From the vet clinic
Keep your fingers crossed but I guess I will not end up with seven foals from Shadows:
“Of the 7 oocytes we received, only two oocytes were able to mature. They were fertilized and one cleaved and started to divide and grow. We need it to continue to develop until it becomes a blastocyst. I will know its outcome in the next few days.”
Fingers are definitely crossed. Hoping for a successful outcome!
For the kind of technology you’re using here, I’m honestly very impressed that two have continued to mature, and if you get 1 out of that, that would be incredible. Fingers crossed, indeed.
I assume you have a hopeful recipient mare in mind already? I’ll probably read up on it, but I’m assuming that once the blastocyst is ~12 days along, the implantation process is similar to a mare-to-mare embryo transfer.
Yes, it is the same process as a mare-to-mare embryo transfer. The vet clinics leases recipient mares — for a steep price — but I was thinking using my own young Barakah as a recipient mare and save on that and on the boarding of the recipient mare.
I actually had wondered about that, re: Embryo Transfers and whether or not an asil mare should be the recip mare, out of an abundance of caution re: what we might not know about genetic transfer of DNA between the surrogate and the embryo. I know current research says there’s no exchange of DNA, but I also know we don’t know everything, ha.
I figured, Straight Egyptian mares are, of all the Al Khamsa breeding groups in the US, most plentiful and probably the most readily available as surrogates. Probably pull a TF-Rodania mare, as I don’t think *THAT* line is in any danger at the present.
you mean about epigenetics? That’s food for thought..
It’s just something I wondered about. I know they haven’t actually proven that recipient mares affect the DNA of the embryos/foals. I’ve also wondered re: fetomaternal cell transfer and the microchimerism in regards to the practice of breeding asil mares to non-asil stallions, since mammalian mothers can retain leftover fetal cells after they’ve given birth, and this can persist for decades.
Still so mad that telegony has a very small basis in fact.
Not good news 🙁
“Today is day 8 after fertilization of the oocyte. I inquired about it’s outcome and was told we are not optimistic about an embryo resulting. We will let it continue to try to develop for the next couple of days before calling it officially done, but we do not anticipate having an embryo result at this point. I will update you again Monday with the final outcome.”
Oh gosh, I hope that the blastocyte rallies and that you do land up with a viable embryo.
Oh, we were all hoping with you, so much!