Veramix Sponges (Canada)

2. The applicator is inserted into the ewe's vagina and pushed gently as far as it will go. In maiden ewes the sponge may be positioned with the finger.

3. The sponge is pushed out of the applicator with the plunger and the applicator is removed.

4. The plunger is removed leaving the nylon lines of the sponge protruding.

Day 0-all Ewes To Be Synchronized Are Treated With A veramix Sponge On The Same Day. A Bucket Of Clean Water Containing Disinfectant Suitable For Livestock Equipment Cleaning Should Be Available To Clean The Applicator After Each Use.

1. Each Ewe Is Restrained In A Standing Position By One Operator Who Will Apply The Sponges. A Second Operator Applies A Thin Coating Of An Antiseptic Cream Such As albryn Cream On A Sponge And Loads It Into The veramix Sponge Applicator.

2. The Applicator Is Inserted Into The Vagina, In A Slightly Upwards Direction At First And Gently But Firmly Pushed Forward Until It Meets Resistance.

3. The Tube Of The Applicator Is Then Slipped Back Out Of The Vagina, While The Rod Prevents The Sponge From Being Drawn Out. Then The Rod Is Removed Leaving The Strings Protruding From The Vulva.

day 14-the Sponges Are Removed 14 Days After Insertion. This Can Vary From 12 To 16 Days But No Longer Or Conception Rates May Be Adversely Affected. Remove The Sponge By Pulling On The Attached Strings With A Gentle, Steady Motion.

if The Strings Are Not Visible, Insert A Clean Finger Into The Vagina To Locate Them. If No Strings Or Sponge Can Be Felt, The Ewe May Have Lost The Sponge During The Treatment Period. A Veterinarian Should Be Called To Verify That The Vagina Is Empty. Such Animals Will Usually Not Be Synchronized With The Rest Of The Flock.

sponge Loss During The Treatment Period Is Most Common In Maiden Ewes And Usually The Result Of Improper Placement Of Sponges. To Prevent Such Losses, Sponges Must Be Inserted Through The Hymen And Well Into The Vagina. This May Entail Rupturing Or Stretching The Hymen In Maiden Ewes To Facilitate Proper Insertion Of The Sponge. Some Cases Of Sponge Loss Have Been Attributed To Excessive Lubrication Of Sponges And/or Applicators With Antiseptic Cream. To Minimize Such Losses Ensure Antiseptic Cream Is Sparingly Applied To Sponges Only. Normally Sponge Loss Varies From One To Five Percent.

when Pulling On The Strings, If The Sponge Does Not Move Easily, It May Be Adhered To The Vaginal Wall. Use A Clean Finger To Gently Separate The Sponge From The Wall, Then Carefully Pull The Sponge Out. Occasionally, The Strings May Tear Through The Sponge Material When They Are Pulled Leaving The Sponge In The Vagina. If The Sponge Cannot Be Easily Located And Withdrawn Using A Clean Hand, Do Not Traumatize The Vaginal Wall In Searching For The Sponge. A Veterinarian Should Be Called To Remove The Sponge With The Use Of A Speculum And A Light.

day 16-17-ewes Will Begin To Show Signs Of Estrus About 36 Hours After Sponge Removal, But It Is Usually Best To Wait Until 48 Hours After The Sponges Are Removed Before Introducing The Rams. All Ewes Should Come Into Heat And Be Bred Over A Two-day Period. Rams Should Be Removed 96 Hours (4 Days) After Sponge Removal.

use Of Pmsg With Veramix Sponges

When VERAMIX sponges are used in sheep prior to the normal breeding season, it is necessary to inject each ewe with pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) at the time of sponge removal. The usual dosage is 500 IU given intramuscularly at the same time that the sponges are removed. Some researchers believe that better results are obtained by injecting the PMSG two days (48 hours) prior to sponge removal; however, this requires additional handling of the ewes.

