Reproduction

At Valley Veterinary Clinic We offer a full range of reproductive work to our clients.  Our Equine Veterinarians are well versed in all aspects of Theriogenology.  We are able to do on farm reproduction work as well as in clinic.

BREEDING SOUNDNESS EVALUATION

A comprehensive reproductive evaluation is recommended for any mare that you are planning to breed.  Abnormalities can be diagnosed before the mare owner plans or purchases a breeding.  The examination consists of transrectal palpation and ultrasonography, evaluation of vulvar conformation, endometrial culture and cytology and in some cases endometrial biopsy.  Once the evaluation is complete the Veterinarian and Mare owner can devise a plan to enhance fertility based on the findings and will also take into consideration the mare’s history of reproductive performance.    Ideally the Breeding soundness evaluation should be done when the mare intended for breeding is in heat.

PREGNANCY CHECK

The best time to have your mare checked for pregnancy is at 14-16 days after ovulation when pregnancy can be confirmed and twins can be detected.  We recommend having your mare checked again at 30 and 60 days to confirm pregnancy and evaluate the fetus.

FETAL SEXING

The ability to determine the gender of a foal before it is born requires planning. The best time to determine the sex of the foal is when the mare is between 60-75 days pregnant. Before and after this time, size, positioning, and other factors make fetal gender determination difficult. Since timing is critical, be sure to tell us ahead of time that you would like to know the gender of the fetus so that the service can be arranged.