Reproductive Services

For most animals, breeding is something that comes naturally. In some instances, however, Mother Nature could use a helping hand. The Makawao Veterinary Clinic team is skilled and experienced in pet reproductive medicine. Need help preserving and continuing that precious bloodline in your purebred pet? Want to make sure things go right the first time and that everything goes smoothly from conception through birth? We can help!

We offer reproductive services for both large and small animals. From comprehensive pre-pregnancy exams and reproduction evaluations to troubleshooting infertility issues and pregnancy monitoring, we’ll work with you to determine the best course of action that will improve the chances of your pet successfully breeding.

Timing the right days for breeding, birthing, and elective C-Sections is critical. We utilize state-of-the-art tools and techniques, including digital radiography and ultrasound as well as hormone testing with progesterone monitoring to time breeding as well as whelping and elective C-Sections as needed.

Our in-depth reproductive services include, but are not limited to:

• Pre-breeding examinations
• Ovulation timing
• Semen collection and evaluation
• Artificial insemination
• Pregnancy testing and monitoring
• Cesarean deliveries
• Infertility evaluations

General Information About Equine Pregnancies

In general, a horse carries a filly or a colt for approximately 11 months. This, however, varies from pregnancy to pregnancy. Typically, a mare will carry a colt longer than a filly, but once again, this varies from pregnancy to pregnancy. In most cases, a colt or filly born before 300 days of gestation isn’t able to survive. 

We offer services to monitor your horse’s pregnancy and intervene, if necessary, to prevent complications from occurring. In most cases, a horse pregnancy doesn’t have any complications.

Breeding Soundness Check

A soundness check is the first examination your horse will undergo when you decide to breed. This ensures your mare is healthy enough to breed. During this exam, the doctor will evaluate your mare’s reproductive health through a palpation and ultrasound. These methods enable us to effectively assess your horse’s cervix, uterus, and ovaries. Additional testing may include a uterine biopsy, a vaginal speculum exam, and/or a uterine culture.

All of these tests help us identify issues that could interfere with a healthy pregnancy, such as infections, uterine fibroids, and inflammation, among other concerns.

Equine Artificial Insemination

At Makawao Veterinary Clinic, we can artificially inseminate a mare. This process starts with finding the donor male and acquiring semen. We can freeze the sperm or inseminate the mare within 48 hours. 

The mare must also be ovulating, which we can evaluate for. Using a pipette, our doctor applies the sperm to the mare’s egg. We can also inseminate the mare by removing eggs and performing the process in a lab. Your horse will then be implanted with the fertilized egg.

Horse Pregnancy Monitoring

Within 14 to 18 days after insemination, our vet can confirm whether your horse is pregnant using an ultrasound. Sometimes, it’s possible for our doctor to tell if a mare is having one or two horses at this point. From there, we will develop and implement a pregnancy monitoring schedule for your mare. 

At 30 days, our doctor can listen for a heartbeat. We can also identify the gender using an ultrasound between nine to 19 weeks following ovulation.

For high-risk mares, more extensive monitoring may be necessary, particularly during the last few months of pregnancy. Sometime during the last three to four months of the high-risk mare’s pregnancy, she will need weekly ultrasounds.

Labor and Delivery

A pregnant mare will typically experience one to two hours of contractions before getting ready to give birth. The process ends with the sac breaking. The actual delivery process usually only takes about 30 minutes in total. We can intervene at any time should complications arise. At the end of the delivery, we will then examine both the mare and her foal for any problems.

Whether you’re breeding a horse for profit or for pleasure, we advise anyone interested in breeding to see a veterinarian with experience in equine reproductive services. We’re able to assist in every step of the process to ensure both mother and baby are healthy.

If you’ve been struggling with breeding your dog, cat, or horse, don’t leave it up to chance. Increase your odds of success by working with one of the reproductive specialists at Makawao Veterinary Clinic today!