Urospermia in horses

Contamination of the raw semen with urine can result in irreversible damage to the semen. The sensitivity of spermatozoa to osmotic damage differs markedly between species. Urospermia has been associated with intermittent subfertility and infertility in the horse. The cause may involve failure of the bladder sphincter occlusion and a functional disorder in the components of the autonomic sympathetic and parasympathetic autonomic nervous system that control urination, erection, and ejaculation. Few studies have been done reporting the effects of urospermia on changes in pH, osmolality and motility of equine semen, but it has been reported in the literature that a urospermic condition leading to a hyperosmolar solution is detrimental to sperm motility in horses.