The reason, it seems that pet food
Semen activity in dogs has fallen sharply over the past three decades. This conclusion was obtained by scientists in the course of research aimed at finding the reasons for the alleged decline in fertility in humans.
The results obtained by scientists identified a potential link between environmental pollution and decrease in reproductive ability. The fact that scientists have discovered chemical compounds that have devastating effects on the activity of the seed, in some commercially available pet foods.
Lecturer of reproductive biology School of veterinary medicine and science Nottingham University Dr. Richard Lee, head of research, said: “This is the first case when there was a drop in male fertility in dogs, and we believe that its cause is the pollution of the external environment, signs of which we found in food and seed animal tests.
“Although the final evidence of the relationship of these phenomena, further studies are needed, the dog can actually be an indicator for people since the people living in the same environment, suffering the same set of diseases, and many of them with the same frequency and very similar reacts to the treatment.”
Dr. Lee and his colleagues collected samples of semen from purebred dogs in the center of the breeding dogs (from 42 to 97) for more than 26 years. Then seed samples were analysed to assess the percentage of normal seed, with sufficient degree of activity. The activity (mobility) of seed for the period 1988 to 1998 declined by 2.5 percent annually and in the period 2002-2014 – 1.2 percent per year.
The study also showed that puppies males born from purebred dogs with low semen quality, showed a greater tendency to cryptorchidism, the disease in which one or both testicles fail to descend into the scrotum at birth or in the first 3 months after birth.
Dr. Lee said that it is a genetic disease cannot serve as an explanation of the observed phenomenon, since the study was carried out within a relatively short period of time. He said that in the “question” associated with the possibility of a similar effect in relation to male reproductive toxicity in humans.
The projected decrease in male reproductive function – a very controversial topic in science, and the experimental data have been criticized in the scientific community.
However, according to Dr. Lee, research Notingema University allowed us to obtain a unique set of reliable data about the monitored population who were not exposed to such factors as laboratory methods, qualification of laboratory personnel, as well as improving the efficiency and quality of control over time, which could lead to a change in results.
