We have an eval of our stallion done every year. His report shows that he does much better with one extender over another. Specifically, with CST utilizing Amicasin his motility at 36 and 48 hours is in the 70% range. With Kenney utilizing ticarcillin the motility begins drastically dropping at 36 hours and is only at 5% at 48. Its obvious to me we should always use CST with him but my vet decided to change to Universal extender saying it is the same as CST and available from the company he orders from, however no formal evaluation was done and a receiving vet said the motility this year is acceptable but poor compared to what he received from us last year. Our collecting vet said the sample he retained is just fine. there have been no other complaint and we have shipped to mulitple mares this year. Question is does anyone know if Universal extender uses the same antibiotic as CST? Is there a big difference in extenders? I assumed, although maybe not correctly that it was the antibiotic the stallion's semen reacted to but now am not sure. Is it the antibiotic or the extender itself? what antibiotic does Universal use? I want the vet to do an eval with the Universal extender if that is what he intends to ship with and change if the numbers aren't equivalent to what we get with the CST. He thinks that isn't needed and I haven't a clue what I'm talking about but he'll do it if I insist. I'd like to have more info before I discuss this issue with him again. Thanks for any help.
Jos Posted From: 142.177.98.21
Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 - 09:53 am:
"Universal" extender from Exodus Breeders is not the same as E-Z mixin' CST from ARS.
E-Z Mixin' is Kenney extender with a trade name. Universal is a dual-sugar extender with a slightly different formula from the Kenney, having sucrose in it as an additional sugar.
On top of that, E-Z Mixin' CST uses Amikacin sulfate as the antibiotic, whereas Universal is offered with Amikacin and K-Penn combined, or Ticarcillin.
Not all stallions perform well in all extender/antibiotic combinations - in fact few do. Most have a "favourite", and that favourite can change each year, hence you are very right in having performed your annual pre-breeding evaluation.
I would obtain some E-Z Mixin' CST (You can order it from here) and give it to your vet to use.
Attitude with lack of knowledge amongst stallion managers - be they veterinarian or lay person - is not a good combination. Follow your instincts and insist on the course you suggested above!
Anonymous Posted From: 205.188.208.70
Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 - 07:47 pm:
Thanks Jos. I'm going to click on the link you provided and order the CST. I did talk to the vet today and he said he has kept semen from each shipment using that extender and says the motility is actually better at 48 hours with the universal over the CST and the sample he kept back was alive and kicking at 72 hours. Now I'm confused! Using CST last season 90% of the mares settled in one collection, the rest on the second. That's reason enough for me to stick with what works, unless what works has changed. Nothing is ever easy with breeding is it? Sounds like its time for another complete evaluation with both extenders side by side and see who the winner will be.
Anonymous Posted From: 216.8.149.139
Posted on Monday, December 29, 2003 - 08:33 am:
Do most people use anti-biotics as part of their semen extenders and is this the best way to go? Should extenders without anti-biotics only be used as a last resort if the semen reacts badly to those with the drugs?
Jos Posted From: 165.247.218.184
Posted on Monday, December 29, 2003 - 11:37 am:
It is essential to use antibiotics in shipped semen extenders. During the collection process, one collects not only semen but also pathogens. Consequently if there is not a suitable antibiotic added to the extender, the pathogenic build-up may increase substantially during the shipment and then be inseminated into the mare - not a happy occurrence!
The use of extenders without antibiotic is, as you can see from the above, obviously a very definite last resort! There are many antibiotics that are suitable for use in extenders, and with some suitable research one should be able to find one that is suitable - it is extremely rare that one would not be able to.
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