Feb2014_News from UQ Vets Dayboro
Bellmare Impressive Dream
Proudly announcing the arrival of ‘Bellmare Impressive Dream’ – the first foal conceived using the newly established artificial insemination breeding program at UQ Vets Dayboro.
‘Bellmare Impressive Dream’ was conceived using chilled semen late in the breeding season last year. Owner Cindy Abbey couldn’t be more proud. What a journey it was! After a delayed flight bringing the ‘swimmers’, a mad rush to the airport by Cindy, and a late night ‘breeding party’ with our vets and nurses, Belle fell in foal first try. On Saturday 11th of January Belle foaled a beautiful healthy filly foal, with not a speck of white on her.
Belle’s owner had the ideal experience of foaling – finding a healthy foal on the ground in the early hours of the morning! Being a maiden mare Belle was just so excited to greet her new baby she wouldn’t quite stand still for it to suckle, so Dr Kristie Clarke and nurse Sarah Hill got to greet this foal at just a few hours old to lend a hand. Mum and baby are now doing very well, and are quite inseparable.
For anyone thinking of undertaking the rewarding experience of breeding their mare, here are some tips to consider.
Mares cycle approximately every 21 days, with individual variation. Most mares will show signs of being in oestrus (ready for the stallion to serve) such as ‘winking’ their vulva, lifting their tail, urinating frequently, and standing for the stallion. Some mares don’t show any outward signs at all.
Ultrasound is the most valuable tool to check the stage of the mare’s cycle as it allows the vet to determine the size of the follicles on the mare’s ovaries and the folding of the mare’s uterus, and together these indicate how close the mare is to ovulating and therefore when she is most likely to conceive her foal.
Dr Kristie Clarke will work with your mare to synchronise her cycle ready to breed naturally, or using chilled / frozen semen from a stallion of your choice. So far we have successfully achieved pregnancies using semen shipped from stallions as close as New South Wales and as far away as France. If you would like to see a little foal running around your paddock now’s the time to start thinking about the stallion you would like to use next season.
With the run of extremely hot weather we have recently experienced, it is a good time to take a moment to ensure our four (or two) legged friends have ready access to shade and plenty of cool drinking water. Please don’t be tempted to work animals in extreme heat or encourage strenuous exercise. If you do find yourself on the move don’t forget that “feet” are at risk of burns when walking on hot surfaces. Long coated animals benefit from a nice short haircut, which also has the added benefit of making it easier to search for ticks. Tip:– freeze a water bottle (minus the lid) and leave it in the water bowl, keeping the drinking water cool for much longer.
UQ Vets Dayboro,
125 McKenzie Street, Dayboro.
Phone 3425 1544 ALL HOURS
