Equine Reproductive Procedures

List of Contributors xiii

Preface xv

Part I Non-Pregnant Mare 1

1 Reproductive Evaluation 3
Patrick M. McCue

2 Teasing 7
Patrick M. McCue

3 Tail Wrap and Preparation/Washing of the Perineum 11
John J. Dascanio

4 Placement of a Tail Rope 17
John J. Dascanio

5 Perineal Conformation Evaluation 21
John J. Dascanio

6 Removal of a Persistent Hymen 25
John J. Dascanio

7 Palpation of the Reproductive Tract 27
Patrick M. McCue

8 Ultrasound Evaluation 31
Patrick M. McCue

9 Prediction of Ovulation 37
Patrick M. McCue

10 Speculum Examination of the Vagina 41
John J. Dascanio

11 Digital Examination of the Vagina/Cervix 45
Sofie Sitters

12 Uterine Culture Collection: Swab/Brush 49
John J. Dascanio

13 Antimicrobiotic Sensitivity Testing 53
Jillian Bishop and Patrick M. McCue

14 Microbiology: Microbial Culture 5
Patrick M. McCue and Jillian Bishop

15 Microbiology: Gram Stain 59
Jillian Bishop and Patrick M. McCue

16 qPCR Assay for the Diagnosis of Infectious Endometritis 61
Ryan A. Ferris and Patrick M. McCue

17 Uterine Cytology Collection: Swab/Brush 67
John J. Dascanio and Ryan A. Ferris

18 Uterine Culture/Cytology: Low Volume Lavage 73
John J. Dascanio

19 Endometrial Biopsy 77
Patrick M. McCue

20 Hysteroscopic Examination of the Uterus 81
Patrick M. McCue

21 Endometrial Cyst Removal 85
John J. Dascanio

22 Chromosomal Analysis 89
Terje Raudsepp

23 Endocrinological Examination 97
Patrick M. McCue

24 Laparoscopic Examination of the Female Reproductive Track with Ovarian Biopsy 99
Dean A. Hendrickson

25 Evaluation of the Mammary Gland 103
Patrick M. McCue

26 Antisperm Antibody Testing 107
Patrick M. McCue

27 Starch Granule Test for the Evaluation of Oviductal Patency 109
Sofie Sitters and John J. Dascanio

28 Fluorescent Microspheres Test for Evaluation of Oviductal Patency 111
Sofie Sitters and John J. Dascanio

29 Oviductal Flush Procedure for the Evaluation of Oviductal Patency 113
Sofie Sitters and Patrick M. McCue

30 Prostaglandin E2 Treatment for Blocked Oviducts 117
Patrick M. McCue, Sofie Sitters and Charles F. Scoggin

31 Prostaglandin E1 Treatment for Blocked Oviducts 119
Patrick M. McCue and Charles F. Scoggin

32 Hysteroscopic Hydrotubation of the Oviducts 121
Charles F. Scoggin

33 Transvaginal Ovarian Biopsy 123
Claire E. Card

34 Uterine Lavage 127
John J. Dascanio

35 Uterine Infusion 131
John J. Dascanio

36 Therapeutics for Infectious Endometritis 133
Ryan A. Ferris

37 Bacterial Biofilm and Endometritis 137
Ryan A. Ferris

38 Latent Uterine Bacterial Infections 141
Morten Ronn Petersen and Anders Miki Bojesen

39 Acupuncture in Mare Reproduction 143
Kristina Lu and Lauren Javernick

40 Restraint for Breeding 149
John J. Dascanio

41 Natural Service: Pasture Breeding 151
Patrick M. McCue

42 Natural Service: In-hand Breeding 153
Charles F. Scoggin

43 Breeding Stitches 157
Charles F. Scoggin

44 Reinforcement Breeding 159
Charles F. Scoggin

45 Breeding with Fresh or Cooled Semen 161
John J. Dascanio and Patrick M. McCue

46 Insemination Through a Vaginal Speculum 165
Patrick M. McCue

47 Breeding with Frozen Semen 167
John J. Dascanio

48 Deep Horn Insemination 171
John J. Dascanio

49 Hysteroscopic (Low Dose) Insemination 173
Patrick M. McCue

50 Transvaginal Oocyte Pickup 177
Jennifer N. Hatzel

51 Packaging and transport of oocytes 183
Jennifer N. Hatzel

52 Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection 187
Jennifer N. Hatzel and JoAnne Stokes

