Temporal Changes in Indicators of Testicular Dysgenesis Syndrome in Labrador and Golden Retrievers

Temporal changes in testicular traits have been reported in both humans and dogs. Analysis of % living sperm and motility from semen collections from 186 Labrador Retrievers and 113 Golden Retrievers between 2006 and 2023, and of incidents of cryptorchidism in over 15,000 dogs of the same breeds and...

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Main Authors: Thomas Lewis, Rachel Moxon, Gary C. W. England
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Animals
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/14/2073
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author Thomas Lewis
Rachel Moxon
Gary C. W. England
author_facet Thomas Lewis
Rachel Moxon
Gary C. W. England
author_sort Thomas Lewis
collection DOAJ
description Temporal changes in testicular traits have been reported in both humans and dogs. Analysis of % living sperm and motility from semen collections from 186 Labrador Retrievers and 113 Golden Retrievers between 2006 and 2023, and of incidents of cryptorchidism in over 15,000 dogs of the same breeds and crosses born between 1994 and 2023 was undertaken to determine influential factors. A general temporal increase in incidence of cryptorchidism masked significant differences in the trend between breeds, which persisted after accounting for genetic and litter effects. The incidence in the F1 cross was significantly lower than in either pure breed, implying hybrid vigour. The semen traits were both moderately repeatable within individuals, but this belied breed differences in its composition; for both traits, only the heritability was significantly greater than zero in the Golden Retriever, while only the permanent environment effect was present in Labrador Retrievers. There were significant negative temporal trends in Golden Retrievers for both semen traits, but not in Labrador Retrievers; significant negative effects of age (except on % motility in Labrador Retrievers); and significant negative effects of a diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia on both traits in both breeds. These results reveal complex breed by environment interactions in traits related to testicular form and function.
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spelling doaj-art-a6f8940b030645eaaf69ba208df2f8542025-08-20T03:55:49ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-07-011514207310.3390/ani15142073Temporal Changes in Indicators of Testicular Dysgenesis Syndrome in Labrador and Golden RetrieversThomas Lewis0Rachel Moxon1Gary C. W. England2Guide Dogs National Centre, Warwickshire CV33 9WF, UKGuide Dogs National Centre, Warwickshire CV33 9WF, UKSchool of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, UKTemporal changes in testicular traits have been reported in both humans and dogs. Analysis of % living sperm and motility from semen collections from 186 Labrador Retrievers and 113 Golden Retrievers between 2006 and 2023, and of incidents of cryptorchidism in over 15,000 dogs of the same breeds and crosses born between 1994 and 2023 was undertaken to determine influential factors. A general temporal increase in incidence of cryptorchidism masked significant differences in the trend between breeds, which persisted after accounting for genetic and litter effects. The incidence in the F1 cross was significantly lower than in either pure breed, implying hybrid vigour. The semen traits were both moderately repeatable within individuals, but this belied breed differences in its composition; for both traits, only the heritability was significantly greater than zero in the Golden Retriever, while only the permanent environment effect was present in Labrador Retrievers. There were significant negative temporal trends in Golden Retrievers for both semen traits, but not in Labrador Retrievers; significant negative effects of age (except on % motility in Labrador Retrievers); and significant negative effects of a diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia on both traits in both breeds. These results reveal complex breed by environment interactions in traits related to testicular form and function.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/14/2073semenmotilitycryptorchidhybrid vigourbreedtesticular
spellingShingle Thomas Lewis
Rachel Moxon
Gary C. W. England
Temporal Changes in Indicators of Testicular Dysgenesis Syndrome in Labrador and Golden Retrievers
Animals
semen
motility
cryptorchid
hybrid vigour
breed
testicular
title Temporal Changes in Indicators of Testicular Dysgenesis Syndrome in Labrador and Golden Retrievers
title_full Temporal Changes in Indicators of Testicular Dysgenesis Syndrome in Labrador and Golden Retrievers
title_fullStr Temporal Changes in Indicators of Testicular Dysgenesis Syndrome in Labrador and Golden Retrievers
title_full_unstemmed Temporal Changes in Indicators of Testicular Dysgenesis Syndrome in Labrador and Golden Retrievers
title_short Temporal Changes in Indicators of Testicular Dysgenesis Syndrome in Labrador and Golden Retrievers
title_sort temporal changes in indicators of testicular dysgenesis syndrome in labrador and golden retrievers
topic semen
motility
cryptorchid
hybrid vigour
breed
testicular
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/14/2073
work_keys_str_mv AT thomaslewis temporalchangesinindicatorsoftesticulardysgenesissyndromeinlabradorandgoldenretrievers
AT rachelmoxon temporalchangesinindicatorsoftesticulardysgenesissyndromeinlabradorandgoldenretrievers
AT garycwengland temporalchangesinindicatorsoftesticulardysgenesissyndromeinlabradorandgoldenretrievers