The beneficial effects of enriched diet on testicular blood flow and seminal parameters using colour and pulsed Doppler ultrasound in dogs

Abstract

Maintenance of the reproductive fitness quality in dogs is a field of interest in animal practice. Therefore, this study was conducted for the first time to predict the response of sub-fertile dogs to vitamin and mineral supplementation by evaluating testicular haemodynamics and measuring the changes in peak systolic velocity (PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV), resistance index (RI), and pulsatility index (PI). Dogs were categorised into three groups (15 in each group): control, vehicle group and supplemented group. Semen evaluation, blood sampling and Doppler were performed on days (D) 0, 30, 60, and 90. In the sub-fertile dogs, semen volume increased from D0 to D90, and Doppler indices correlated negatively (P≤0.05) with testicular blood velocities, nitric oxide metabolites (NO), testosterone levels, scrotal circumference, testicular volume, and testicular coloured area. Doppler indices decreased (P≤0.05) in the hypospermic males from D0 to D90 compared to the normal values. The supplementation improved significantly blood flow by elevating the testicular colouration and decreasing both Doppler indices as the increase in testicular coloured pixels in the supplemented males may be accompanied by an increase in testicular volume, testosterone, and nitric oxide levels.