Intramediastinum testis injection technique and chemical castration in dogs

The study was conducted to determine the effects of intramediastinum testis injection of formol and calcium chloride (CaCl2) in dogs on semen quality, testicular dimensions, testosterone level and histopathological changes, and to examine the usability and success of the intramediastinum testis injection technique in chemical castration. Eighteen male dogs without fertility problems were used in the study. The dogs were divided into three groups as control (n:6), formol (n:6) and CaCl2 (n:6). In the control group, physiological saline, 5% formol in the formol group and 50% CaCl2 solutions in the CaCl2 group were applied to the mediastinum testis under ultrasound guidance. On days 0, 22 and 44, physical and USG testicular measurements, spermatological features and testosterone concentrations were determined. All dogs were castrated on day 45 and testicles were sent to the laboratory for histopathological examination. In the study, no difference was observed between the groups in terms of spermatological characteristics on day 0. On the 22nd day, it was observed that the motility and density of sperm decreased (p>0.05) and the rates of dead and abnormal spermatozoa increased (p<0.05) in the formol and calcium chloride groups compared to the control group. In the spermatological examinations on the 44th day, semen could not be obtained from any of the dogs in the calcium chloride group, and there was a significant difference in spermatological values between the control and formol groups (p<0.05). There was no difference in testicular measurements on days 0 and 22. A difference was observed between the CaCl2 group and the control and formol groups only on the 44th day (p<0.05). When testosterone concentrations were evaluated in the study groups, a difference was observed between the the control and formol groups with CaCl2 group only on the 44th day (p<0.05). In testicular histopathological evaluations, moderate degenerative changes in the testicular tissue, epithelial cell debris in the seminiferous tubules, irregularities in the basement membranes, some collapsed tubules, and multinucleated giant cells with degenerated and intact cells spilled into the lumen were found in formol group dogs. In addition to similar histopathological changes in the CaCl2 group testicular tissues, it was observed that the seminiferous tubules were lined with very few spermatogonia and sertoli cells, and their lumens were almost empty. As a result, it was concluded that the intramediastinal administration of 0.5 ml formol and CaCl2 in dogs decreased the quality of semen and caused significant histopathological changes in the testicular tissue, and it was concluded that the method could be used as an alternative to surgical castration in the control of reproduction.