Some injuries may occur in animals engaged in sexual activities, such injuries are called coital injuries.

1. Andrology and Male Infertility
Submitted by:
Dr. Dhavalkumar Faljibhai Chaudhary
M.V.Sc Scholar
Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding
College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry,
Anand Agricultural University,
Anand-388001
Coital Injuries
and
Vices of Male Animals

2. COITAL INJURIES
Some injuries may occur in animals engaged in sexual activities, such injuries are called
coital injuries.
Role of libido in coital injury:
 Libido is primarily dependent upon androgenic steroid hormones, which allow mating
and aggressive behaviour to occur.
 Such aggressive behaviour may lead to injuries during coitus.
 In most occasions, breeds of bull that have high testosterone levels tend to be aggressive
and respond quickly in the presence of an estrous female.
A number of injuries occur in animals both in male and females during copulation. In
males, injuries are usually in the penis while in females injuries may be on skin. For example:
dogs suffer from penile fracture at the time of copulatory tie; while mating in felines, the male
bites the neck of the queen cat with his teeth which can cause abrasions at the region. Also,
after the male dismounts the female, she may strike him furiously causing him much harm
during her typical ‘rage’ reaction.
Followings are some of the conditions:
o Balanitis and posthitis
o Injury or trauma to penis
o Haemorrhage from the prepuce and penis
o Herpes coital exanthema
o Rupture of corpus cavernosum penis
o Injury of the scrotum and testes
o Miscellaneous injuries
Balanitis and posthitis
 Balanitis and posthitis of a severe nature frequently leading to adhesion and inability to
protrude the penis are occasionally observed in bull especially in young bull with great
sexual desire first few weeks on pasture with cow or heifer.

3.  Trauma and infection incurred by frequent service and contamination of sheath or by
exposure to the IBR-IPV virus in cow's genital tract result in severe necrotic & pyogenic
infection of penis and prepuce.
 Young ram may be similarly affected.
Injury or trauma to penis
 In rare instances in stallion this may be due to mare kicking at the stallion and striking
erect penis at the time of service.
 This may cause haematoma, paraphymosis, laceration or rupture of penis. it is easily
avoided by the proper supervision of breeding and by being certain that mare is
definitely in the estrum.
 If necessary breeding hobble should be used in nervous & excitable mare.
 In the bull occasionally penis catches on the vulval lips in a hymenal remnant or beneath
the vulva. If bull thrusts and penis is bent sharply at right angle. When the cow suddenly
collapsing, a rupture of corpus cavernosum and tunica albuginea, usually, on the dorsal
surface of penis would occur. A haematoma is thus produced. This is often spoken of
as a ‘’fractured’’ ruptured or broken penis.
Haemorrhage from the prepuce and penis
 Following service, it may be due to tumours of the penis or to laceration of the penis or
prepuce.
 In rare instance bleeding form, the urethra may be observed in stallions and bulls.
 Several affected boars that had a small vascular outgrowth or polyp in the urethra that
caused blood to be mixed with semen at ejaculation.
 In several bulls irregular-shaped calculi have lodged in the urethra and caused bleeding
at the time of service but for a while only slight or moderate symptoms of difficult
urination were observed.
 In young bulls there may occasionally be a small fistula in the glans penis extending
into the corpus cavernosum.
 On erection a fine stream of blood comes through the fistula.
 Some veterinarians have described the presence on the glans penis of blue-red raised
areas or ulcers that rupture and bleed.

4.  In artificial breeding, rubber bands from the artificial vagina may slip over the penis at
the time the bull thrusts.
 These usually cause deep lacerations or even amputation of all or part of the glans penis
if they are not removed promptly.
 Such and occurrence may be prevented by not using rubber bands on the artificial
vagina, or by tying them with cord so they cannot slip off.
 Occasionally persons trimming preputial hairs on bulls will snip off the tip of the penis
if is not taken to hold the penis caudal to the preputial orifice.
 Bloom reported that bleeding form the urethra in dogs is frequently a symptom of
fracture of the os penis.
 Tumours should be removed. Sexual rest should be give most animals with
haemorrhage from the penis and prepuce.
 In case of urinary calculi, the prognosis is often hopeless for future breeding.
 When bleeding occurs from the corpus through fine fistula, sexual rest or surgery to
close the defect are indicated.
Herpes coital exanthema
 This is a vesicular, then ulcerative venereal disease that causes genital discomfort and
reluctance to breed in both sexes.
 Secondary infection may complicate the condition occasionally but it usually heals.
 Spontaneously within 7-10days.
 Coital exanthema is caused by equine herpes virus-1.
Rupture of corpus cavernosum penis
 This is a relative common and potentially serious condition of the bulls, and also occurs
sporadically in boars and rams.
Synonyms: rupture of CCP, ruptured penis, fractured penis and broken penis.
 Rupture of the tunica albuginea occurs spontaneously if pressures within the CCP rise
substantially above the pressures achieved during normal copulation (Noordsy et al.,
1970; Beckett et al., 1974).
 Such abnormal increases in pressure can occur if the penis is suddenly subjected to
shearing forces – for example, by the cow moving suddenly at the moment of

