A Caslick’s needs to be opened for foaling. In most cases a mare can be artificially inseminated without opening the Caslick’s either by breeding the mare under the Caslick’s or breeding her through a speculum.ģ. In some cases, a stallion may be able to breed a mare under a Caslick’s. A Caslick’s needs to be opened for natural breeding. Remember this if you acquire a racing filly that has a Caslick’s in place.Ģ. The normal architecture of the vulva is changed with the placement of the Caslick’s. Once a Caslick’s has been placed, the mare will usually require one for the remainder of her life. If your mare has a Caslick’s in place there are a few things you should know:ġ. Your veterinarian will check that the Caslick’s does not have any holes before suture removal. Contamination of this area is common and breakdown of the Caslick’s can occur. A Caslick’s is placed under local anaesthesia and sutures can be removed 14 days after placement and a permanent seal remains. The bottom 1/3rd of the vulva remains open to allow normal urination. The length of the Caslick’s depends on the conformation of the mare. The edges of the vulval lips are sutured closed to prevent aspiration of air and faeces. Poor vulvar conformation can usually be addressed with a Caslick’s procedure. This is sometimes identified when in race training as a “wind sucker” which can lead to poor performance. Younger mares in light body condition may also develop a pneomovagina. Basically, things just aren’t as tight as they used to be! Just because she hasn’t had an issue in the past, doesn’t mean that she won’t need the problem addressed in the future. Repeated foaling, injury to perineal tissue and thin body condition can contribute to development. Aged mares are often overrepresented in the group of mares identified with this problem. If bacteria or fungal organisms are aspirated along with the air, a uterine infection can develop resulting in poor reproductive performance of the mare or abortion in the case of the pregnant mare.Įarly identification of poor vulvar conformation is important to avoid this problem. Irritation and inflammation of the uterus may result in endometritis or a placentitis if the mare is pregnant. This air, along with environmental contaminants such as faeces can result in irritation and inflammation of the vagina (vaginitis) and cervix (cervicitis) which can then spread further into the uterus. If the vulval seal is not in place, the mare can aspirate air through the vulva resulting in a “pneumovagina” which is sometimes called wind sucking. The most common barrier that fails to function properly is the first barrier, the vulva. At other times and especially during pregnancy, the cervix remains tightly closed as the final barrier protecting the fetus from environmental contaminants that may breach the first two barriers. The cervix is a dynamic structure which requires elasticity to relax when the mare is in season to allow the passage of sperm during breeding and of course needs to be open when the mare foals. The third and final barrier to the uterus is the cervix. This membrane can be parted to allow breeding of the mare and of course, delivery of the foal. This structure is a membrane which prevents backflow of urine and the migration of bacteria, faeces, air or dirt that may penetrate the first barrier. The rest of the reproductive tract remains on the inside, and for good reason too! The second barrier is the vestibulo-vaginal sphincter. This is the only part of the mare’s reproductive tract we can see from the outside. The first barrier is the vulval lips which meet forming the external seal to the reproductive tract. This is really important as the risk of faecal contamination of the reproductive tract is high in the mare as the anus is positioned directly above the vulva.Ĭt. So, what is a ‘Caslick’s’ procedure? When and why do we use them? Put your anatomy hat on and let’s talk lady parts! In the normal mare there are three barriers to protect the uterus from infection originating from the environment. In some countries in the world a mare without a Caslick’s in place is a rarity. It got me thinking, why the negative stigma? I recently saw a wanted advertisement for a broodmare stating that it must NOT have a Caslick’s in place.
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