My friend has a beautiful proven stud dog. He has always been a fertile boy. She got 2 semen samples from him last week and absolutely no sperm in it. He is 5 years old, anyone else had this happen ??

Was there just no viable sperm? I've had this before, my boy had an infection in his scrotum...after scraping his bits falling over on concrete I didn't think anything of it once it was cleared up, but a semen sample taken 5 weeks later (that was supposed to be sent overseas) was useless as all the little chaps were deformed or dead, apparently the heat of the infection was the culprit. We had to do several collections over the next month to get back to sperm with good motilaty. He went on to sire a litter after that, but then unfortunately developed testicular cancer :(

There were no sperm at all, dead, deformed or alive.

Also dogs can go into spermatogenic arrest if they have been over heated.  the sperm taken today was actually started 3 months earlier, so if a dog say was over heated in a car 3 months before a mating or test he could be infertile at that time.

It may be worth your Friend having another test done in 3 months, but in the meantime have blood tests to check for canine herpes, thyroid dysfunction etc.  A Canine fertility specialist will really be needed.

Some dogs just stop being fertile and stay that way.

Hi Danny

Sorry to hear about your friend's dog - this has happened to two of my boys, grandfather and grandson.  Max sired only one littter then missed to a bitch.  We didn't think much of it, just thinking the timing was wrong as he was proven, but then another bitch missed.  I had him tested as someone else was interested in using him, and like your friend, got the result of no sperm at all.  I never knew why.  Several years later, I had his grandson and he was used a few times and sired some lovely litters.  Then he missed to a bitch - again, didn't worry too much as he was proven, then it happened again.  So I thought I'd better have him tested.  I was horrified to find he too had no sperm at all. 

I then contacted the people who had his offspring to let them know - his two sons who had been used then became infertile and at a younger age than Luke/  We still don't know why but it looks to be hereditary (which is funny in a sick sort of a way :( )  I have let everyone know who has his bloodlines, as best I can, and I will be interested to see if this carries on down the generations as a couple of his daughters have been bred from. 

Sorry not to be more optimistic, but as Brainless says, it's got to be worth checking again in a few months and carrying out other tests.  Good luck.

Prof Gary England (google him) is the leading specialist on fertility in dogs. He does a lot of work with Guide Dogs at their Tollgate centre in Warwick. Your boy may have picked up an infection from a bitch so it would be advisable to have full checks done on him. Fingers crossed