Author Topic: AI : 1 bottle down... (Read 3536 times)

SallyintNorth · « **on:** May 08, 2011, 06:33:30 pm »

Well I think you will all tell me that it won't have worked, but some things seemed to go right!

At the start she would stand for me, so we switched to BH pressing on her back while I tried to insert the catheter. (Lubricated with liquid paraffin, inserted at 30 degree angle upwards.) Several times she stood (muttering sweet nothings) but only for a few inches' of insertion, then (muttering annoyance, once verging on squeal) moved away.

There was quite a bit of following her around the pen, 'foreplay' (only on this forum... !), but every time the same, happy at first but then moving away.

Eventually, since she seemed to like the attention back there, I decided to see if she would just let me insert the catheter without anyone pressing on her back. Blow me, she did. I got it quite a long way in (maybe about 4-5 inches of the tube left showing) and then felt it stopped, so screwed it anticlockwise until it seemed locked - releasing pressure on it, it stayed put, didn't twist back round or start to come back out. Got the bottle contents in, taking several goes, doing it slowly and removing the bottle to let air into it a few times. She did start to move around, only a little, and some did come back out of the end of the catheter before I got the bung in, a little did spill out of the vulva at one point, and there was some left in the catheter when I withdrew it, but nothing like the whole bottle. I don't think none of it went in, but in my inexperience I can't be sure I really had it right. However, I feel happy to do bottle no. 2 tomorrow!

BH went off feeding heifers the instant it was over, I stayed talking to Meg and stroking her. Rather like life, eh?

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #1 on:** May 08, 2011, 07:12:09 pm »

Err, now looking again at the Deerpark info sheet and the French website I see that I have misunderstood 'lock' and probably did not have a lock. So tomorrow I will have to try harder....

princesspiggy · « **Reply #2 on:** May 08, 2011, 09:54:47 pm »

dorothy got preg at 2nd attempt, shes got a big belly now.
the lock is important, u can give it a little pull and it will stay.if it appeared blocked, unturn it a bit and itl work. just take ur time to get the lock right, if the timings right she'l be quiet enough. we fed dorothy behind a gate to keep her still, but one time she lay down half way thru but it still worked! we never used the bung, thinking it might stop the pressure/release of the semen.
apart from proper insertion, i think alot is down to timing. we were 12 hrs late the first attempt, cos by 36 hrs and the 3rd dose she was getting knarky. with her, as soon as her vulva swelled, we ordered, cos its viable for 5 days anyway. just gota hope its not a sunday/bankholiday when u need to order it.
goodluck
liquid parafin sounds eye watering, lol... we used vaseline and baby oil.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #3 on:** May 08, 2011, 10:47:36 pm »

Quote from: princesspiggy on May 08, 2011, 09:54:47 pm

liquid parafin sounds eye watering, lol... we used vaseline and baby oil.

I was going to use lubricant but was scared it may affect the sperm (not something you worry about at lambing!), so went with Deerpark's suggestion of using liquid paraffin. Their alternative suggestion was KY jelly - wasn't sure it that was the same as lube, or not. Their leaflet said that disinfectant, soap or detergent would affect the viability of the sperm and I wasn't certain the lube wouldn't contain any.

Tudful Tamworths · « **Reply #4 on:** May 09, 2011, 01:38:35 am »

I've never used the corkscrew catheters, only sponge-tipped ones, so can't be of any use, However, if she stood for you and you got a good amount in, that sounds optimistic.

re. lubricants, I've always used the same ones I used for lambing. Deerpark said they were ok.

As far as moving around during service goes, some are rock solid while other will stand for a while and then walk a bit and then need more stimulation. Like us, pigs are all different!

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #5 on:** May 09, 2011, 07:42:08 am »

Quote from: Tudful Tamworths on May 09, 2011, 01:38:35 am

As far as moving around during service goes, some are rock solid while other will stand for a while and then walk a bit and then need more stimulation. Like us, pigs are all different!

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #6 on:** May 10, 2011, 12:07:53 am »

Well this morning she was flashing a deep red bolisha beacon from under her tail. I just hope that's a heat-induced reddening and I didn't make her sore yesterday!

So we emptied bottle no 2 - a bit more successful, I think I 'get it' re: the lock now, but I suspect I didn't hold it steady enough once it did lock.

I decided to do bottle no 3 tomorrow as I think I probably started the sequence a bit promptly in my enthusiasm...

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #7 on:** May 10, 2011, 05:03:22 pm »

Well the third bottle went in today, so now it's waiting three weeks to see if it worked.

After the third attempt I now feel a whole lot more confident about it all so if/when I do it again I will be a lot more sure of what and when to do it. Sometimes you just have to have a go at something, eh?

The third bottle was given about 40 hours after the first, and 24 hours after the 'bolisha beacon effect'. She was less keen on standing but in the end BH was pursuaded to give her gentle tummy rubs while I got my end sorted. Once I stopped him playing 'round and round the garden like a teddy bear' and other tickling games we got on fine...

Tudful Tamworths · « **Reply #8 on:** May 10, 2011, 07:55:25 pm »

One tip, given to me by a top pig vet: don't change anything for at least three weeks - ideally for up to four weeks. That is, don't move her to new surroundings, don't mix her with other pigs (fine if she was with them already). Certainly don't transport her anywhere. This helps the implantation of embryos. Also, keep her on a big ration (I double it, the week before and until a week after), to ensure she has sufficient nutrition.

Good luck and let us know how things go.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #9 on:** May 11, 2011, 12:40:15 am »

Thanks for that tip Liz. Hmm, now I've got to think ... she's in the big field at the moment but I need to move the ponies back there as they are larding up on better ground. The mare chases the pig so I was planning to move Meg back to the orchard. Maybe I've got to think of another solution.