Cycling Question

Postby **Roguelet** » Tue May 09, 2006 7:41 am

OK, I want to give you a scenario and ask for comments/suggestions:

Mare foaled March 30th.

Six days later (April 5th) she had a 3.9 follicle. We were not expecting that so soon, and this mare is going to KY to be bred, and we couldn't get her there until the weekend. By then she was out of heat.

We gave her Lute on April 17th. She was in heat on the 21st and 22nd. We took her to another farm on April 23rd, close to where the stallion is, and they ultrasounded her on April 24th. She had already ovulated.

The farm gave her Lute on April 29th that I know of. Apparently she teased in on Sunday (May 7th) but when they ultrasounded her on Monday (yesterday, May 8th) she had no follicle. This is a partial excerpt from their email:

I prostined her a few days ago and yesterday when that colt was next to her she acted like she was in heat - Had the vet palp her today and there is nothing there - this is the 3rd time that she has shown NO activity that means nothing even coming up on her ovaries - He said her ovaries were hard and small - I think she may have shut down - I know she had a heat after she had her foal *snip* I only had this happen once before and we had to wean the foal at 2 months to get the mare in heat to breed. I am open for suggestions.

My gut feeling is that she hasn't shut down, because we know she's had at least two cycles since foaling, but I've never had a mare shut down so I don't know much about that.

Anyone have any brilliant ideas? We really need to get this mare bred ASAP, and this is probably the last season that her "date" will be standing, so waiting for next year is not an option.

Thanks in advance.

teb · Postby **teb** » Tue May 09, 2006 10:19 am

I am so having a similar problem this year and it's driving me mental! Mare was bred 33 days after foaling, beging of April. Had her 16 day scan on the 27th of April, no foal, vet says coming back into heat, but slowly. we scan her on Wed, the 3rd as vet was just back. 2.5 size follicle, wants to scan on Friday and since he knows the mare, thinks she can be bred Sat. Now, I'm doing AI with this mare, so not involving mare shipping, but vet not to me until very late Friday night and had to order semen for weekend. Now follicle has regressed and I have boyfriend in a box that I have to dump. Coming back tomorrow or Thursday to see what exactly is up. I don't have any idea why she is shutting herself down and I know it's not important when I have a sporthorse foal, but I do like to wean before the bad fall weather sets in. I have one TB mare getting covered next week and that has to go well! It's just annoying with having to have my mare scanned a gazzillion times and tying to get semen shipped and yada yada yada. I haven't had to deal with any of this either. I put the question up on equine-reproduction.com and got some helpful advice on the breeding problem mares section. You could try there. Some good repro specialist on the board. Mine is the really frustrated, need help topic.
Good Luck.
Terri

CS · Postby CS » Wed May 10, 2006 7:02 am

GnRH and Reserpine are follicle stimulants. If you can get her to develop anything at all you can keep them coming with these drugs.

Postby **Roguelet** » Wed May 10, 2006 8:14 am

OK, I posted on that Repro board, so we'll see what responses I get there. I know she had a follicle before, but apparently she doesn't now. They talked to the vet who did the first ultrasound, I should hear the results of that discussion today. I'll keep you posted...

Postby **Roguelet** » Wed May 10, 2006 9:01 am

OK, here's a link to an article about this mare's mother:
http://www.healingtouchforanimals.com/story-flirty.htm

Could this be genetic? Could this possibly help this mare as well? Or is this all just crazy coincidence?

I just learned about this mare's problems recently, but thought nothing of it because our mare was a major hussy in heat, stood like a rock even as a maiden mare, and got in foal immediately. Now, though, I'm beginning to wonder...

Has anyone heard of this Healing Touch stuff?

Intrinsic Worth · Postby **Intrinsic Worth** » Wed May 10, 2006 4:18 pm

In Ireland, vets only gave LH within 24 hours of when they thought the mare was going to ovulate.

I would shut her down with Regumate for a few days and see what kind of follicle you get afterwards.

Postby **Roguelet** » Thu May 11, 2006 9:59 am

I've heard that it's official, her date will be pensioned in July. So, we have until then to get her cycling and bred AND in foal (which may take more than one try since this is an older stallion with declining fertility.) If we get this done, this should be one incredibly special foal! :lol:

The lessee of this mare is calling in the Healing Touch people who worked on this mare's momma. He figures it can't hurt anything, and because waiting until next year is simply not an option, we're going to try anything that won't hurt and might help. Why not?

Keep your fingers crossed!

teb · Postby **teb** » Thu May 11, 2006 9:33 pm

Rougelet,
Will keep my fingers crossed for you and your mare! My mare seems to be coming along now, and should be bred on saturday.
Terri

Postby **Roguelet** » Fri May 12, 2006 8:33 am

Well, good luck or something must be in the air... listen to this:

One of the Healing Touch people (I think, or maybe someone referred by them... but at any rate it was someone the lessee contacted through the people who worked on the mare's dam) "talked" to this mare and it was her opinion that the mare was afraid that if she was taken to be bred, the foal by her side would be taken away. Apparently she felt the mare was very nervous, and she worked on getting her comfortable with the idea of being bred back. (I'm just relaying information here, so don't think I've lost my marbles...) :lol:

Next thing I know, I get this email last night:
Had her check a few days ago and no activity and today a 4.5 and soft and a 3.2 hard :shock:

So, they called the farm and wouldn't you know it, they'd had a cancellation for 8:30 this morning. She was taken to the farm and covered. I just got this news this morning:

The cover went perfect. She had a 35 on the left and a 50 (!) on the right, but was not showing at all.

Now, I'm a scientific thinker by nature, but I'll tell you what... this is pretty creepy.

I just hope that the old man sent some potent swimmers... it would be really cool if this mare had one of his last ever foals!

Good luck Saturday teb, hopefully in a couple of weeks we'll both have confirmed - in - foal mares!

LSB · Postby **LSB** » Fri May 12, 2006 9:14 am

Good luck, Roguelet! I hope it all works out for you.

aurora · Postby **aurora** » Fri May 12, 2006 2:47 pm

One of my mares came in for the 1st cycle and teased in for only 4 days, actually really only teased good for 3 days. Ovulated on the 4th day so I missed her. I lutalysed her on day 7 or 8 post ov and nothing. Took her to the vet for a scan and he said there was no activity. I then put her on Regumate for 2 weeks, then Lutalyesed again. After 5 days she was in heat for two days and the vet says she has a big soft follicle, breed TODAY. We got her bred, that was yesterday. We'll check her again tomorrow to see if she ovulated.