Veterinary Andrology and Reproductive Techniques

NUTRITIONAL FACTORS

Diets for males sufficient for growth and maintenance are adequate for fertility.

• Testicular degeneration is caused by under-feeding or starvation.
• Chronic diseases associated with inanition and debility and testicular atrophy may include, chronic severe parasitisms, either external or internal such as: lice, mange, ticks, roundworms, flukes, and etc., senile changes due to worn or diseased teeth, chronic arthritis, tumors, fat necrosis around the large intestine in bulls, severe spastic syndrome and other possible diseases interfering with the intake and passage of food through the gut.
• Malnutrition may complicate these other chronic diseases.
• Improper care and management of bulls accustomed to special care and feeding may cause a marked loss in weight resulting in impotency and testicular degeneration and atrophy.
• Severe vitamin A deficiency characterized by night blindness, lacrimation and opthalmia usually precedes testicular degeneration and poor semen quality.
• Malnutrition, debility and cachexia produce degeneration and atrophy of the seminiferous epithelium by causing a suppression of the release of gonadotropic hormones from the pituitary.
• A high level of feeding and the accompanying obesity has no effect on semen quality in a normal male, but does effect their libido and willingness to breed.