Dog breeders:
For those of you considering breeding your bitch in the next few months, please check in to determine
if there is any preliminary workup that needs to be performed.
For those of you with dogs, remember to freeze semen before your dogs genetic potential is lost
due to old age or health reasons.
Horse breeders:
Stallion owners should have their stallion vaccinated
for Equine Viral Arteritis by the end of January. Stallions cannot be used for breeding within 30 days of vaccination,
so have your veterinarian out early to get the vaccine done. Remember, if your stallion has never been vaccinated before
he should have a blood titer done before vaccinating to ensure he has no antibodies and if not, then at the time of vaccination
a second titer should be done to ensure there was no exposure between the time of the first titer and the vaccination.
Mare owners should check the EVA status of any stallion they are
contemplating breeding to this year (and any year in the future). If the stallion you want to breed to does not have EVA status
available (and the stallion owner is not willing to check a titer or vaccinate), chose another stallion. If he is negative,
you do not need to do anything. If he is positive, then you must vaccinate your mare for EVA at least 30 days prior to breeding.
EVA is a venerally transmissible disease that is 100% preventable with good management.
Mare owners should not forget to have your mare's pregnancy evaluated at 7 - 9 months
(before increasing their nutrient requirements) to ensure there has been no pregnancy loss.
