Continued
Inflammation of the
testicles (Orchitis)
We are still discussing infertility in the male, and within this context physical injuries and infections (from bacteria, fungi and viruses) of the testicles are very common causes of the inability of males to breed. I should mention that attached to the testicle is an organ (epididymis), the main function of which is to ensure maturation and storage of semen. Usually, not only the testicle is inflamed but also the epididymis. Therefore, the inflammatory condition should really be called orchiepididymitis. Now that you have read this, you may just file it away in your brain’s memory centre – probably never to be recalled. However, for those who keep these columns in a file, you now have a written record to which you may forever refer.
Causes
In terms of the physical injuries to the testicles, we have encountered a host of causes. Not so long ago, I was confronted with a dog with swollen testicles, which were due to gunshot wounds. It was a hunting dog, and somehow he got between the gun of the careless owner and the target. His testicles (and other parts of his body) were riddled with pellets. A few years ago, an Ambassador’s dog was presented with a bullet wound in the testicles as a result of an irresponsible security guard letting loose a few rounds at the Ambassador’s barking dog.
Kicks or lashes with a piece of wood or any other lethal weapon, directed at the dog in general, but landing on the dog’s testicles, can create an inflammatory process of which massive swelling is but one symptom. Also, we have seen dogs running through yards, where nails and
