Performing a Complete Canine Semen Evaluation in a Small Animal Hospital

The ejaculate of a normal dog contains more than 300 million sperm, of which more than 70% are progressively motile and morphologically normal. Large dogs ejaculate more sperm in the ejaculate than small dogs and may show numbers as high as 2 billion sperm per ejaculate. Quantitative bacterial culture should be a routine part of canine semen evaluation; normal dog semen contains less than 10,000 bacteria per milliliter. Measurement of seminal plasma alkaline phosphatase can help confirm that a complete ejaculate was obtained and that the male reproductive tract was patent to the level of the epididymides at the time the ejaculate was obtained.