ESTRUS ACTIVITY AND OVARIAN RESPONSE IN L LAMAS AND ALPACAS TREATED WITH PROGESTERONE AND PMSG OR FSH

Sixteen female southamerican camelids, 8 alpacas and 8 llarnas (3-6 ye ars old, 60-70 and 110-130 kg body weight, respectively) were treated daily with 12.5 mg of progesterone (P4) for 12 days. On the 12th day o f P4 treatment a single intramuscular (im) dose of 1,500 and 2,000 IU of Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotrophin (PMSG) was given to 4 alpacas (Gr oup A) and 4 llamas (Group C), respectively. Fifteen and 20 mg of Foll icle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), as total dosis, were im administered, every 12 hours on days 10, 11, 12 and 13 to 4 alpacas (Group B) and 4 llamas (Group D), respectively. Sexual receptivity was checked every 1 2 hours after the P4 treatment. Females in oestrus were allowed to be mated 12 hours after the onset of oestrus. A non surgical uterine flus hing was carried out sevendays after mating. After the flushing, a lap aroscopy was carried out in order to study the ovarian response. Sexua l response showed that 6 out of 8 PMSG and 3 out of 7 FSH treated anim als showed oestrus and had been mated. None of the 8 PMSG treated anim als ovulated, and 4 out of 7 FSH treated animals ovulated (2 single ov ulations and 2 superovulations). The flushing was carried out in all t he 9 mated animals. A mean of 300 and 375 ml of PBS was infused to the uterus of alpacas and llamas, recovering 80 and 98% of the infused ut erine fluid, respectively. Four excellent hatched blastocysts were rec overed from an FSH-treated llama.