53 Caslick Operation or Vulvoplasty 191
John J. Dascanio

54 Contagious Equine Metritis Testing 195
John J. Dascanio

55 Management of Seasonal Anestrus: Artificial Photoperiod 199
Patrick M. McCue

56 Management of Seasonal Anestrus: Hormone Therapy 201
Patrick M. McCue

57 Hormone Therapy in Cycling Mares 205
Patrick M. McCue

58 Estrus Suppression 211
Patrick M. McCue

59 Intrauterine Devices for Estrus Suppression 215
Carlos M. Gradil

60 Immunocontraception 221
Patrick M. McCue

61 Harvesting and Shipping Ovaries for Oocyte Recovery 223
Patrick M. McCue

Part II Pregnant Mare 225

62 Embryo Collection 227
Patrick M. McCue

63 Embryo Evaluation 231
Patrick M. McCue

64 Embryo Biopsy 235
Patrick M. McCue

65 Embryo Packaging for Cooled Transport 237
Patrick M. McCue

66 Embryo Cryopreservation 241
Patrick M. McCue

67 Non-Surgical Embryo Transfer 245
Patrick M. McCue

68 Autogenous Transfer of ICSI-Derived Embryos 249
Jennifer N. Hatzel

69 Palpation per Rectum of the Pregnant Reproductive Tract 253
Sofie Sitters

70 Ultrasound Examination of the Pregnant Reproductive Tract 257
Patrick M. McCue

71 Speculum Examination of the Pregnant Mare 263
Sofie Sitters

72 Determination of Fetal Sex at 55–200 days 265
Richard D. Holder

73 Assessment of Late-Term Fetal Well-being 273
John J. Dascanio

74 Combined Thickness of the Uterus and Placenta 277
Patrick M. McCue

75 Placentitis: Diagnosis and Treatment 281
Justin W. McNaughten and Margo L. Macpherson

76 Doppler Ultrasonography 287
John J. Dascanio

77 Prediction of Fetal Age 291
John J. Dascanio

78 Twin Reduction: Manual Technique 295
John J. Dascanio

79 Twin Reduction: Transvaginal Aspiration 299
John J. Dascanio

80 Twin Reduction: Cranio-Cervical Dislocation 303
Karen Wolfsdorf

81 Twin Reduction: Thoracic Compression 307
Patrick M. McCue

82 Twin Reduction: Transabdominal Fetal Cardiac Puncture 309
John J. Dascanio

83 Elective Termination of Pregnancy 313
John J. Dascanio

84 Abortion Diagnostic Evaluation: Sample Collection in the Field and Submission 317
Julie T. Cecere and John J. Dascanio

