Lecture 18: Male Infertility

testes should be in the scrotum by

10 days post-partum

both testicles should be descended into the scrotum by

16 weeks of age

a male is not considered cryptorhid until

6 months

cryptorchidism in the dog is

hereditary (sex-limited autosomal recessive gene)

cryptorchidism diagnosis

• similar to ovarian remnant syndrome in the bitch

• administer hCG

• anti-meullarian hormone also known as mullerian inhibiting substance in the testicle → single blood test can determine when testicles are present

testicular torsion

• rare but may occur in any breed of dog and is extremely painful

• treatment of choice for testicular torsion is bilateral orchidectomy

testicular tumors

• second most common tumor after skin tumors in male dogs

• sertoli is most common testicular tumor of the dog!

• sertoli and leydig may have hormonal effects causing a paraneoplastic syndrome

sertoli tumor

• bilateral in 45% of cases

• may be associated with feminization caused by estrogen secretion

tumor in scrotal testis

• all tumors cause testicular enlargement

• sertoli cell tumor causes atrophy of opposite testis

• multiple tumors may occur in one testis

tumor in retained testis

cryptorchidism increases incidence by 13.6 times for all tumors and by 23 times for sertoli cell tumors

hyperestrogenism causes

• alopecia

• comedones, hyperpigmentation

• pendulous prepuce

• prostatic cyst

• testicular atrophy

• gynecomastia

need 200 million progressively motile spermatozoa to ensure

good conception rates

transmissible venereal tumor

• penis, prepuce, vagina, mucous membranes

• transmitted by direct contact with mucous membranes

• different number of chromosomes

• squamous cell carcinoma is ddx

what are these showing?

TVT

disorders of the canine penis/prepuce

• urethral prolapse

• genetic predilection in english bulldogs

• idiopathic or sexual arousal induced

• pathognomonic red pea appearance at tip of penis

• treatment is surgical removal or prolapsed tissue

priapism

• unnatural penile tumescence

• erection that won’t go away

• rare occurrence

• usually the dog has a neurological problem that causes it

benign prostatic hyperplasia

• most commonly diagnosed prostatic disease in dogs

• older, intact male dogs with mean age at onset 8 years

• may be asymptomatic

• serous to serosanguinous urethral discharge is primary complaint

• hematuria, dysuria

• rectal tenesmus

• caudal abdominal pain

• infertility

BPH is observed in nearly 100% of

intact stud dogs more than 10-12 years old

BPH diagnosis

• assess by digital trans-rectal palpation

• prostate is normally smooth, bilobed, symmetrical, and non-painful to palpate

• should be no lumps or bumps and it should have a homogenous consistency

• palpate the bony pelvis and pelvic urethra caudally

• normal position of the prostate changes as the dog ages and as the gland increases in size

prostatic enlargement usually causes

constipation and tenesmus, hemorrhagic discharge

acute bacterial prostatitis

typically associated with fever, depression, pain on rectal palpation, neutrophilia, pyuria, bacteriuria, may occur concurrently with BPH

chronic bacterial prostatis

typically associated with recurrent lower urinary tract infections, may occur concurrently with BPH

prostatic adenocarcinoma

typically associated with poor appetite, weight loss, hind limb weakness, dysuria, hematuria, dyschezia; carcinoma cells may be seen in urine sediment

prostatic and paraprostatic cysts

can cause palpable abdominal cystic mass filled yellow to orange fluid

diagnosis of prostate disease

• palpation

• CBC, cultures of seminal fluid and urine, prostatic wash, ultrasound guided fine needle aspirate, biopsy, ultrasound, radiographs

• prostatic wash → BPH, neoplasia, septic

what is the most common cause of bacterial prostatitis?

e. coli

treatment of prostate disease

• castration is treatment of choice

• may use hormonal therapy also

what is this?

prostatic carcinoma

what is this?

neutrophils and clumps of prostatic epithelium; suppurative prostatitis

what is this?

benign prostatic hyperplasia

BPH medical treatment

• 5a reductase inhibitors → block the action of testosterone and or dihydrotestosterone → principle drug is finasteride

• DES may also be used in the management or treatment of prostatic hypertrophy

what is the definitive and preferred treatment for prostatic hypertrophy?

castration

sexual behavior post-castration

• can take months to years to disappear

• often lasts indefinitely because masculinization of the brain begins early in fetal life and is essentially innate in males