7-Bovine Pregnancy Diagnosis

ID which cows aren't pregnant (are "open")

Allow for treatment of open cows

Allow for culling of non-productive cows

Help ID embryonic loss

Adjust management practices

Why pregnancy check cows?

open cows cost the producer

more feed equals more costs

-pregnant and open cows eat the same amount

Why cull non-productive cows?

usually around 30-35 days post AI/exposure

When are pregnancy checks done for dairy cows?

performed at weaning

When are pregnancy checks done for beef cows?

open beef cow 300-400/yearly

open dairy cow 3/daily

DVM 250/hour

ex. if 100 cows and find 5 open cows that saves you about 1500 ... cost to check is 250 * 3 = 750

so save producer 750

Why is it more economic for farmers to pay for pregnancy checks then to just have open cows?

history of exposure to bull

clinical signs of anestrus at 18-24 days post mating

(producer has not seen cow in heat)

not very reliable and subject to error or misinterpretation

What is producer's method for checking for open cows? Is it reliable?

used from ~ 35 days gestation to term

What time frame is trans-rectal palpation used?

cervix

What is the landmark during trans-rectal palpation?

just one stupid dumb butt dont be drama

How many positive signs of pregnancy do you need to ID to confirm pregnancy?

fetal membrane slip

amniotic vesicle

placentomes **

fetus ****

What are the 4 different cardinal signs of pregnancy you can palpate?

trans-rectal ultrasonography

blood test (BioPryn)

progesterone

DO NOT USE WASHER TEST

What are other methods other than trans-rectal palpation to check for pregnancy?

necessary for thorough examination of open tracts and early pregnancies (up to 90 days)

Why do you need to retract the uterus during palpations?

grasp cervix, stand it on external os, work fingers forward until index or middle finger hooks the ventral intercornual ligament, pull the tract onto the pelvic floor

What is the direct method of retracting the uterus?

grasp cervix, stand it on external os, hold cervix back with backside of thumb freeing fingers to grasp the cranial edge of the broad ligament, pull on broad ligament to bring uterine horn into grasp, follow horn to intercornual ligament, hook the ventral intercornual ligament with index or middle finger, pull the tract on to the pelvic floor

What is the indirect method of retracting the uterus?

deep sweep of abdomen with cradled hand and arm and sweep entire tract into pelvis

What is the sweeper method for uterus retraction?

pull heavily on the cervix but cannot be retracted

How do you retract the uterus for later pregnancies?

RETRACT UP NOT BACK

If you retract a known pregnant tract (usually later pregnancy), what is the required method?

30-90 days (fluid fluctuations effect this)

When is the membrane slip in a pregnancy palpable?

membrane slip

What is the earliest palpable sign of pregnancy?

Is "slipped" when palpating the gravid uterine horn

The chorioallantois is the membrane of the fluid sac around fetus so the slip is just feeling the fluid sac membrane move against or slipping under the uterine wall membrane

Might just as easily detect fluid in gravid horn

Where do you palpate the chorioallantois to do the membrane slip?

Feels like strumming your fingers over guitar string covered with a towel

Experience and delicate touch required to detect

BE CAREFUL

-can rupture rectal wall and slip uterus through rupture

What do you feel when you palpate the chorioallantois?

Around 32-35 days

When is the amniotic vesicle first palpable?

To gauge the gestational age

What is the diameter of the amniotic vesicle used to gauge?

Around 55-60 days

BE VERY CAREFUL

When is the amniotic vesicle difficult to palpate?

Maternal caruncle + fetal cotyledon

They are literally like on top of each other in uterus

___ + ___ = placentomes?

Around 80 days

When are placentomes first palpable?

Around 120 arranged in 4 rows

How many placentomes do cattle have?

Size varies with stage of gestation and location

-anywhere from dime to silver dollar size

Size is most consistent just cranial to cervix at level of bifurcation

Use size to gauge gestation length

What does size of placentomes tell you about the pregnancy?

Atleast 3 but more is better before making a fetal age estimate

How many placentomes should you palpate before coming to a conclusion on gestational age?

Should be palpated just at the bifurcation to maintain consistency among animals

Where should you palpate the placentomes? Why?

Convex: cow and giraffe (left)

Concave: sheep and goat (right)

What species have convex/concave cotyledonary?

55-65 days gestation

When is the fetus first palpable?

70 days descent begins

150 days descent complete (usually beyond manual reach now) left side pic

210 days ascent begins

240 days ascent complete (can palpate again) right side pic

What is the timeline of fetus descent and ascent?

