Home › Animalia › Animal health › Animal diseases › Ram orchitis
Ram orchitis
Orchitis is inflammation of the testicle itself. It is distinguished from epididymitis, which first affects the small duct attached to the testicle, but the two very often go together and the breeder cannot separate them with the naked eye....
What is it?
Orchitis is inflammation of the testicle itself. It is distinguished from epididymitis, which first affects the small duct attached to the testicle, but the two very often go together and the breeder cannot separate them with the naked eye.
Unlike contagious epididymitis, orchitis can be seen and heard: the bursa is hot, tense, painful, the ram walks with its legs apart, refuses to move and often stops eating.
The main danger is not pain but heat. The testicle only functions properly at a temperature lower than that of the body; this is precisely why it hangs outside the belly. Inflammation, a high fever or even a summer heatstroke are enough to raise this temperature and destroy the cells that produce sperm.
Commonly observed signs
These signs are neither exhaustive nor specific. Only a veterinarian can establish a diagnosis.
Related signs — each one links to its page:
A bursa or one side of the bursa clearly swollen, hot to the touch, tense, which the animal refuses to be handled.
Marked pain: the ram grinds his teeth, moves slowly, walks with his hindquarters apart, lies down with difficulty and gets up with difficulty.
Lameness or stiffness of the hindquarters, often mistaken for a foot problem.
Fever, refusal to eat, depression, animal that stays away from the crowd.
In advanced forms, the skin of the bursa may become tense, discolored, ooze pus or open.
At a distance from the episode, the affected testicle shrivels and becomes hard or, on the contrary, soft and flabby: the ram has then become partially or totally sterile.
Some slow-onset orchitis causes no pain and is only discovered on palpation before the fight, in the form of an abnormally hard, irregular or unequal-sized testicle.
When to consult without delay
This list does not replace veterinary advice. It gathers situations that justify a prompt consultation.
Causes and risk factors
Various bacteria can reach the testicle: some reach the genital tract from urine or the urinary tract, others arrive through the blood during an infection elsewhere in the body, and still others enter through a wound in the bursa.
The bacteria responsible for contagious ram epididymitis is a common cause and should always be looked for in the presence of an abnormal testicle.
Trauma is a classic cause: horn blows during fights between males, impact against a barrier, dog bite, injury during shearing or trimming, crushing in a containment corridor.
Herd lymphadenitis and abscesses can also be located in the bursa.
A high fever due to any other illness, or a prolonged heat wave without shade, causes comparable damage to the production of sperm, without there being strictly speaking an infection of the testicle.
Ticks and flies make open lesions worse and bring in additional germs.
Rams housed together and fighting, especially during groupings and batch changes.
Sheepfold with dirty and damp litter, abrasive floors, barriers and poorly laid out corridors which injure the purses.
Very hot season without shade or shelter, particularly in summer in free-range farms.
Long and soiled fleece around the purse, which encourages flies and macerations.
Presence of contagious epididymitis in the herd.
Recent urinary tract infections or other febrile illnesses.
Brutal handling in a restraining corridor, biting dogs.
Transmission
Orchitis itself is not a contagious disease: most cases are individual, linked to trauma or an infection from the animal itself.
But some of the bacteria involved, in particular that of contagious epididymitis, are transmitted from one ram to another during breeding between males or via ewes. Several affected rams in the same group must therefore suggest a contagious cause and trigger screening of the group.
Bursa sores become easily infected in dirty, damp, heavy bedding.
Diagnosis and care
Diagnosis is the veterinarian's responsibility, based on clinical examination and laboratory tests. Care is decided case by case.
The veterinarian carefully palpates both bursae, assesses heat, pain, symmetry and consistency, and seeks to determine whether the inflammation affects the testicle, the epididymis, the skin of the bursa or the whole.
He takes the temperature, examines the entire animal and looks for an entry point: wound, abscess, lameness, urinary problem.
An ultrasound of the bursa, when available, very clearly distinguishes an abscess, accumulation of fluid, hernia and damage to the testicular tissue itself.
A blood test is essential to rule out contagious epididymitis, because a positive ram cannot be treated and endangers all other males.
An examination of the semen, at a distance from the acute episode, makes it possible to judge whether the ram has retained its fertility: it is this examination, and this alone, which will tell whether the animal can return to service.
The veterinarian also rules out a hernia and a tumor of the testicle, which also gives an asymmetrical bursa.
Treatment
Treatment is a relative emergency: the sooner the inflammation is calmed, the more likely the testicle is to be saved.
