Hello ! I acquired a 25 yo stallion a month ago, he was in a very sorry state, extremely underweight, horrible feet, possibly foundered in all four feet some years ago; he is gaining weight steadily, teeth are ok; I put him with mares (I know he should gain weight first, but if he isn't with them, he doesn't eat; he is eager to breed, attains a good erection, mounts, and than nothing, doesn't enter, goes back down !
at the last breeding attempt, he tried mounting, than stopped and urinated about 7 times in 30 minutes, so I'm strongly suspecting a chronic urinary infection; he's on trimetoprim sulfamides in his feed, as he can't stand needles (extremely aggressive behavior, I think that horse has a really sorry past), so that was the only option, fortunately, it is eliminated in urine, so a good option.
he had trouble with his feet after trimming, too much of a change/cut too short, so he gets bute, that issue is getting better, he's almost not lame any more, so I am lowering the dosage, not that he is having a lot !
question is, if he's able to breed on the next cycle, will the bute and antibiotic have an impact on fertility ? we weren't able to collect him, he becomes very agressive with that also, and 25 is a bit late to start training him. Trying anyway.
The 'bute and antibiotics are unlikely to prove an issue, but the overall general condition of the stallion is.
Have you had the stallion evaluated both physically and sexually by a veterinarian experienced in reproduction in stallions? I think it would be worth it. Note that urinary tract infections are not common in stallions, and that if in extremely poor condition, his heart may be a problem that could be a major issue if bred. At the very least, you may find that breeding with him this season is not an option if he is as bad as you describe - remember that it takes about 60 days for a sperm to be created, so you are unlikely to see significant improvements in sperm production for a couple of months after he starts to improve in condition.
Training a 25 year old stallion for semen collection is not necessarily a big issue of the stallion has good libido.
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