DJanna is the mom, Ferradae is the filly, and patience is the virtue that the owners of these two horses possessed in great quantities. In fact, tenacity, faith, and patience are the three important virtues for anyone who chooses to breed mares. LBEMC clients, Sherry and Thomas Musgrove personify these virtues as they demonstrated the utmost faith in their Hanoverian mare, DJanna, and the staff of LBEMC.

On March 21, 2008, DJanna gave birth to a long-awaited foal which, as a bonus, was a filly. She was quickly given the name, Ferradae.

The saga began in 1997 when the Musgroves imported DJanna from Germany. Dr. Greg Fellers endorsed their selection by finding her sound in all respects. Between 1997 and 2003, DJanna was the ideal broodmare. She conceived on the first cycle, produced outstanding foals, and was an excellent mother.

Starting in 2003, the situation deteriorated for DJanna and the Musgroves. During all of 2003 and early 2004, DJanna not only failed to conceive, but she also developed multiple uterine infections which required veterinary intervention in the form of repeated uterine flushes and antibiotic infusions.

DJanna finally conceived in mid-2004, but in late December, she suffered the greatest indignity in the four year ordeal. She began to abort her pregnancy and retained a macerated fetus (essentially the entire fetal skeleton) which required the combined skills of Drs. Fielding, Jacobs, and Morgan to remove. Sherry Musgrove could have delivered a lecture on fetal skeletal structure to the College of Veterinary Anatomy as she captured and cataloged every one of the fetal bones to insure that none were left in the uterus.

Remarkably, after this ordeal, a biopsy of DJanna’s uterus was classified as a 1B (1A is best, 3C is worst) and breeding attempts were resumed. Despite unsuccessful attempts at embryo transfer and a successfully treated uterine yeast infection, she conceived on her first breeding of 2007 and foaled on schedule in 2008. The final icing on the cake was her conception on the first breeding attempt of 2008, putting her in a position to deliver a sibling of Ferradae’s next year.

Ferradae:

The success of this venture comes not only from the patience and faith of the Musgroves, but also from the exceptional cooperation and communication between them and the staff of the clinic. The doctor, staff, and Sherry were constantly investigating and sharing newly published information about advances in equine breeding. Sherry’s careful observation and intuition about DJanna’s estrus cycles led to very precise timing of her insemination. Based on preliminary data about mares, DJanna was on daily aspirin before and throughout her pregnancy and was also on Regumate for all but the last few days of pregnancy.