Well, I want to thank all for a good kickoff to the practice this year. It was a lot of fun and very exciting for me to start my own practice. I do very much enjoy reproductive medicine and I again want to thank all of my clients for helping me bring these technologies to Chicagoland.
As the breeding season comes to a close, it is never too late to start planning for next year!
For those of you with stallions, now is the time to think about genetic preservation. As the show season closes, collection of semen for cryopreservation is the best way to insure you have genetic material into the future. If you have any questions, please call and we can discuss the logistics of semen cryopreservation.
The mares get to take a bit of a break. Most are hopefully enjoying the fall weather and getting a check or a shot here and there. I do want to remind owners of placentitis. Placentitis is the #1 cause of infectious abortion in horses and it is one of the few problems we can find and treat. Briefly, there are three kinds of placentitis, and we can detect the most common of those three with regular ultrasound. I recommend monthly examinations from 7 months gestation, especially in mares that have had previous pregnancy losses. The most common sign of placentitis that owners see is a growing mammary gland with milky production. The most successful outcomes are associated with early treatment. Preventative ultrasound exams are key to early detection. Clients with questions should give me a call and we can discuss.
Take care all until next time.
Justin T. Hayna, DVM, Dipl. ACT
