Abstract
Among the different methods used for semen collection from domestic cats, the pharmacological collection by urethral catheterization becomes disruptive. Medetomidine is the elected α2-adrenoceptor agonist for that, but in several countries, it is not commercially available. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of detomidine compared to medetomidine in collecting semen by urethral catheterization in domestic cats. Urethral catheterization was performed on 13 mongrel cats using a disposable semi-rigid tomcat urinary catheter. Of the 19 semen collections performed with medetomidine induction, 94.7% were successful, while with detomidine induction, only 56.3% of 16 were successful. The values semen samples variables were as follows for volume - 10.56 ± 0.4 vs 8.88 ± 0.5 mL, motility - 171.67 ± 0.79 vs 49.77 ± 3.45%, vigor – 4.1 ± 0.03 vs 3.10 ± 0.1 and concentration - 3.24 ± 0.19 vs 2.15 ± 0.13 ×109 sperm/mL respectively for medetomidine and detomidine group. The failure in semen collections with detomidine was mainly due to azoospermic samples, poor urethral relaxation, insufficient volume, or contamination of urine. The sperm concentration was also lower in the detomidine group (P <0.05) when compared to medetomidine. However, when the volume of semen collected was compared, we found no statistical differences. Despite its low performance in collecting semen from cats, detomidine may be an alternative when medetomidine is not accessible.
Highlights
Interest in sperm collection and evaluation has grown significantly over the past decade in domestic cats
To the best of our knowledge, the present study was the first in which detomidine was used for feline semen collection thru urethral catheterization
Medetomidine, is widely used for this purpose as it is known to promote the release of sperm into the urethra, allowing the semen to be collected by urethral catheterization (Araujo et al, 2020b; Araujo et al, 2018; Jorge-Neto et al, 2020b; Jorge Neto et al, 2019; Lueders et al, 2012; Prochowska et al, 2015; Silva et al, 2019; Silvatti et al, 2020; Zambelli et al, 2008)
Summary
Interest in sperm collection and evaluation has grown significantly over the past decade in domestic cats. The use of domestic cats is undoubtedly an important model for the development of reproductive biotechnologies for wild felids (Jorge-Neto et al, 2020a). Electroejaculation was the method of choice for feline semen collection, resulting in a greatervolume lower-concentration sample and may have urinary and bacterial contamination
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