One thing that every breeder is concerned about is the health and well being of their dogs, regardless of age and the stage of their breeding career. However, something that they always worry about in regards to their stud dogs is their fertility. Having a fertile stud dog is an important part of a successful kennel but there can be hiccups involving fertility that can be directly tied to supplements that you can give him.
So while I can't help you solve fertility issues in this article, however, we do have an article on increasing a dog's fertility, I can go over 6 of the best supplements for your stud dog. Not only will these supplements help increase fertility, they will help with the overall health and well being of your stud dog.
Breeder's Edge Oxy Stud
The very first supplement that we are going to look at is one that is very popular, Breeder's Edge Oxy Stud. Breeder's Edge has a number of supplements for breeding dogs: both male and female, and has a strong following with breeders.
Oxy Stud is designed for stud dogs and is a well formulated blend of vitamins and minerals that will increase your dog's fertility in addition to a number of different benefits.
I have found that it is one of the more popular supplements for stud dogs because the vitamins and minerals have been linked to enhancing male reproductive performance as well as vigor and endurance. In addition, the supplement helps improve sperm production and the sperm produced have greater motility and mobility.
Another added bonus of Breeder's Edge Oxy Stud is that the supplement has antioxidants in it that improves testicular health and repairs damage from aging or the environment.
Price is quite affordable depending on the size of your dogs. It is fairly easy to administer and comes in a soft chew or a meat supplement. The meat treats come in a package of 30 for 24.99USD. Depending on the size of your dog, you may only need half a bottle to one bottle per month. For the chews, the price is between 27.99 (small dog variety) and 41.99 (medium to large dog variety) and come in packages of 60. Again, it is completely dependent on the size of your dog but it can mean using only half a bottle a month for your stud dog.
Dosage varies depending on the type of Oxy Stud you are using. For the meat treats, dogs under 20lbs should get 1/2 a meat treat a day while dogs 20 to 60lbs should get 1 meat treat. Dogs over 60lbs should receive 2 meat treats a day.
The soft chews are sold in two varieties. Small dogs variety, which doses 1 treat for under 20lbs and 2 treats for over 20lbs, and medium to large dogs variety, which doses 1 treat for dogs between 20 to 60lbs and 2 treats for dogs over 60lbs.
Treatment with the supplement should start 30 days before breeding and continue until breeding has stopped.
Dogzymes Ima Stud
Many breeders recommend Dogzymes Ima Stud on its own or at the same time that you are giving Oxy Stud. It has been linked with successfully increasing feritility in dogs and many reviews have seen positive results with motility and count in sperm after using this supplement with their stud dog.
In fact, while it hasn't been linked to helping with other problems besides fertility, some breeders have successfully used it on puppies with undescended testicles, only to see the testicles descend within a month of using the formula.
The supplement is a blend of Peruvian maca powder, saw palmetto, Selenium Yeast, Norwegian Kelp, Alfalfa and Lecithin. The two ingredients that breeders should take note of in that list are the first two. The reasons for this is because Peruvian maca powder has been linked to increases in testosterone, which improves the libido of a stud dog. In addition, the maca powder helps increase sperm count.
The other key ingredient of saw palmetto helps to regulate male hormones, which helps with the overall health of the sperm.
Price wise, the supplement is very affordable, especially if you breed smaller dogs. It is sold in 1lb or 2lb containers. It requires the breeder to use the supplement at least 30 to 60 days prior to breeding, however, I recommend using it 90 days before breeding, for the best results.
It is a powder so it is better to put it on food if possible. Dogs under 10lbs only need 1/4 teaspoon a day and dogs over 40lbs only require 1 teaspoon for every 40lbs of weight...so that means the one container of the supplement will easily last those 60 days.
CF-Plus
If there is a supplement that I strongly recommend, it would be CF-Plus for a number of reasons. First, it was designed by the International Canine Semen Bank (ICSB). Second, it can be used safely in both male and female dogs. The only reason why I haven't placed it first in the list is simply because it is not an exclusively male dog supplement.