5. ejaculation, or by the ejaculatory thrust being directed against the escutcheon of the
cow rather than the vagina.
 Rupture occurs most commonly either in the region of the insertion of the retractor
penis muscle, or on the dorsal aspect of the distal sigmoid flexure where the trabeculae
of the CCP are relatively weak.
 In rams, it is more common to see rupture of the CCP near to the root of the penis,
above the proximal sigmoid flexure, presumably as a result of being butted from behind
at the time of ejaculation.
Cause: The aetiology of the condition makes it more common in young than older bulls,
probably due to the enthusiasm and inexperience of the former.
 Immediately after rupture, the animal may be noticeably subdued and, in most cases,
will immediately refuse to make further attempts to copulate.
 However, some bulls continue to attempt to mate. Other clinical signs include shortness
of gait and general indications of mild discomfort.
 Haemorrhage occurs from the site of rupture, with haematomata collecting in the
surrounding tissues: cranial to the scrotum in ruptures of the distal sigmoid flexure,
behind the scrotum with proximal ruptures.
 These haematomata can become very large, especially if mating behaviour is not
immediately inhibited.
 Distal ruptures are also characterised by preputial oedema, which is often sufficiently
severe to cause eversion of the preputial mucosa.
 Occasionally, the penis itself may be prolapsed.
 In light-coloured bulls, the rupture of the CCP may be of sufficiently
explosive nature to cause blood staining of the overlying skin.
 Urination is not affected.
 The haematoma is initially soft and fluctuant, but later, as the clot becomes organised,
it becomes firm and hard.
 If untreated, a substantial proportion of haematomata become infected and produce
abscesses, while others develop fibrous adhesions between the penis and prepuce and
within the fascial planes of the prepuce.

6.  Diagnosis is relatively straightforward in recent cases, but neglected cases must be
differentiated from preputial trauma and abscessation, tumours and urinary infiltration
of the prepuce after urethral rupture.
 Peripenile haematomata may also be caused by trauma to the ventral abdomen or from
peripenile vessels (Noordsy et al., 1970).
Treatment: Conservative treatment, consisting of sexual rest for 90 days, with initial
antibiotic therapy to prevent abscess formation in the haematoma, and daily massage of the
affected area to limit formation of peripenile adhesions, has been reported in some surveys to
allow as many as 50% of bulls to regain service ability. For haematoma surgical treatment can
be done. Emergency surgery is usually necessary to repair such fracture to prevent abnormal
curvature of the penis or permanent erectile dysfunction.
Injury of the scrotum and testes
 The location of the scrotum makes it susceptible to injury.
 Blunt forces (for example, a kick or crushing below) cause most injuries.
Miscellaneous injuries
 At the time of coitus in the stallion may include kick injuries resulting in a ventral
hernia, fracture of the hind limbs, or severe orchitis.
 Breeding hobbles, tying up a front leg and a twitch applied to the mare may be indicated
to prevent kicking.
 In all breeds of animals, especially the larger ones, the footing of the male should be
good and the female restrained properly to prevent the male’s slipping and falling,
possibly causing gonitis, seen most commonly in the bull; dislocation of the hip;
fractures of the limb or pelvis; fractures of the spine; muscle or tendon strains or
ruptures; as well as the harmful psychological effect on the male from falling or injuring
himself during coitus.
 Paraphimosis: Inability to withdraw the penis into the prepuce results from congenital
or acquired strictures of the prepuce, paralysis of the penis and, occasionally, from
balanoposthitis.
In case of canine:
 In cases that have occurred recently, the penis can often be returned to the
prepuce with careful manipulation and plentiful lubrication.
 If neglected, the penis initially becomes oedematous, then swollen and
inflamed, and suffers damage to its increasingly friable integument.

