I did an A.I. tonight with a friend's bitch and my male's sperm was somewhat bloody. I tried finding out on the internet if this was going to be a problem or if maybe my male burst a vessel or something. Just wondering if this is cause for concern with either the bitch that was bred or my male? Thanks

Karmen - Blood in the semen can effect PH and result in a non-viable breeding. I would encourage you to have your dog evaluated by your veterinarian to diagnose (and treat if necessary). I would also recommend re-breeding with a clean sample.

I'm assuming both dogs have been tested for Brucellosis?

How old is your male? Blood in the semen can occure for several reasons. Prostate related issues are very common in older males (for which blood in the semen is frequently seen). An ulcer (on the penis) may be another prossibility to look for <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />.

We recently bred one of our females (A.I.) and had seen a small amount of blood in the semen. The male, who is a proven stud, under went full breeding soundness evaluation with our vet (using a clean sample)... results were excellent with 95% mobility <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />! However b/c of the blood (which more than likley altered the PH) the breeding did not result in pregnancy <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />.

Good luck with the breeding! Cheers, Mel

Here is a link (not specific to dogs): Health Central

This site indicates:

 Quote:

Blood in the semen may be caused by inflammation, infection, blockage, or injury anywhere along the male reproductive tract. It may indicate disease or a problem within the urethra, testicles, epididymis, or prostate.

Blood in the semen is usually the result of inflammation of the seminal vesicles, and will usually go away on its own. Often, the cause cannot be determined. If the blood does not clear and ejaculate is persistently stained with blood, more tests should be done. These tests may include urinalysis and culture, semen analysis and culture, and ultrasound of the seminal vesicles.

Thanks for the information Mel, it's much appreciated. He did have an ulcer on the outside of his penis but why or how he got it I am unsure. The breeding before that with another A.I. was much clearer semen but tonight I was really concerned because of it being more tainted with blood. Could this be a problem caused from being around another bitch two weeks ago in season and not bred? He has had a litter of 11 a year ago but semen has not been tested since then. He is urninating OK but I will make an appointment in case he has some infection I have missed. Otherwise he feels great, he's a healthy active 7 year old. Thank again for the information, it's much appreciated...

Prostate problems are common in older males (particularly males over 6 years of age). Its great that he had a nice big litter last year, but still worth the full breeding soundness exam. How long before the last collection/breeding?

With regards to his being around the female in season a couple of weeks ago... was he being exposed to this female to breed but was not successful or were they just in the same vacinity but not ecessible to one another? I'm no expert, however I don't think that this would cause haemospermia (blood in semen). Though if he were frustrated he may have been inclined to over-lick, which may potentially have been the cause of the ulcer.... however there are also other possibilities here too, so still worth the trip to vet. Was he exposed to any other females (live cover)?

Has he been brucellosis tested?

Case study: The stud I mentioned earlier is an 8 year old male with many puppies on the ground (over 60 litters). He was bred twice by live cover about 2 months prior to our AI collection (when we noticed the blood)... both of the prior breedings resulted in normal sized litters. Unfortunately the breeding with blood stained semen resulted in no pregnancy. On exam, our vet found slight enlargement of the prostate and an ulcer on penis... cultures, bloodwork, & general health exam were all excellent. We treated with anti-biotics and modified the diet (RAW + NRG <dehydrated food> + Feed Sentials <supplement> and re-examination shows everything to be functioning perfectly.

Sometimes with enlarged prostate they can have hard stools or consipation, so the changes to diet assisted with this aspect too.

Also, a few days prior to AI collection he had been exposed to the female for live cover however he had difficult time covering her (which is why we opted to breed AI this time)... so in his case the ulcer may have resulted from his trying unsuccessfully to breed (likely self inflicted <licking> but possibly from attempts to breed the female who was a maiden bitch).

Anyway, hope this helps.

If you try some of the university websites you will find some good reliable information <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />. I know Cornell has large canine semen bank so they may be a good place to start.

Good luck.