Causes and Treatment Options for Hemospermia

Hemospermia–blood in the semen–is detrimental to fertility, stallion welfare, and industry economics.
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Does your breeding stallion have a tinge of blood in his semen after a routine collection for artificial insemination? Or do you notice physical lesions on his genitalia during pre- or post-breeding washing? These are tell-tale signs of hemospermia—literally, blood in the semen—a condition that is not only detrimental to fertility, but can also negatively impact stallion welfare and industry economics.

Lisa Pearson, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACT, theriogenologist at Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, reviewed the common causes and treatment options for stallions with this condition at the 2013 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention, held Dec. 7-11 in Nashville, Tenn.

Veterinarians typically diagnose hemospermia at the height of breeding season, when live cover or collection schedules are at their busiest.

"One of the mainstays of treatment for all cases is sexual rest, which has severe economic consequences on the stallion’s reproductive performance," Pearson said

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Alexandra Beckstett, a native of Houston, Texas, is a lifelong horse owner who has shown successfully on the national hunter/jumper circuit and dabbled in hunter breeding. After graduating from Duke University, she joined Blood-Horse Publications as assistant editor of its book division, Eclipse Press, before joining The Horse. She was the managing editor of The Horse for nearly 14 years and is now editorial director of EquiManagement and My New Horse, sister publications of The Horse.

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