7.  In such cases, the preputial orifice may need to be surgically enlarged before
the penis can be replaced (Chaffee and Knecht, 1975; Schumacher and
Vaughan, 1980; Johnston, 1986).
Large females should not be bred naturally to small males unless restrained with their rear
limbs or all four limbs in a hole or pit.
 Occasionally inguinal hernia with strangulation of the intestine may follow service in
stallions and cause severe colic within 1 to 3 hours.

8. VICES OF MALE ANIMALS
Vices are more common in male animals than females especially in larger animals.
Reason:
 improper handling or abused
 Closely housed and confined in the dark
 Poor quarters
 Lack of exercise, sunlight, normal surroundings
 No association with other females
 Intact males are more aggressive than castrated males or females.
 Behavioural disorders in male animals are often related to or affect the sex act and may
reduce copulatory efficiency (Frazer, 1984).
 Androgens acting during early period of differentiation organize neural tissue which
mediates later sexual behaviour in male.
Types of vices:
 Masturbation or Onanism
 Viciousness in males
 Slowness in breeding
Masturbation:
 Observed in males of all species.
 If males are used regularly and frequently for service, the frequency of masturbation
declines.
 It is a common problem in racing stallions and affects training.
 Accumulation of smegma in the preputial sheath cause irritation and masturbation.
 Boars may masturbate by inserting their penis into the preputial diverticulum and
ejaculating there, resulting in a condition called “balling up”.

9. Management:
 In stallions, regular cleansing of the sheath with soap and water.
 Regular exercise under harness and saddle in a large outside paddock away from non-
pregnant females or by providing a company in the form of pregnant mares will help
control masturbation.
 Owners or veterinarians may use a stallion shield (man-of-war) or a wire brush
suspended in front of the preputial opening, a metal “bird-cage” device over the glans
penis or a plastic or adhesive tape ring applied just behind the glans penis to prevent
erection and masturbation.
 Rings may be removed and penis be cleaned once a week.
 In bulls, rams, bucks and dogs a suture of stainless steel wire tied loosely through and
across the preputial orifice may be of value.
 Pet dogs not used for breeding may be castrated.
 For pigs, surgical removal of the diverticulum is recommended.
 Boars in artificial insemination studs should be kept in separate pens to prevent
pederasty or rectal copulation.
Viciousness in males:
 It is due to confinement and ill-treatment.
 Dairy breeds are more apt to be dangerous than beef breeds, that have freedom to run
with the herd.
 Ill-treated, teased and irritated animals develop viciousness and make it difficult to
manage and often an impossible task to correct without elaborate facilities and trained
help.
 Not frequently following castration, a formerly vicious stallion may retain his same
disposition unless restrained.
Management:
 Proper, intelligent handling of male animals from a young age.
 Regular daily handling, firm training and exercise.

10. Slowness in breeding:
 It is an acquired vice in male domestic animals that is favoured by improper training,
rough or ill treatment or painful accidents that have occurred at the time of copulation.
 Management may be done by checking the cause.
Other vices:
 Stall walking: controlled by regular exercise, closing the stall tightly, hobbling or tying
the animal by placing bales of straw around the stall or by putting the stallion in a large
outside paddock or pasture.
 Weaving: it is a type of vice where an animal the head and neck and the anterior parts
of the body backwards and forewards
 Cribbing
 Self-biting or mutilation
Crib-biting and wind-sucking:
 A ‘crib-biter’ effects this by grasping the edge of the manger or some other convenient
fixture with the incisor teeth; it then raises the floor of the mouth; the soft palate is
forced open; a swallowing movement occurs; and a gulp of air is passed down the gullet
into the stomach.
 A ‘wind-sucker’ achieves the same end, but it does not require a resting-place for the
teeth.
 Air is swallowed by firmly closing the mouth, arching the neck, and gulping down air
in much the same way.
 Remedial measures are not always satisfactory.
 Crib-biters may cease the habit if housed in a bare loose-box, being fed from a trough
which is removed as soon as the feed is finished.

11. Sources & References:
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mammals. Psychological Review, 54(6), 297.
Beckett, S. D., Reynolds, T. M., Walker, D. F., Hudson, R. S., & Purohit, R. C. (1974).
Experimentally induced rupture of corpus cavernosum penis of the bull. American
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Chaffee, V. W., & Knecht, C. D. (1975). Canine paraphimosis: sequel to inefficient preputial
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e-Krishi Shiksha, Veterinary Andrology and Reproductive Techniques
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12. Noordsy, J. L., Trotter, D. M., Carnahan, D. L., & Vestweber, J. G. (1970). Etiology of
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