How is an embryo transfer done on a horse?
The process involves breeding a (donor) mare to a stallion and then transferring the resulting embryo into a reproductively competent (recipient) mare, which carries the foal to term and nurses it until weaning.
How successful is embryo transfer in horses?
Researchers identified a 90% pregnancy rate in mares impregnated using the Wilsher embryo transfer technique and a 70% pregnancy rate in mares treated using traditional embryo transfer protocols. Equine embryo transfer is a delicate and an expensive process.
How much does embryo transfer cost in horses?
Minimally, the mare owner can expect to invest at least $1,500 in the ET process per donor breeding cycle with no guarantee for success when a recipient mare is provided. The estimated cost range in the United States is expected to be from $5,000 to $7,500 when a leased recipient mare is used.
Why do they transfer horse embryos?
One mare conceives, while another one carries the foal. That is how embryo transfer maximizes the production of a valuable mare. This assisted breeding procedure produces foals despite your mare’s training status, age or condition, and it also allows breeders to get more valuable (and wanted) foals from a top mare.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of embryo transfer?
Embryo Transfer
| Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|
| Mares can continue performance career | High costs for drugs, veterinarian fees, mare care, stud fees, registry fees($4,000-$12,000) |
| Obtain foals from problem and aged mares | Intensive management of donor and recipient mare and maintenance of recipient herd |
How many embryos can a horse have?
As stated above, mares of normal fertility when breeding to fertile stallions, have the capacity to produce several embryos per year. In some instances this may be as many as six to eight.
What are the disadvantages of embryo transfer in horses?
Can equine embryos be frozen?
Equine embryos are far more difficult to freeze successfully than other species because of a particularly large liquid structure that becomes destructive when frozen because of its sheer size. A few years ago, researchers discovered the key to success: removing liquid and forcing the embryo to essentially collapse.
What are the disadvantages of embryo transfer?
What are the disadvantages of embryo transfer during an artificial cycle?
- More medication needs to be taken.
- It is more expensive because drugs need to purchased and taken during the first few months of pregnancy.
- It is more stressful for the patient who has to routinely take medication.
How much is an embryo transfer?
The average cost for a frozen embryo transfer (FET) is about $3,000– $5,000. If you plan on using an egg donor, the overall cost will be significantly higher—from $25,000 to $30,000 for one cycle.
Do mares respond well to Superovulation procedures?
Recent studies have shown that superovulatory treatment leads to disturbances in oocyte maturation and transport, especially in mares with a high ovarian response. Higher and more consistent embryo recovery rates per ovulation have been observed in mares treated with lower doses of EPE.
What is a disadvantage of IVF?
IVF increases the risk of multiple births if more than one embryo is transferred to your uterus. A pregnancy with multiple fetuses carries a higher risk of early labor and low birth weight than pregnancy with a single fetus does. Premature delivery and low birth weight.
When do you transfer an embryo to a horse?
The customary technique for performing embryo transfer begins with synchronization of ovulation between a donor mare and the recipient mares, followed by insemination of the donor mare. The uterus of the donor mare is flushed 7 or 8 days after ovulation, and the retrieved embryo is transferred into the uterus of a recipient mare.
How many embryos can be recovered from a mare?
Successful cryopreservation of expanded equine blastocysts also has been reported for embryos that had their blastoceles collapsed after embryo biopsy procedures. Because one of two embryos are typically recovered from the donor mare, it is important that breeding soundness evaluations are done for both donor and recipients.
How do you transfer an embryo into the uterus?
Place the embryo into the uterine horn by puncturing the horn. The more popular technique is a transcervical, non-surgical transfer. Dilate the cervix using a finger, and the pipette of the ET transfer passes through the cervix into the uterus. Be careful to avoid the finger from going into the uterus- only the pipette can go into the uterus.
How does a surrogate carry a horse’s foal?
The surrogate carries the foal to term and delivers it. Your donor mare must be capable of ovulation, and her egg must become fertilized by the stallion’s sperm. When she donates the developing embryo, removed through a collection process, her task is complete. You need to be aware of your mare’s estrous cycle, specifically when the mare ovulates.