Prostaglandin injections - any success with them?

[Gingernags]

I'm sure I read in some posts that witht he mare cycling problems everyone has been having if they were breeding later this year - that some have used prostaglandin injections but they've caused mares to ovulate before actually coming into season and being covered, so have failed but taken on a second normal season after that.

Have they worked straight off for anyone?

I struggled with mine as she has almost silent seasons but had shown in season 19 May. She was swabbed and went to stud and *should* have been in season but wasn't, and they teased her for 3 weeks with nothing at all.

She was jabbed with prostaglandin and was in season on the 4th day (jabbed on the Tuesday, in season and covered on Friday and Sunday - but then she had the tear so wasn't covered again.

Taking her for her 17 day scan today and fretting now! She came home so wasn't at the stud to see if she's back in season later this week.

Just wondered if it had been successful in some mares this year?

 

[lucysnapshot]

my mare wouldnt come into season so was jabbed with PG injection, but she never took, i think she had 3 or 4 injections and none were successful

 

[juliehannah58]

My friend who is a very experienced breeder (used to own a large stud in Newmarket) said to me that she has never had a mare take first time after being injected into season, always 2nd or from then on. She advised me to use other methods of regulating the cycle, like regumate or similar. Luckily, although my mare was a couple of days late at stud, she held to her seasons so I didn’t need it. She is usually also a ‘silent’ seasoner! Good luck for the scan, my mare took first time and has her 30 day scan on Thursday – which I’m pulling my hair out over!!

Let us know how you get on!!

 

[Bounty]

Yup... Tills was PG'd as she hadn't come 'on' when she was supposed to, so we PG'd her on the basis that we'd know she *should* come in on whichever day, rather than waiting and trying to guess whether she was in season, seeing as she doesn't ever give us any clues at all!

She came on when expected, and all went well

Can't believe you're having such a rotten time with Asti

 

[ClaireT]

What did you do with your mare after the injections were unsuccessful? - did you manage to get her in foal at all?

 

[Faithkat]

I'll let you know next week how succesful PG injection was this time. Eventually got the mare to ovulate properly and she was AI'd last Thursday . . . . .

She had a PG injection last year (just one) - came into season and was AI'd (fresh as the stallion was actually there) and she took immediately (actually it was twins but the vet crushed one).

 

[Gingernags]

Well fingers crossed for this afternoon and I'll hopefully be able to report it worked with the orange one...

Getting serious wobbles now - not good when I have to drive and tow the trailer!

Eeek!

 

[Faithkat]

It sounds as if there will be a lot of May and June foals next year . . . . . nerve-wracking, isn't it? I'm sure my mare will be glad to have a couple of weeks' break without injections and scanners up her bum!!! If she's not in-foal I shall scream as the stallion is VERY fertile and she was apparently right on cue . . . . . .

 

[Gingernags]

I was planning for a May foal, which then if it slipped to June (3 weeks of no season) really didn't worry me. Asti herself was a late foal (1 july) and it doesn't worry me having a later one as we can be as flexible as we need to re: stable and grazing, and I'll rug the foal if necessary later on.

Ideally though... this would mean a foaling date of around 4-6 June *if* she's been OK this time.

Am trying not to see changes in her behaviour as good signs, if I don't think she's taken then I'm prepared for the worst...

If she is I can relax til the next scan!

 

[AndyPandy]

PG is not a guaranteed method of returning a mare to estrus. PG relies on an active corpus luteum being present, which takes at least 5 days from ovulation. However, if a second ovulation occurs, the corpus luteum will take longer to form, and so a mare may not respond even if you wait 5-6 days from the "original" ovulation.

If there are any follicles present when you are going to PG, they must be less than 30mm (preferably less than 20mm), otherwise the ovulation will occur very rapidly (2-4 days), and the chance of pregnancy is greatly reduced.

If you're using Regumate to supress estrus, this is not foolproof, and mares can still ovulate whilst they are on Regumate. So if you use a course of regumate, followed by PG, then you may not be able to bring the mare into estrus.

Do you use one large dose of PG, or 2 microdoses over 2 consecutive days?

 

[MillionDollar]

Good Luck for the scan. I know exactly how it feels when your waiting to find out.

 

[Damien]

Taking her for her 17 day scan today and fretting now!

Fingers and toes crossed for that little black blob to pop up on the screen for you GM!!!

 

[lucysnapshot]

Re ClaireT She was an old mare 19 , and hadnt bred a foal for a few years, i took her back the next year, she came in to season by herself and was covered once and i now have a lovely colt foal!

 

[Gingernags]

She had one injection and showed in season on day 4 - VERY in season compared to her usual nothing shown at all.

I'm assuming it was prostaglandin, stud just said "a jab" but it was definately only the one. Both days she was covered she was really showing to the stallion, whereas before, she'd do the full pin back ears and snap then double barrell the door to the teasing box... once she was actually in season, she turned into a bit of a hussy! even flirting with geldings over the fence which has never been known in 15 years!

Ah well... 2 hours and we should know...

If she did ovulate before she showed in season, how long is the ovum viable for fertilisation? If she did ovulate on say day 2 after the jab and was covered 48 hours later - would that still be a possibility of her taking, or once they have ovulated is it too late pretty quickly?

 

[Bounty]

Fingers crossed for you GM, post asap! X

 

[Anastasia]

We have had success with PG given the once with a couple of mares. This year some of our mares have had to be jabbed three times. We have done several mixtures of getting mares to cycle this year, some successful and others not.

 

[brackenhappy]

not yet!! bracken has been jabbed twice and covered no foalie been jabbed and covered a third time just waitin for first scan on 27th!! the cow was 48hrs out of season when i took her up as well! looks like non of us will be on here june/july next year unless its with piccies and updates of foalies as we will be to busy foal watchin!!!!

 

[eventer28]

my mare wouldnt show in season when teased for 4 weeks. Prostaglandin injection worked brilliantly, she caught on her 1st season after the injection.

 

[machannah]

My mare caught first time with PG, although I the after effects seemed to unsettle her (profuse sweating and I mean dripping) which I was warned about.

We jabbed my mare as we had just missed her season and wanted to make sure we had enough time to have a few trys this year

To my luck she took first time, she had quite a big follicle anyway, they injected her on the Tuesday and she was insemminated Thurs afternoon

 

[SirenaXVI]

Just had my mare PG'd last week, covered her this weekend - now a waiting game