Browsing by Author "Goericke-Pesch, Sandra"

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Correlations Between Gestation Period and Age, Body Weight and Litter Size in Van Cats
(M H Schaper Gmbh Co Kg, 2009) Sendag, Sait; Alan, Muhammet; Eski, Funda; Goericke-Pesch, Sandra; Wehrend, Axel
The gestation period in Van cats is between 54 and 68 days, with high individual differences. Because of this variability, the date of birth cannot be predicted precisely, while the factors influencing the gestation period in Van cats have not been examined previously. The aim of this first study was to evaluate the influence of age, body weight of the dams and the litter size on the gestation period in Van cats. 28 Van cats aged one to nine years were used for this study. The body weight of the cats in the oestrus at the beginning of the study varied between 2.1-4.1 kg (3.1 +/- 0.6 Kg). The time from first mating until birth was regarded as being the gestation period. Correlations were determined between the duration of pregnancy and the age and body weight of the females as well as litter size. The mean duration of pregnancy in all 28 Van cats was 63.6 +/- 3.6 days (min. 54 days, max. 68 days) with a mean litter size of 3.4 +/- 1.3 kittens (min. 1, max. 6). No correlations could be found between the factors examined meaning that the duration of pregnancy does not depend on the age or body weight of the dams or on the litter size. It must be concluded that other factors may cause this high variability of pregnancy duration in Van cats and these still need to be investigated.
Effects of Oestrus Synchronisation Using Melatonin and Norgestomet Implants Followed by Ecg Injection Upon Reproductive Traits of Fat-Tailed Morkaraman Ewes During Suckling, Anoestrus Season
(Elsevier, 2012) Uslu, Baris Atalay; Tasal, Ibrahim; Gulyuz, Fetih; Sendag, Sait; Ucar, Omer; Goericke-Pesch, Sandra; Wehrend, Axel
The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of different oestrus synchronisation protocols using melatonin (MEL), norgestomet (NOR) and melatonin + norgestomet (MELNOR) treatments (further, all animals from the groups MEL, NOR and MELNOR were supplemented with equine chorionic gonadotropin, eCG) in fat-tailed Morkaraman ewes during the non-breeding season. Forty healthy suckling ewes were assigned, from mid-May onwards, randomly to one of four experimental groups. Ten ewes were assigned to the control group CON (n = 10) and received no treatments. Ten ewes were assigned to the MEL group (n = 10) receiving a subcutaneous melatonin ear implant for 35 days, followed by a 500 IU intramuscular (i.m.) injection of eCG. Ten ewes were assigned to the NOR group (n = 10) and received norgestomet implants placed subcutaneously in the ear for 10 days and followed by a 500 IU i.m. injections of eCG after removal of the implant. The last 10 ewes were assigned to the MELNOR group (n = 10) receiving a subcutaneous melatonin ear implant for 35 days plus a subcutaneous norgestomet ear implant, inserted on the 25th day of the melatonin implant, for 10 days. It was then followed by a 500 IU i.m. injection of eCG after removal of the norgestomet implant and by introduction of rams to the flock concurrently. Ewes exhibiting oestrous signs by 7 days were hand-mated with rams known to be fertile. Blood samples were collected at the time of first implantation (baseline), on day 35 (norgestomet implant removal and eCG injection) and when ewes expressed oestrus in order to determine plasma progesterone (P-4) concentrations. The values of oestrus response, onset of oestrus post-treatment, pregnancy/lambing rates and litter sizes were recorded. The results showed that the oestrus rates were identical for all synchronisation protocols (100%) and the oestrus rates (40 +/- 16.3%) were significantly lower (P < 0.001) in the control group. The onset of oestrus shortened slightly in the hormone-treated groups. The P-4 concentrations on the day of eCG injections (at the end of synchronisation) were significantly higher (P < 0.01) in the hormone-treated groups (varying from 2.45 to 2.91 ng/ml) compared to the control group (0.45 ng/ml). Pregnancy/lambing rates were slightly higher in the synchronised groups (varied from 60 to 80%), compared to the control group. The results of oestrus synchronisation with melatonin and norgestomet ear implants (supplemented with the eCG) showed that: (i) an oestrus onset could be shortened significantly (P < 0.001) with melatonin and/or norgestomet, and (ii) significantly higher (P > 0.01) P-4 concentrations and higher lambing rates could be obtained in all hormone-treated ewes when compared to the un-treated Morkaraman ewes during the suckling (anoestrus) season. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.