Barakabook Article
Issue #4

Male infertility with reference to the Irish Wolfhound
Dr.ssa Ludovica Salamon

In the practice of breeding the Irish Wolfhound it is possible to came across the worst pathology a breeder could find i.e. infertility. You start calling on many a veterinary clinic, many a university to try to understand why and above all to find the right therapy. Recent studies have found deficiencies in the Irish Wolfhound sperm in dogs with testicles resulting softer to the palpation. 25% of the checked Irish Wolfhounds showed a diminished consistency of the testicles that could be related to a degeneration of the seminifer tubuli (Alles and Longsteffe ë82) such a lesion could be either congenital or acquired.
In these case the quality of the sperm results diminished. It is important however to take into account the causes of infertility which could be manifold. First of all infections (orchits and epididimitis) above all in dogs who have already reproduced and that suddently show infertility. Moreover other factors such as toxic substances, trauma, termoregolation problems, immunological factors, tumors (cancers), delayed cortison treatments can affect the quality of the sperm. In the case of degeneration of the seminipher tubuli beside the consistency diminishes also the volume which can be measured multipling the three dimensions of each testicle. Such a result for the Irish Wolfhound is considered in the range when it is 45+- 5 cm, in the case of degeneration is 38+-5cm.

Other causes of infertility

Brucella Canis, a coccobacillus gram negativ, causes infertility, abortion between the 45th and 58th pregnancy day. Epididimitis causes itch, licking of the scrotus and consequent dermatitis , testicular atrophy and limphoadenopaty.
The removal of the bacterium takes place through the seminal liquid and the urine so infecting the vaginal (coitus), oral (urine) and conjuctival mucosae. The infected subjects remove the bacterium through the urine for about three months and the seminal liquid for about two years. The antibiotic therapy usually produces few results and the healing can result spontaneus in a period which goes from 1 to 3 years. Diagnosis can be made through the presence of the antibodies anti-brucella at a sierological level. It is possible to perform this text in many laboratories.
Different species of MICOPLASMS, the smallest living organisms between the bacteria and the viruses, can develop concomitantly with particular opportunistic bacteria (e. g. E. coli, Pastorella, Streptococcus spp., Pseudomonas spp, Proteus spp) so causing a diminished fertility, an early embrional death with reabsortion, fetal abortion, post-partum septicemy or the death of the puppies during the first days of life. They can be detected in the conjuntival and urogenital mucosae, in the nose and pharynx.
They are infected through the coitus or the urine so penetrating the mucosae.
The therapy produces good results if the subjects are treated by specific antibiotics via paranteral combined to local concomitant therapy by 1% iodate solutions (Betadine). Diagnosis can be made through vaginal tampons or sperm tampons brought to the laboratory in a proper way.
There are few laboraty which can perform this text. The sierological text does not give good results.

Bacteria infection

(E. E. coli, Pastorella, Streptococcus spp., Pseudomonas spp, Proteus spp) such infecting agents can separately be the cause of the infection or be combined between them or with Micoplasms.
They can cause infertility, embrional death, abortion or dead born puppies. It is possible to make a diagnosis through bacteriological texts performed in a laboratory on vaginal or sperm tampons carried on colture means.

Tossic substances

CADMIUM, it damages the seminal line causing a testicular ischemia, irreversible damages.
ALCHELANTS, they block the mitosis at testicular level.
CORTISONIC, they block the ormonal receptors of the testicles.
ZINC EXCESS, twining of the tails of the spermatozoa with a subsequent backward movement.
VASCULAR DAMAGES, testicular ischemia which results in a diminished ormonal production.

Thermoregulation problems

IPOTHERMY, causes ischemia with a diminished ormonal production.
HYPERTHERMY, causes damages to the maturation of the spermatozoa.
RAYS block the mitosis at testicular level causing an irreversible destruction of the seminal line which leads to ASPERMY
HYPERTYROIDISM, the testicular damages caused by hypertyroidism are not well defined, it seems they could be related to the fact that if hypertyroidism is caused by immunomediated disorders of the endocrine glands, the testicles too, besides the tyroid (HASHIMOTO DISEASE) can be damaged. Diagnosis can be made through a testicular biopsy. A great help can be found in the sierological research of antibodies antireoglobulins.
CANCERS it generally causes few metastasis.