85 Endocrine Evaluation of Pregnancy 319
Patrick M. McCue

86 Treatment of Vaginal Varicosities 323
John J. Dascanio

87 Manual Correction of Uterine Torsion 327
John J. Dascanio

88 Preparation for Foaling 331
John J. Dascanio

89 Assessment of Mammary Gland Secretions to Predict Foaling 335
John J. Dascanio

90 Assessment of pH of Mammary Gland Secretions to Predict Foaling 339
Patrick M. McCue

91 Monitoring of Peri-Parturient Mares Using Video and Web Cameras 343
Ryan A. Ferris

92 Foaling Alert: Vulvar Device 345
John J. Dascanio

93 Positional Labor Alert Devices 347
Ryan A. Ferris

94 Induction of Parturition 351
John J. Dascanio

95 Normal Foaling 355
John J. Dascanio

96 Premature Separation of the Placenta 361
Patrick M. McCue

97 Dystocia Management 365
Patrick M. McCue and Sofie Sitters

98 Dystocia Correction 369
John J. Dascanio

99 Fetotomy 375
John J. Dascanio

100 Epidural 381
John J. Dascanio

101 Induction of Lactation to Create a Nurse Mare 383
Pouya Dini and Peter F. Daels

102 Screening to Prevent Neonatal Isoerythrolysis 385
Patrick M. McCue

Part III Postpartum Mare 387

103 Evaluation of Colostrum Specific Gravity 389
Patrick M. McCue

104 Evaluation of Colostrum Quality: Brix Refractometry 393
Patrick M. McCue

105 Colostrum Banking 395
Patrick M. McCue

106 Obtaining Milk from the Mare 399
John J. Dascanio

107 Placental Evaluation 401
Patrick M. McCue

108 Removal of Retained Placenta 407
John J. Dascanio

109 Abdominocentesis 413
John J. Dascanio

110 Uterine Prolapse Treatment 415
John J. Dascanio

111 Buhner Needle Placement of a Perivulvar Suture 419
John J. Dascanio

Part IV Stallion 423

112 Breeding Soundness Evaluation 425
Patrick M. McCue

113 Training the Stallion to Use a Phantom 429
John J. Dascanio

114 Missouri Artificial Vagina 433
John J. Dascanio and Lynda M. J. Miller

115 Colorado Model Artificial Vagina 437
Patrick M. McCue

116 Roanoke Artificial Vagina 441
John J. Dascanio

117 Hannover Artificial Vagina 445
Sofie Sitters

118 Teaser Stallions 447
Charles F. Scoggin

119 Standing Semen Collection 449
John J. Dascanio

120 Collection of Semen Using an Open-Ended Artificial Vagina 453
Patrick M. McCue

121 Chemical Ejaculation 455
Patrick M. McCue

122 Preparation of a Jump Mare or a Mare for Natural Cover 457
John J. Dascanio

123 Washing the Penis 459
John J. Dascanio

124 Evaluation of Sexual Behavior 463
John J. Dascanio and Sue M. McDonnell

125 Enhancement of Sexual Interest and Response 467
Sue M. McDonnell

126 Management of Ejaculation Difficulty 471
Sue M. McDonnell

127 Calibrated Spectrophotometer Evaluation of Sperm Concentration 475
John J. Dascanio

128 Hemocytometer Evaluation of Sperm Concentration 479
John J. Dascanio

129 NucleoCounter^® Evaluation of Sperm Concentration and Viability 483
Patrick M. McCue

130 Visual Evaluation of Sperm Motility 489
Patrick M. McCue

131 Computer-Assisted Sperm Analysis 491
John J. Dascanio and Lynda M. J. Miller

132 Eosin-Nigrosin Staining in the Evaluation of Sperm 495
Julie T. Cecere

133 Evaluation of Sperm Morphology 499
Leonardo Brito

134 Determination of Daily Sperm Output 505
Patrick M. McCue

135 Measurement of Testicular Size and Estimation of Daily Sperm Output 507
Patrick M. McCue

136 Wet Mount Evaluation of Sperm 511
John J. Dascanio

137 Diff-Quik^® Evaluation of Round Cells and Sperm 513
John J. Dascanio and Lynda M. J. Miller

138 Electron Microscopy of Constituents of Seminal Ejaculates 515
D. N. Rao Veeramachaneni

139 Bacterial Culture 519
John J. Dascanio

140 Evaluation of pH and Osmolarity of Semen 521
Patrick M. McCue

141 Alkaline Phosphatase: A Marker for Ejaculation 523
Patrick M. McCue

142 Diagnosis and Management of Urospermia 525
John J. Dascanio

143 Hemospermia 529
Patrick M. McCue

144 Semen Extenders and Sperm Media 533
Patrick M. McCue

145 Preparation of Semen for Cooled Transport 537
Etta A. Bradecamp

146 Packing Semen for Cooled Transport 541
