Presence of a sexually active goat buck enhances ovulation occurrence in seasonally anestrous does after ovulation and luteolysis induction in hormonally-treated goats in seasonal anestrus

Abstract

In seasonally anestrous goat does, ovulations can be induced by combining a treatment regimen including progestagen, eCG and prostaglandins. Nonetheless, ovulations occur only once and then does return to a seasonally anestrous state. This study was performed to determine whether the presence of a sexually active buck can stimulate a second ovulation after induced luteolysis using prostaglandins following the first ovulation. Three groups of seasonally anestrous does were treated to induce ovulations using an intra-vaginally inserted sponge containing a progestin combined with eCG and prostaglandin administrations. Goats that had ovulations were treated with a prostaglandin 11 days after progestin sponge removal. After the prostaglandin injection, does continued to be isolated from bucks (n = 8), were penned with a control buck (n = 9), or were penned with a sexually active buck (n = 10). The proportion of goats having ovulations after imposing the ovulation-induction protocol was greater than 80% and did not differ among treatment groups (P > 0.05). The proportion of does having ovulations after injecting prostaglandins was greater when does were penned with a sexually active buck (8/10) than does penned with a control buck (0/9) or that were isolated from bucks (0/8; P < 0.05). It is concluded that in seasonally anestrous goat does induced to have ovulations using a hormonal treatment regimen, the presence of a sexually active buck can induce a second ovulation when there is an induced luteolysis.