research studies » completed studies
Since our founding in 1948, Morris Animal Foundation has funded hundreds of health research studies to protect, treat and cure the world's companion animals and wildlife.
Our studies have led to major advances in veterinary care, including vaccines and other preventions, diagnostic tools and new therapies for the diseases and health conditions that threaten the lives of the animals we love. Search our completed study database by species and/or disease to learn more about how our work has given animals longer, healthier lives.
Category
D07EQ-626: Luteal Function & Ovulation in Mares Treated with PGF2a During Early & Mid-Diestrus
principal investigator: Blaire Holland, Veterinary Student Scholar, North Carolina State University
completed
Results
Improved Hormonal Control of Estrous Cycles in Mares
Efficient control of a mare’s estrous cycle is of paramount importance for breeding efficiency and is also important for show horses, who must often receive long-term hormones to control their cycles. In this study, the veterinary student scholar hoped to improve the use of a proven and safe hormone, PGF2a, so that it more efficiently manipulates the mare’s estrous cycle. The team analyzed the use of short-term hormonal therapies that may control the mare’s estrous cycle as efficiently as the prolonged hormonal therapies that are currently used. They learned that a mare’s estrous cycle can be abbreviated earlier than previously thought possible, as long as multiple injections of PGF2a are given. This is a significant finding that may serve as the foundation for novel therapies to control the estrous cycle in mares and alleviate the need for giving these animals hormones for long periods of time.
