Use of 6% dextran 70 following surgical embryo collection in ewes and does in an attempt to prevent adhesion formation

Abstract

Thirty-six ewes and 19 does were randomly assigned to control (15 ewes and 9 does) or treatment groups (21 ewes and 10 does). Ventral midline laparotomy was performed 6–8 d after dl of estrus. Number of corpora lutea (CL) and oocytes/embryos were recorded and compared. Treated animals received 500 ml 6% dextran 70 intra-abdominally following uterine flushing. Control animals received 500 ml 0.9% NaCl irrigation solution. At the time of the second laparotomy, degree and extent of adhesion formation were assessed and scored on a scale of 0 to 3, and CL and embryos/oocytes were counted and compared. There was no difference in adhesion scores between control and dextran-treated groups for ewes (P ⩾ 0.61) or does (P ⩾ 0.43). Number of live embryos at the second surgery in control ewes was higher than in dextran-treated ewes (P<0.01) but not in does (P ⩾ 0.53). Likewise, there was no beneficial effect of dextran on total number of embryos recovered in either ewes (P ⩾ 0.43) or does (P ⩾ 0.22). We conclude that dextran had no effect on adhesion formation and no positive effect on viable embryo recovery rates following surgical embryo collection.