While I can go over the benefits to both males and females, let's look specifically at the benefits of the supplement with stud dogs. First, it is formulated with not only sperm production but also with the reduction of immature sperm cells.
Every collection from a dog produces immature sperm cells and while it is not completely certain, it is believed that a high number of immature sperm cells in ejaculate can lead to reduced fertility. The supplement has an additive that helps to eliminate those immature sperm cells.
In addition, the supplements work to increase testicular tone. This helps with sperm production and often increases sperm count and mobility. The supplement contains a number of ingredients including green-lipped mussel and l-leucine, both linked to help sperm production and improve joint health as an added bonus.
With price, it is quite affordable when you look at quantity. It comes in two varieties: small breed and large breed. The small breed comes in a quantity of 500 supplements and . Large breed comes in a quantity of 300 supplements. You can purchase it directly from the ICBS website.
Supplementing should start 90 days before you are expecting to breed your stud dog or take a collection. For dosage, one tablet for every 15lbs of weight is recommended and it should be divided between morning and evening doses instead of all at once.
Mr. Stud
I haven't used Mr Stud personally, but I have heard a number of great things about it. Like most of the supplements in the list, Mr Stud increases the reproductive health of your stud dogs.
Increased sperm production and quality are seen with this supplement through the use of the ingredients L-carnitine and L-arginine. It has also been shown to increase a dog's sex drive. The supplement itself contains aphrodisiacs like damiana leaf and horny goat weed. This makes it an excellent supplement for stud dogs that have a low sex drive. Finally, it improves a dog's stamina, which helps with the breeding process.
Dosage varies depending on whether you are using the powder or the chews as well as the size of your dog. It should start 4 to 8 weeks before the planned breeding. For the powder, one scoop for every 25lbs of weight should be placed on their food daily. For the chews, 1 chew per every 25lbs of weight should be given daily.
Origins 5in1
While Origins 5 in 1 is for the overall health of your dogs, it has been linked to improved reproduction. In fact, it has been beneficial for stud dogs and breeding females and have been linked to increased litter sizes when it is used.
For stud dogs, Origins 5in1 has been linked to higher reproduction rates, or successful breedings. In addition, it improves sperm quality and will help increase semen quantity.
While most of hte focus of this supplement is on overall health, when your dogs are healthy, their reproductive health is improved. This benefits a long list of areas but also lengthens the reproductive life of your breeding dogs.
5lb bag of the powdered supplement will last several months depending on the size of your dog.
It can be given throughout the life of your stud dog and not just for those weeks leading up to breeding. The powder is mixed with equal parts water and ranges from 1tsp for dogs under 10lbs and up to 1/2 a cup for dogs 80lbs and heavier per day. It can be fed directly to the dog or placed on their food.
Vet's Best Vitamin E Soft Chew
If you don't want to commit to an actual formula, one supplement that your stud dogs should be on is Vitamin E. This supplement is great for all around health but with stud dogs, it improves sperm quality.
Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps remove free radicals from the body. This means higher sperm counts for males on the supplement. In addition, dogs who take Vitamin E supplements have shown to have fewer abnormalities in the sperm. Semen can also survive cooling and freezing for storage if a breeder plans on saving some samples of his dog.
If you choose to give Vitamin E on it's own, you can also offer your stud dog Vitamin C, selenium, beta carotene, L-Carnitine and fatty acids.
Price is quite affordable and you can often get a vitamin E supplement, usually combined with other important vitamins and supplements.
Dosage varies depending on what you offer and also the size of your dogs but, on average, dogs should have 400IU for small dogs and 800IU for large dogs of vitamin E daily.
As you can see, there is a wide variety of supplements that you can get for your stud dog. Some are all you need and others you can combine with different supplements to ensure optimal results. In the end, while not all dogs need supplements, you will notice a huge difference in the health of your stud dog and his reproductive system.