Do antibiotics affect semen? I have a feeling my boy has a bacterial ear infection and he is going to our vet this week. She is not a repro, so I am not sure if she will be thinking in 'breeding terms' when issuing meds. Will being on antibiotics affect his sperm quality, count ect? Is there a certain antibiotic that maybe we should avoid if possible or on the flip side request?

Who cares what she is thinking ... you think ahead of her and remind her. Ask her opinion and with that you can decide whether you care about "the sperm of the month" or your dog's health. Not rocket science.

The simple answer is no, it does not affect the sperm if you are speaking about Otomax and that type of ear medication.

Wow Gail. Amazing how demeaning you are being toward an anon person you don't even know. I feel my question is legitimate and your answer is of no help. I wanted to breed my bitch at the end of the month to my boy, and I was worried we might run into issues if he goes on meds. So I wanted to see if there was a drug that is better in these cases. If you haven't noticed, not all vets are well versed when dealing with reproduction related questions, even if its as simple as will this drug affect sperm quality. I had an emergency vet once give my 4 week pregnant bitch a drug that said right on the side panel DO NOT USE IN PREGNANT OR LACTATING DOGS. I told her 4 times my bitch was pregnant, and they even told me to my face the drug would be fine for her. So maybe now you have a better feel on why I am asking the rocket scientists for help

I am not asking about ear drops, but thank you, I am asking about oral antibiotics such as Cephalexin or Amoxicillin.

Well obviously I am not a rocket scientist, but in my searches for info I did find this abstract:

http://www.theriojournal.com/article/S0093-691X(99)00203-4/abstract

That's a great theriogenology site. You found a good article for the OP.

What about Doxycycline?
I have heard contradicting reports.

Sorry, somehow I thought I saw ear medication in that LOL. Again, NO it will not affect sperm count. I have stud dogs who have had hot spots and we have put them on Ceph to help. During this time, we did stud serivce and puppies later, nothing to worry about. Same with Amoxi. Ceph and Amoxi are also safe for bitches with pups IF it is necessary, as is Clavamox. You're not speaking long term anyway. Good Luck

You can use reg. antibiotics, like ceph, but NO steroids, like Pred

?
Doxy is sometimes what boys are put on to bring their semen quality back.

Really? Can they be used while on it or is there a period of time to wait?

This is exactly the feedback I was looking for. Thank you!

The steroid in Otomax and its generic equivalents can be absorbed transdermally (through the skin). And as such, may affect the repro status of the dog in question.

How about baytril used on a stud dog?

Experienced stud dog not interested in mating last two bitches. They were right in season.any idies what could be wrong with dog

Many stud dogs are put on Baytril to help their sperm count so it should not be an issue.

Have you collected and checked his sperm? Many times lack of sex drive can be an indicator that something else is going on with your boy. (assuming that you did progesterone testing and that the bitches were truly ready)