Topline Equine Veterinary Care
Broodmare Services
Pregnant Mare/Post Parturition Care Services
- Caslicks removal.
- Removal of retained fetal membranes, treatment, and uterine flushing
AAEP Recommendations for Pregnant Mares:
- Vaccines should be current
- Booster vaccinations should be given 4-6 weeks before expected due date
(to increase antibodies in colostrum)
- Deworm 3-4 weeks before expected due date
(consult your veterinarian for pregnant mare safe dewormers and scheduling)
- Move pregnant mare to foaling location 3-4 weeks before expected due date
(to help mare settle in and to enhance immunity against environmental pathogens)
Information About Pregnant and Foaling Mares
Services to Prepare Mares for Breeding
- Artificial/supplemental lighting program (limited availability)
-- Box stalls with sufficiently bright lights (on timers) provide 16 hours of light per day to induce cycling in mares
- 60-90 days required to start cycling (Start under lights at home on December 1, in order to begin breeding by February/March)
- Reproductive soundness examinations
(Recommended for mares with unknown or questionable fertility, maiden mares, postpartum mares, and barren mares.)
-- Examination of external genitalia and mammary gland
-- Manual and visual vaginal examination
-- Palpation and ultrasonography of internal genitalia
-- Culture and cytology of endometrial swab/sample
- Problem mare diagnostics and therapy
-- Endometritis (uterine inflammation and retained fluid)
-- Endometrial changes (scar tissue, inflammatory cell accumulation, cysts, and destruction of uterine glands)
-- Poor perineal conformation (windsucking, urine pooling)
-- Failure to display estrus (in anestrus, granulosa-theca cell tumor on ovary, gonadal dysgenesis [congenital defective development of reproductive tissues, fibrous functionless tissue], pituitary adenoma)
-- Silent heat (maiden mares and mares with foals at side ovulate without showing behavioral estrus)
-- Failure to ovulate (anovulatory follicles, persistent follicles)
-- Failure to cycle (anestrus, inadequate nutrition, poor body condition, lactation, postpartum anestrus)
-- Persistent corpus luteum or CL (pseudopregnancy)
-- Luteal insufficiency (CL doesn't produce sufficient progesterone)
-- Parovarian cysts (mimic appearance of preovulatory follicle)
-- Equine metabolic syndrome or Cushing's Disease
-- Chromosomal abnormalities (XO & XY cause small inactive ovaries, autsomal translocations are known to cause repeated early embryonic loss)
-- Administration of certain hormones (anabolic steroids, GnRH vaccination)
Breeding Options
- Artificial insemination with cooled shipped semen
-- Able to receive shipments via FedEx, UPS, and MSP airport
- Artificial insemination with frozen semen
-- Frozen semen storage on site
-- Employment of specific protocol for breeding with frozen semen
- Use of ovulation-inducing agent
- Increased ultrasound monitoring (every 4-6 hours nearing ovulation)
- Deep horn insemination technique (within 4-6 hours of ovulation)
- Post-ovulation ultrasound monitoring to ensure fluid clearance
- Embryo transfer program
-- Recipient mare herd on site
All fees for breeding(s) are due when mare(s) are dropped off.
All other expenses, such as board, are due when mare(s) are picked up!
At Topline Equine Veterinary Care, we specialize in all things broodmare!
*Fees subject to change with changes in cost of hay and propane
Please be advised and plan accordingly: we will NOT be offering foaling out services in 2023 and beyond!
