title: Semen quality and onset of sterility following administration of a 4.7-mg deslorelin implant in adult male dogs.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to define (i) the interval between treatment and sterility, and (ii) semen quality in male dogs administered a 4.7-mg deslorelin implant. Six healthy, adult dogs of various breeds and body weights were implanted with deslorelin (Suprelorin, Virbac) and followed every 2 weeks with semen and blood collections. Semen quality remained stable or even improved during the first month following treatment and then showed a progressive decline until the end of the study, except for sperm morphology, which was unaffected by the treatment. Complete sterility was achieved on post-treatment days 70, 84, 60, 23, 51 and 40 for dogs 1 to 6, respectively. The 4.7 mg deslorelin implant caused a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in serum testosterone as well as sperm motility. Our results (i) confirm the efficacy of deslorelin in causing reversible sterility in male dogs, (ii) confirm and provide details about endocrine and seminal parameters involved in this process and (iii) contribute to define the interval between treatment and achievement of complete sterility. Practitioners should be aware that such interval may be longer than 2 months in some cases, and that fertility may actually be increased during the first 2-4 weeks post-treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, University of Padova, Padova, Italy. stefano.romagnoli@unipd.it
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Romagnoli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Siminica
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Sontas
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Milani
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mollo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stelletta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003272:Contraceptive Agents, Male / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004285:Dogs; D004343:Drug Implants; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000139:chemically induced*; D008297:Male; D012661:Semen; D055101:Semen Analysis / Q000662:veterinary*; D013076:Sperm Count; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013997:Time Factors; D017329:Triptorelin Pamoate / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D003272:Contraceptive Agents, Male; D004343:Drug Implants; D017329:Triptorelin Pamoate; C066438:deslorelin