Non-surgical embryo collection in the mare and subsequent fertility of donor animals.

This research focuses on the impacts of non-surgical methods for embryo collection in mares to increase reproduction rates without negatively affecting their fertility.

Introduction and Methodology

• A total of 14 mares were studied, all of which underwent non-surgical flushing to recover embryos 7-9 days after ovulation.
• The study kept a record not only of the number of embryos recovered but also noted any changes in ovulation rates and oestrous cycle lengths in the mares.
• The researchers employed evaluations of two scenarios: mares when only _flushed_ and mares when flushed and subsequently given an injection of a prostaglandin analogue.

Findings and Results

• The study found that flushing alone had the effect of decreasing the length of the oestrous cycle by an average of 2.7 days, but also increased the number of mares that failed to ovulate.
• Conversely, when the mares were flushed and subsequently given an injection of a prostaglandin analogue, it resulted in shortening the oestrous cycle by approximately 4.5 days and thereby increased the number of ovulations.
• Out of the 70 total flushings performed during the study, 27 embryos were successfully recovered.
• Following the initial flushings, 12 of the mares were inseminated during their first oestrus and 6 of those mares both conceived and foaled. The remaining 7 mares were used again as donors for the following seasons.
• In the following seasons, these selected 7 mares underwent a further 21 non-surgical collections which yielded 15 embryos.

Conclusion

• The study concludes that non-surgical methods for embryo recovery, when combined with the proper cycle management techniques including the use of prostaglandin analogues, effectively improves the fecundity of valuable donor mares without negatively affecting their long-term fertility.