Assessment of the state of the reproductive system of males of Northern sled dog breeds in a kennel

¹ Ural state agrarian University, Department of surgery, obstetrics and Microbiology, 620075 Yekaterinburg, Russia
² Ural state agrarian University, Department of infectious and Non-communicable Pathology, 620075 Yekaterinburg, Russia

^* Corresponding author: barkova.as@mail.ru

Abstract

Due to the increased interest in sledding in dogs, the assessment of their reproductive function, in particular breeding males, is also relevant at the present time. In the course of the work, the prostate condition was assessed in breeding working animals in a kennel, as well as the quality of sperm in working dogs of different ages, as well as in non-working groups. The results showed that in 16.8% of males the prostate is not enlarged, the echostructure is uniform, the contours are even, and the echogenicity is normal. A slight increase in the organ without structural changes is observed in 42% of the examined animals and the same number of dogs (42%), have echostructural changes and increased organ size. Prostate enlargement in most of the examined males of the kennel may be associated with the crowding of their content, as well as the presence of bitches in neighboring enclosures. When assessing semen quality in workers of different age groups and non-group males in various time intervals at different intensity of physical activity. it is noted that the stability of sperm quality identified in males outside of the group, while animals in the system having both long and short-term physical load sperm quality is subject to considerable fluctuations. Thus, under intense load, the sperm quality indicators correspond to the reference values in animals of all groups, while during the long period of rest, working sled dogs have a significant decrease in the quality of sperm, which negatively affects their fertility.