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Identification of fetal anomalies or accidents of gestation can not be done in a practical manner during gestation without the use of diagnostic ultrasound, and is one of many examples that demonstrate the superiority of reproductive ultrasound over manual palpation and other manners of pregnancy diagnosis in cattle.

This week we have showcased some of the more common disorders seen in the bovine fetus.

Image #1...FEMALE

For the last nine years, I’ve been proud to work for E.I. Medical Imaging. I’m proud of the tiny but innovative staff that we employ. I’m proud of our dedication to our customers and our investment in developing new and cutting-edge technologies from our small facility in Colorado. I’m proud that we’ve kept the vast majority of our design and manufacturing in the U.S. when it would have been so much easier to outsource everything. I’m proud of the name that we’ve made for ourselves by responding to our customers’ needs over our 30-some years in the veterinary ultrasound industry.

But today, while we as a global community face a new challenge in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, I wanted to take a minute and let you know how proud we are of you. Our customer base is made up of animal health experts whose expertise serves us all during this crisis, and many of you are working tirelessly to mitigate the effects of the virus while much of the world retreats into a necessary hibernation.

Are you still sitting on the fence, trying to decide whether to invest in an IBEX^® portable ultrasound? Fertility Management is about timing and decision making. Proper management techniques can ultimately save a farm or dairy operation money. Can you make decisions with inaccurate information or untimely information?

Many fertility managers use blood testing for for their management of their herd. We can provide a better alternative to blood testing your animals. If you do any fertility management work on farms, you should think about the following three reasons ultrasounds are superior to blood tests.

Written by Glenn Selk, PhD. Beef Cattle Specialist Emeritus with the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service.

Now we have another good excuse to cull cows due to bad temperament. Producers that routinely breed cows artificially realize that cows that are unruly and nervous are less likely to conceive to artificial insemination. Presumably, the lowered conception rates were because they have been stressed as they are passed through the working facilities and restrained while being synchronized and inseminated. Research trials indicate, even in the serenity of a natural breeding pasture, cows with bad dispositions are less likely to conceive when mated with bulls.

Image: IBEX^® EVO^® + L7HD, in a Holstein cow

Mummification in bovine fetuses has an incidence of less than 2%. It occurs when there is fetal death for any number of reasons (Trichomoniasis and BVD infections have been specifically implicated as causes), but the CL is retained, the cervix stays closed, and there is no bacteria or oxygen present in the uterus to cause maceration.