Infertility in dogs

Infertility in dogs

Infertility is not only a problem among humans. It is also a common concern among dog owners who want to breed their pets.

What is it?

Infertility is defined as the incapacity to procreate (reproduce). It is a condition affecting not only male dogs but also the females.

The Likely Causes

Here are some of the most common causes of dog infertility:
1. Congenital Cause – there are certain physical defects or abnormalities that can possibly happen to the dog during or before its growing years.
2. Infectious Cause – certain infections damage, not only the central systems of the body, but also the dog’s reproductive system.
3. Hormonal Cause – there can be some imbalances or deficiencies in hormones in both the male and female dog. The latter may have a deficiency in testosterone while females may be deficient in oestrogen.
4. Other Causes – there are still many other likely causes of infertility in canines like the dog’s innate negativistic behaviour towards sex and even improper pet handling. The latter is the usual cause for developing misunderstanding in the dog’s normal capability to procreate. Moreover, nourishment plays a vital role in fertility. Malnourished dogs are most likely to become infertile compared to the sufficiently nourished canines. Moreover, dogs can also be likened to human athletes wherein they can experience an alteration in their normal reproductive cycles due to excessive training, running or undergoing heavy physical routines that are obviously very strenuous in nature.

When is a canine’s normal fertility stage?

Generally speaking, female dogs normally attain puberty when they age within 6 to 24 months. Nevertheless, this also depends on the maturity of their body weight. However, there are some dog breeds that do not attain puberty only until reaching 2 to 3 years of age. Similarly, Greyhounds reach puberty far longer, at about 4 to 5 years of age. Thus, it is safe to have a knowledge of your dog’s expected puberty age so that you can really know if he or she is indeed infertile or maybe your canine is still not in his or her ‘ripe’ stage.

The Congenital Cause, A Closer Look

Congenitally, infertility can be a result of some abnormalities in the dog’s ovaries. These organs may either have undergone aplasia or hypoplasia. The former involves the absence of ovarian development while the latter is when the ovaries become underdeveloped because the development process may have been too slow or inadequate. Although this is a very rare occurrence in dogs, female canines must be subjected to certain blood and ovarian activity tests. 

Secondly, there may have been poor sexual differentiation during the dog’s growing years. The common scenario is when a dog, at first, seemed to look female but as the canine grows older testicles start to become evident. In some cases, although the dog looks female, his testicles may be somewhat hidden within his abdomen. This happens because of certain chromosomal defects. Instead of having a normal set of chromosomes – XY for males and XX for females, poorly differentiated dogs may have XXX or XXY. This means that the canine is inconclusively either male or female because of an extra chromosome.

Lastly, the male dog may also have a form of penile deformity. A deformed penis correlates to poor sexual functioning among male dogs. Often this is also coupled with poor development of the testes.

Examples of Infectious Causes

o Brucella canis infestation – affecting both genders, this bacterium can directly affect the dog’s fertility status. In humans, this offender can even cause serious headaches and fever. Brucella canis can be transmitted through the intake of vaginal or mammary discharges
o Herpes Virus – if your dog is affected with this common virus, most likely she will experience frequent stillbirths and early unexpected abortions during her pregnancy stage. Because of such, the female dog may have a hard time conceiving again during her next attempt.
o Bacterial endometritis – this is fast becoming a very common infection among female dogs wherein their endometrial lining becomes inflamed and infected by bacteria. Because of the nature of the offending agent, treatment usually includes antibiotics. 
o CEH – completely known as cystic endometrial hyperplasia, the female dog grows multiple cyst-like structures on the endometrial lining making it appear much thicker than normal. This is usually because of some invading microorganisms and not only because of aging or the normal depreciating action of sex hormones as the dog grows older. If left unchecked, this condition can lead to pyometra (another more serious type of womb infection).

Specific Hormonal Infertility Causes

There are lots of medical conditions that can alter the dog’s normal hormone levels. An imbalance in these levels can seriously affect the sexual capability and overall fertility of most dogs.

Hypothyroidism is one of these diseases. Affecting mostly the younger and middle age dogs, this condition slows down the canine’s normal reproductive cycle because of a decreased thyroid gland activity. The most commonly affected dogs include the Irish Setters, Boxers, Wolfhounds, Dachshunds, Doberman Pinschers and also the Golden Retrievers among others.

Another condition that can cause hormonal imbalances is hyperadrenocorticism. Popularly known as Cushings Disease, this condition is highlighted with overactive adrenal glands. As a result, there’s too much cortisol production (a sort of natural steroid). This disease is more common among older dogs unlike hypothyroidism.

Thirdly, hypoadrenocorticism, an opposite of the above condition is when the adrenal glands are performing much slower than usual. This simply means that either extreme (too fast and too slow) functioning of the adrenal glands can seriously affect the dog’s fertility status.
Finally, German Shepherd dogs, who are thought to be naturally tall and belonging to the bigger dog breeds may suddenly experience abnormal dwarfism. This is most likely because of a condition known as Pituitary insufficiency. Being the gland that releases the so-called growth hormones, the Pituitary gland will be unable to supply enough amounts of these hormones when there’s pituitary insufficiency. Other hormones that help regulate reproduction are also managed by the Pituitary gland thus affecting fertility.
 
 

Disclaimer

This pet health article is for reference only.

If your pet is showing any symptoms or distress, and you suspect your pet is ill CONTACT YOUR VET IMMEDIATELY.