It generally combines an antibiotic adapted to the suspected germ and an anti-inflammatory to reduce local heat and pain, both on veterinary prescription. The choice of molecules and the duration cannot be improvised.
Strict rest is essential: put the ram in the shade, cool, alone or with a calm companion, on clean and abundant bedding, with unlimited water and palatable food.
Refreshing the bursa is part of the treatment, but it must be explained by the veterinarian so as not to aggravate the lesions.
An abscess may require surgical drainage.
When only one testicle is destroyed and the other is healthy, removal of the diseased testicle is sometimes proposed: it removes the painful site and protects the remaining testicle from the heat given off by its inflamed neighbor. This decision is up to the veterinarian.
When both testicles are destroyed, or the ram is old and seriously affected, culling is the most reasonable solution.
If the ram is intended for slaughter or sale, the waiting times for the meat of the products used must be strictly respected; ask the vet for them.
Treatment depends on the cause and the animal's condition: it must be determined by a veterinarian. No self-medication.
Prevention
Separate rams when grouping together and avoid brutal mixing of unknown males, which triggers fights.
Arrange the sheepfold and the corridors: no protruding scrap metal, no sharp floors, clean and dry litter.
Provide shade and cool water during extreme heat, particularly in the weeks preceding the fight: sperm production takes several weeks and heatstroke in summer pays for itself in the fall.
Clip the purse and tail area, watch for flies, treat wounds quickly.
Palpate the bursae of all rams before each wrestling season and have any abnormal testicles examined.
Check any ram purchased before introducing it, particularly with regard to contagious epididymitis.
Monitor the rams after any episode of high fever: their fertility must be checked before the next fight.
Possible complications
Permanent sterility on the affected side, and sometimes on both sides, by destruction of the tissue that produces sperm.
Prolonged decline in fertility even after recovery, with semen production taking several weeks to recover.
Chronic bursa abscess, leaking fistula for months.
Extension of the infection to the entire body in a weakened animal.
Persistent pain, weight loss, loss of body condition before the wrestling season.
Fighting season compromised if the ram is not replaced in time.
When to see a veterinarian
A ram's bursa is swollen, hot or painful: call the veterinarian the same day.
The ram walks with its legs apart, refuses to move or grinds its teeth.
He has a fever, stops eating or stays away from the herd.
The skin of the bursa is injured, oozing or gives off a bad odor.
One testicle becomes noticeably smaller or harder than the other.
Several rams from the same batch present bursa anomalies: a contagious cause must be sought urgently.
A ram has had a high fever or suffered from heat before the fight: have its fertility checked before counting on it.
Prognosis
Caught early, with appropriate treatment and cool rest, a ram affected on one side can retain usable fertility, provided the healthy testicle has not suffered.
Damage to both testicles or old inflammation almost always results in permanent sterility.
In all cases, an examination of the semen before the fight is the only way to know if we can still count on the animal. Not doing so is tantamount to tossing an entire season.
Frequently asked questions
My ram has a big purse, is it serious?
This should always be taken seriously and examined quickly. The longer the inflammation lasts, the more the testicle heats up and the risk of permanent sterility increases. The veterinarian must also rule out contagious epididymitis, which is not at all the same thing to do.
My ram has healed, can he start fighting again right away?
Not necessarily. The production of sperm takes several weeks and restarts slowly after inflammation or high fever. An examination of the semen by the veterinarian, some time before the fight, will avoid a blank season.
Can the high heat of summer make my ram sterile without him being sick?
Yes, it is a well-known and underestimated phenomenon. The testicle must remain cooler than the body to function. Several days of heatwave without shade can be enough to cause fertility to drop for weeks. Shade, fresh water and mowing are real measures of fertility.
Should the diseased testicle be removed?
This is discussed on a case by case basis with the veterinarian. Removing a destroyed testicle can protect the remaining one, removing nearby heat and inflammation, and removes pain. But the intervention only makes sense if the remaining testicle is healthy and if the ram still has value as a breeding stock.
References
FAO — Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture
Content reviewed by the TunisieVet editorial team · Updated 11 August 2026
AT A GLANCE
Need a veterinarian?
Find a practitioner near you on TunisieVet, with their specialities, hours and contact details.
Find a veterinarianCategories
This information is provided for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for a veterinary consultation. If you have any concerns about your animal's health, consult a veterinarian.
Thinking of welcoming a pet? Dogs and cats are waiting for a family in Tunisia, and adoption is completely free.
Adoption listingsTo discover
Related diseases and linked Animalia content.
Rabies
Viral · Vaccine available
Toxoplasmosis
Parasitic
Coccidiosis
Parasitic
Foot-and-mouth disease
Viral · Vaccine available