Re: my earlier post about progesterone timing. This is a breeding I am helping a friend with. ( his dog is a German Shepherd) The stud owner called me a few minutes ago and said that because his bitch has not been tested for Mycoplasma that it will have to be an AI so it looks like that is what I will be doing tomorrow. I am fine with that but I know my friend is going to be dissapointed that it's not natural.
My question now is how many of you with a stud require the bitches coming to you for a natural breeding be tested for Mycoplasma ?
Is this perhaps something that I am dealing with because this is a German Shepherd breeder?
The bitch did get a brucellosis test......I am hearing now from the bitch owner that the stud owner did ask for a Mycoplasma test but that the Vet said she did not need it so only did the brucellosis.I have never had a stud owner ask for a Mycoplasma test on a bitch before.
Thanks again.
I don't do natural breedings anymore just for this reason. Most bitches are never tested for it. I do naturals on my own dogs, but thats it. Brucellosis, yes, we test for that regardless, but we are only doing A-I's, not naturals on outsiders.
If the bitch carries mycoplasma, I believe it can cause your boy to become sterile. Very risky. I am sure a vet could chime in here, but thats what I've been told.
There is a lot of discussion about mycoplasma. Most repro specialists don't see it as the big problem that some breeders see it as. Most repro vets do not advise routine cultures pre-breeding. There may be some instances where a vaginal culture is indicated and treatment recommended, but not as a routine pre-breeding course.
One question I always ask clients who come to me with their bitch for a pre-breeding mycoplasma culture required by the stud owner.... Did the stud owner give you a culture report on the stud? So far the answer is always NO. (so for clients who are dealing with stud owners that require a mycoplasma culture I suggest they also ask the stud owner for one on the stud).
The vaginal vault is NOT sterile, there is normal bacteria present. Studies have indicated that bitches that are put on antibiotics for vaginal bacteria will often regrow the same bacteria within 48 hours of finishing the antibiotic. There is also some worry that treating an otherwise healthy bitch for what is scant growth of routine bacteria can set up the environment for other bacteria. While there is some debate over mycoplasma, currently it appears that it can be a normal component of the vaginal canal.
I personally had trouble because of mycoplasma, a beautiful male I brought in got it from a bitch I had also brought in and went sterile, never even got one litter out of him, for that reason I also will not let any outside bitches be bred to my stud dogs other than it being AI.
Aloha,
jackie
Most GSD owners require a standard vaginal culture before breeding. Some of the stud owners whose dogs are being used a lot, do require additional testing for mycoplasma. This is not the norm but isn't unusual.
GSD owners do not like AI's. Part of this is the belief in the correlation between good breeders and good whelpers.
Additionally, GSD's don't ship well and in fact some people believe that that don't fresh AI well either (although that has not been my experience).
I've recently gone through many misses and did find a high mycoplasma count which could have been the cause, we'll see on our next try. We put everyone on our property on antibiotics and hope it worked. After this, I would require a culture prior to breeding naturally as it can take down an entire kennel. I'm curious whether it can be transmitted through chilled?