Although the usual dosage of PMSG is 500 IU, the dosage can vary from 250 to 500 IU. The lower dosage of 250 IU, according to results in the field, appears to be efficacious when given to ewe lambs. Generally, the further the induced breeding is away from the natural breeding season, the larger is the dose of PMSG required. However, as the dose of PMSG increases, the incidence of twinning and other multiple births increases. While more lambs per ewe might be desirable in some cases, multiple births usually result in more problems (dystocias) at lambing time, especially in maiden ewes and more weak lambs that will require assistance.

PMSG may also be used at the time of sponge removal for ewes synchronized during the breeding season. Although PMSG is not necessary to synchronize heats if the ewes are well into their breeding season, it may still be advisable. Use of PMSG during the breeding season increases the litter size slightly. Also it tends to make the timing of the synchronized heats more precise which is important for artificial insemination.

Management Advice For The Best Results

Management Of Ewes For Controlled Breeding-ewes Must Be Sexually Mature And Healthy For A Successful Controlled Breeding Program. They Must Be Adequately Nourished Which Usually Includes Flush Feeding, Beginning Two Weeks Prior To Sponge Use And Continued Until About One Month After Breeding.

if Ewe Lambs Are To Be Used, They Should Be 6 1/2 To 7 1/2 Months Old And Weigh At Least 70 Percent Of Their Expected Adult Weight. Also Ewe Lambs Will Need More Feed Throughout Their Gestation Period To Maintain Their Own Growth As Well As That Of The Lambs Being Carried.

it Is Possible To Induce Lactating Ewes To Show Estrus And Conceive, But Results Are Generally Not As Good As With Dry Ewes. Also These Ewes Will Only Show One Heat Period Following Sponge Removal Plus Pmsg-they Usually Will Not Cycle And Come In Heat Again Two Weeks Later. If Lactating Ewes Are To Be Induced, Wait At Least 50 Days After Lambing And They Should Be “dried Off” At Least Two Weeks Before Sponge Use.

management Of Rams For Controlled Breeding-the Success Of Any Controlled Breeding Program Depends Upon The Availability Of An Adequate Number Of Active Fertile Rams And The Size Of The Ewe Groups Allocated To Each Ram.

it Is Strongly Recommended That There Be At Least One Ram Per Ten Ewes Synchronized And Preferably More When Breeding Prior To The Normal Breeding Season. If There Is Not Enough Ram Power, Then It Is Possible To Divide The Ewes Into Two Or Three Groups And Treat Them At Different Times So That Each Group Will Come Into Heat Five Days Apart. Thus The Rams May Be Used For Two Days In One Group, Rested Three Days, Used Again For Two Days In The Next Group, Then If Necessary Rested Three Days And Used A Third Time.

those Ewes That Do Not Conceive To First Mating May Be Bred Again When They Come In Heat Again About Two Weeks Later. Fewer Rams Will Be Needed At This Second Breeding Since The Heats Will Be Spread Out Over Several Days. If Breeding Is To Be Attempted Outside Of The Rams' Normal Breeding Season, Then The Rams Will Need To Be Prepared In Order That Sperm Number And Viability Are Acceptable. Since Spermatogenesis Takes 6-8 Weeks, It Is Necessary To Induce The Ram To Produce Sperm At Least Two Months Prior To The Expected Breeding Time. This Is Best Accomplished By Restricting The Rams To Only Eight Hours Of Daylight For Ten Weeks Prior To Breeding.

it Is Essential For Any Sheep Breeding Program, But Especially Crucial With Controlled Breeding Program, That Rams Be Healthy, Have A Known History Of Good Fertility, Good Productivity And Excellent Libido If Reasonable Conception Rates Are To Be Expected. (ram Lambs Are Not Suitable For This Kind Of Breeding.) The Rams Used Should Not Have Been Ill In The Two Months Prior To Breeding And They Should Be On Supplementary Feed During That Time. High Body Temperature From Exposure To Hot Weather Can Cause Temporary Infertility For 2-3 Weeks, Therefore, Rams Should Be Shorn Well Before Breeding And Provided With Adequate Shade.

best Mating Procedures For Synchronized Breeding-although The Procedures Followed At Breeding Time Will Vary Depending Upon The Facilities And Manpower Available, The Following Methods Are Recommended For Best Results:

1. Use At Least One Ram Per 10 Ewes, More If Breeding Is Outside The Normal Breeding Season.

2. Do Not Turn Rams In With Ewes Until 48 Hours After Sponge Removal. This Prevents Too Much Attention Being Paid To The First Ewes That Come Into Heat, To The Detriment Of The Majority.