Etta A. Bradecamp

147 Longevity Testing of Sperm 547
John J. Dascanio

148 Calculation of g Force for Centrifuging Semen 549
John J. Dascanio

149 Centrifugation of Semen: Standard Technique 551
Etta A. Bradecamp

150 Centrifugation of Semen: Cushion Technique 557
Etta A. Bradecamp

151 Centrifugation of Semen: Selection of Motile Sperm Using a Single Layer Colloid Technique 561
Etta A. Bradecamp

152 Use of a SpermFilter 563
Marco A. Alvarenga and Lorenzo G. T. M. Segabinazzi

153 Semen Freezing 567
Patrick M. McCue

154 Refreezing Semen 573
Patrick M. McCue

155 Thawing Frozen Semen 577
John J. Dascanio

156 Semen Processing for Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection 581
Patrick M. McCue

157 Preparing a Vapor Shipper 585
Julie T. Cecere and Paul Loomis

158 Loading a Vapor Shipper 589
Julie T. Cecere and Paul Loomis

159 Maintaining a Long-Term Frozen Semen Storage Tank 591
John J. Dascanio

160 International Transport of Frozen Semen 593
Paul Loomis

161 Harvesting and Shipping Testes 597
John J. Dascanio

162 Epididymal Sperm Recovery 599
John J. Dascanio and Lynda M. J. Miller

163 Endoscopic Examination of the Urethra 603
Patrick M. McCue

164 Endoscopic-Guided Cannulation of the Seminal Vesicles 607
Patrick M. McCue

165 Palpation and Ultrasonography of the Testis, Epididymis, and Spermatic Cord 609
Sofie Sitters

166 Palpation and Ultrasonography of the Accessory Sex Glands 615
Sofie Sitters

167 Radiographic Examination of the Penis 621
Patrick M. McCue

168 Testicular Biopsy and Aspiration 623
John J. Dascanio

169 Assessment of Sperm Plasma Membrane Integrity and Viability: Propidium Iodide/SYBR-14 627
Amanda I. Glazar, and Patrick M. McCue

170 Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay 629
Charles Love

171 Hypo-Osmotic Swelling Test 633
Patrick M. McCue

172 Assessment of Sperm Acrosomal Status: PE-PNA 635
Amanda I. Glazar and Patrick M. McCue

173 Assessment of Sperm Mitochondrial Function: JC–1 and Rhodamine 123 637
Amanda I. Glazar, and Patrick M. McCue

174 Equine Viral Arteritis Testing 639
G. Reed Holyoak and Udeni B. R. Balasuriya

175 Diagnostic Endocrinology: Baseline Hormone Levels 645
Patrick M. McCue

176 Diagnostic Endocrinology: GnRH Stimulation Tests 647
Patrick M. McCue

177 Diagnostic Endocrinology: hCG Stimulation Test 649
Patrick M. McCue

178 Diagnostic Endocrinology: Estrogen Conjugate Assay 653
Patrick M. McCue

179 Diagnostic Tests for Cryptorchidism 655
Patrick M. McCue

180 Probang Apparatus 659
Julie T. Cecere

181 Support Apparatus for Paraphimosis 663
John J. Dascanio

182 Equine Castration Techniques 667
Stacy Anderson

183 Stallion Acupuncture 671
Rhonda A. Rathgeber

Part V Newborn Foal 675

184 Birth Resuscitation 677
Patrick M. McCue

185 Handling and Restraint 681
Undine Christmann

186 Madigan Foal Squeeze Technique 687
John Madigan

187 Evaluation of Passive Transfer 691
Patrick M. McCue

188 Colostral Administration via Naso-Gastric Intubation 695
John J. Dascanio

189 Sedation 699
Undine Christmann

190 Intravenous Catheter Placement 701
Undine Christmann

191 Plasma Therapy in the Foal 707
Undine Christmann

192 Acupuncture in the Neonate 711
Peter Morresey

193 Routine Care 713
Patrick M. McCue

194 Foal Rejection 719
Patrick M. McCue

195 Fostering a Foal onto a Nurse Mare 723
Peter F. Daels and Pouya Dini

196 Entropion 725
John J. Dascanio

197 Umbilical Ultrasound 727
Undine Christmann

198 Management of Soft Tissue Laxity 733
Stacy Anderson

199 Management of Angular Limb Deformities 735
Stacy Anderson

200 Management of Congenital Flexural Limb Deformities 739
Stacy Anderson

Part VI Appendices 745

Appendix A Society for Theriogenology Stallion Reproductive Evaluation Form 745

Appendix B Mare Breeding Soundness Evaluation Form 749

Appendix C Formulary for Equine Reproduction 751

Appendix D Foaling Kit and Associated Equipment and Supplies 759

Index 761