature’s Farmacy too. One of the key ingredients is green lipped mussels, which has been shown to help increase fertility.

I hope this helps you actively manage your boys for top reproductive health.

Further reading: Documented and anecdotal effects of certain pharmaceutical agents used to enhance semen quality in the dog by Milan Hess.

Fertility in older stud dogs

Q: What can be done to support fertility in a 12 year old boy? Cocker - semen count 350 to 450 million, motility 97-98%. This spring he was bred to 3 girls with litter sizes of 1, 2 and 4.

A: You are fortunate to have a senior dog who is still producing so well! We also know that if his fertility is normal, regardless of age, the female determines the number of eggs released, so that needs to be considered. Fertility does decrease with age, and you do not mention any other issues such as proximal drops or malformations, which can impact fertility. I do not know how much your boy weighs, but I thought you might be interested in the fact that there is an actual calculation for weight to semen production ratio. From the Merck Veterinary Manual – as a general rule, a dog should produce ~ 10 x 106 sperm/lb body wt. So, use your dog's weight and do the calculation for yourself! 

In the meantime, you can support your dog's reproductive health using the following:

• L-Carnitine plays a vital role in the process of sperm development, in promoting proper maturation and morphology of sperm. It also has a role in ensuring the maintenance of sperm quality and vitality.
• Vitamins A, C, E, and Selenium are important vitamins and cleansing antioxidants that play a key role in repairing damage caused by the environment and aging.
• Grape seed extract scours damaging free-radicals from your system and literally prevents "rusting" of tissues and cells of the testicle.
• Vitamins – B6, B12 and Folate are vitamins critical to male reproduction.
• Vitamin D has been shown to increase sperm motility. It can be used if the males are primarily housed inside. Caution: Vitamin D can be toxic at relatively low doses. Be sure to consult with your veterinarian prior to adding Vitamin D to your dog's diet. 

These are the vitamins, minerals, and herbs found through research to help mammals reach maximum fertility and have been used successfully. You can easily research these products yourself. Be sure to buy products from a reputable source, such as Revival or Natures Farmacy, to ensure they are of high quality and do not contain any ingredients that may be harmful. 

 The Merck Veterinary Manual has an excellent article that you might want to read too. https://www.merckvetmanual.com/management-and-nutrition/breeding-soundness-examination-of-the-male/breeding-soundness-examination-of-male-dogs