60 days =mouse

90 days =rat

120 days =small cat

150 =beagle

210 =doberman

What would you compare the fetal size of cow to in the day intervals of 60, 90, 120, 150, 210?

Asymmetry of the uterine horns

Thinning of uterine wall

Fixation of cervix

Fremitus of middle uterine artery

Presence of CL (time relative to breeding)

Fluid in the uterus***

What is a list of supportive signs of pregnancy?

Gravid uterine horn is pregnant side

Nongravid uterine horn is not pregnant side

What is Gravid vs nongravid uterine horns?

Fremitus in middle uterine artery which is found in broad ligament (movable)

What artery can you feel fremitus (vibration) in gestation? Where is it found?

3 mm =3 months

6mm =4 months

9mm =5 months (ipsilateral fremitus)

12mm =6 months (ipsilateral larger, fremitus both)

12+mm =7 months (both large with fremitus)

Often unremarkable

What mm vibration is felt at 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 months?

With stress of the cow (HR)

What can cause variability in fremitus of the cow?

It is found in broad ligament which is movable but can get confused with iliac artery but that is immovable

What can you get the middle uterine artery confused with?

During the 1st half of gestation

Best 35-40 days for experienced palpate

Best 50-55 for less experienced

When is estimation of stage of pregnancy the most accurate?

Use diameter of pregnant horn and vesicle

What do you use for first half of gestation to estimate stage of pregnancy?

Diameter of placentomes

Size of fetus

Middle uterine artery diameter

Crown-rump length

What should you use later in gestation to estimate the stage of pregnancy?

1. Normal variation in size and thickness of uterus

2. Heifers easier than cows/thin cows easier than fat cows

3. Some breeds are easier

4. Parity

5. Dependent on skill, experience and frequency of palpation

What are the top 5 factors that can vary accuracy of outcome for early pregnancy diagnosis? (30-35 days)

Related to length of broad ligament, length of tract, and location of uterus

Jerseys worst!!!

Why are some breeds easier to diagnose pregnancy?

Rectal perforation

Rupture of amniotic vesicle or fetal heart sac

Palpation of amniotic vesicle has been loosely associated with intestinal atresia in the offspring

Aggressive membrane slip/palpation may terminate the pregnancy via PGF2alpha release

What are some hazards of palpation?

Most useful after 24 days

Heartbeat detectable

What days is a trans-rectal ultrasound most useful? What is detected?

55-80 days

(ID of EED is also possible)

When can you determine fetal gender with trans-rectal ultrasound?

130 days- 30cm

150 days- 37.5cm

155 days- 39cm

160 days- 43cm

170 days- 47cm

240 days- 75cm

List the CRL (crown rump length) in cm of these days- 130, 150, 155, 160, 170 and 240 days of estimated age?

AV= amniotic vesicle

BPD= bi parietal diameter

CRL= crown rump length

HL= head length

TD= trunk diameter

For ultrasound abbreviations what do they stand for?

AV, BPD, CRL, HL and TD

Mean: 25.4

Range: 22 to 30

What is the estimated range of time that the C-shaped embryo is first detected?

Mean: 35.2

Range: 33 to 38

What is the estimated range of time that Placentomes are first detected?

Bovine pregnancy specific protein B

Progesterone

Estrone sulfate

What are three other tests for pregnancy? (Endocrine)

Protein B is secreted by trophoblastic cells

Tested with blood samples

What is the bovine pregnancy specific protein B test testing for? (BioPRYN)

Detectable by 30 days after breeding

> 73 days post calving still detectable

When is protein B first detectable and for how long do levels remain high? BioPRYN

Test blood or milk 20-24 days post breeding

How is progesterone tested?

Nope many false positives

-ovarian abnormalities, pyometra, poor estrus detection

Is progesterone testing reliable?

Estrone is a product of placenta

Present in milk and blood

What is estrone sulfate testing for? How?

Useful after 100 days of gestation

-not practical except in animal that cannot be palpated

When is estrone sulfate tests useful?

Same concentration as pregnancy in the diestrus stage of cycle

Other than pregnancy when is progesterone also high?

Basically baby cow is inside amnion which is floating in fluid which is surrounded by chorioallantois membrane which has multiple cotyledons on the outside that attach to the caruncles that are on then uterine wall creating placetomes this keeps placenta in place in uterus but when the uterus contracts it pops the chorioallantois so now amnion and baby float around til birthed and then after multiple contractions the placentomes detach slowly and allow the afterbirth of placenta to come out...

Way too in depth broken apart cow pregnancy timeline when everything happens and how it looks because I could not understand the concept of cows being inside placenta not next to them ....