3. The Flock Should Be Divided Into Small Groups For Mating And Kept In Small Paddocks During This Period.

4. Rams Should Be Left With Ewes For Four Hours, Removed, Rested For Two Hours Then Returned To A Different Group For Four Hours. They Are Best Removed And Rested Overnight. Repeat This Procedure The Next Day. Often Rams Will Display A Preference For A Certain Ewe And Mate With Her Repeatedly Leaving Others Unmated. By Placing The Ram In A Different Group Each Time, This Problem Is Eliminated.

5. Keep Handling And Stress To A Minimum During Breeding.

6. Fourteen (14) Days After The Rams Are First Introduced At The Synchronized Estrus, They Should Be Turned Out With The Ewes Again For About One Week To Cover “returns”. It May Be Wise To Have The Rams Mark Those Ewes That They Breed On This Second Heat So These Ewes Can Be Identified As Ones Which Will Lamb Later Than The Main Group.

7. hand Mating Is An Excellent Procedure For Conserving Ram Power By Reducing Repeated Service Of The Same Ewes. This Requires The Use Of Vasectomized Teaser Rams With Markers To Identify Ewes In Estrus. Once Detected As Being In Heat, Each Ewe Is Brought Individually To The Breeding Ram In His Pen. Mating Is Supervised And Once The Ewe Has Been Served Twice, She Is Removed, Identified And Placed With Other Mated Ewes.

vasectomized Rams With Markers Can Also Be Useful For Detecting When The Breeding Season Begins And When It Is Well Underway, I.e. 95 Percent Of All Ewes Are Cycling. If veramix Sponges Are To Be Used Without Pmsg, It Is Important That The Ewes Are Well Into Their Normal Breeding Season.

after A Program Of Planned Breeding, Vasectomized Rams Can Be Run With The Ewes To Pick Out Any Ewes Which Are Barren So They Can Be Removed And Managed Separately From The Pregnant Ewes.

lambing Time-the Average Gestation Period For A Ewe Is 143 To 153 Days Depending Upon The Breed. Usually The Peak Of Lambing Will Be Around 147, 148 And 149 Days After The Rams Were First Introduced, But There Is A Spread Of Lambings Over Seven Or Eight Days. This Will Be Followed By Approximately One Week With Virtually No Activity And Finally A Period Of About Ten Days When Ewes Bred On Repeat Service Will Lamb.

caution

1. VERAMIX sponges with or without PMSG are designed as a tool to improve the management of lambing. These sponges do not contain a fertility drug and they will not improve fertility nor will they solve fertility problems.

2. When VERAMIX sponges are used properly to synchronize estrus during the breeding season, conception rates will be similar to those rates obtained under normal uncontrolled breeding conditions.

When VERAMIX sponges and PMSG are used outside of the normal breeding season, conception rates will be lower than those found during the breeding season. The further forward the induced estrus is moved prior to normal estrous cycling, the poorer will be the conception rates. However, it should be noted that without the use of VERAMIX sponges and PMSG, conception rates would be almost zero if breeding were attempted before the normal breeding season. Also those ewes that do not conceive to the induced estrus will come into heat naturally during the normal breeding season and may be bred again at that time.

Warning

Treated ewes must not be slaughtered for use in food either during treatment or for at least 21 days after removal of the sponges.

Presentation

Veramix Sponges Are Supplied In Boxes Of 25 Sponges.

medicinal Ingredients

These sponges are designed to be used in conjunction with ALBRYN cream, sold in 500 g jars, and a VERAMIX Sponge Applicator.

Storage

Pharmacia Animal Health, 40 Centennial Road, Orangeville, ON L9W 3T3

January 2002

T-ESF/3

Registered Trademarks of Pharmacia & Upjohn Company

Used under licence by Pfizer Canada Inc.: VERAMIX, ALBRYN

1-800-668-5636

Nac No.