Bovine: Repro Flashcards
How do you detect pregnancy in cows?
- eval herd fertility (bull/cow fert)
- monitor repro health for dz’s
- Approx. calving dates to sort cows according to dates
- Cull open cows to save maintenance costs, prevent dz transmission, concentrate of calving distribution
- reestab a valid VCPR with vetclinic
- Convenient time to booster vx
At what time do you typically palpate for pregnancy?
manual palpation rectally at 35-45 days pregnant
does have risk of pregnancy loss
How do we use ultrasound for pregnancy detection?
rectal probe at 13-21 days
1% less pregnancy loss
can detect twins, gestational age, sex
not so hard on shoulder joint
How do we use blood for pregnancy detection?
blood samples from coccygeal blood and submit to lab
producers in areas w/o vet services
What causes dystocia in cattle?
5% multiparous cows and 10% heifers
caused by maternal/fetal mismatch bc bulls w/ high birth weight calves
also from malposition, long gestation and over/under conditioned cattle
what are the signs of dystocia?
Early intervention!
after amnion is present at vulva, time for calf on ground for cows (1hr) and heifers (1.5-2hrs)
calve heifers before cows about 2-3 wks prior to allow better surveillance, reduce dz transmission and reduced colostrum quality/calving grounds clearer
What happens to calves with dystocia?
calves have 2.4x inc chance of dz, increased stress, inadequate colostrum and inc mortality by 9-18%
How can we minimize effects of dystocia?
heifers prior to cows, proper facilities to assist, clean/dry calving area, timely intervention, proper resuscitation, adequate colostrum intake, pai control for cow/calf, proper pen management to prevent dz transmission, treat dz’d calves quickly
When should we intervene?
1-2hrs since amniotic sac @vulva
feet + nose at vulva but no progress after 30 min
active labor but no amniotic sack
solves of hooves pointing up (posterior presentation)
more than two hooves at vulva (twings, single calf with hind foot also in canal)
feet only no nose at vulva (head back)
tail only at vulva (breach
WEAR GLOVES to protect cow AND you from dz
What do we need to do to a calf after dystocic delivery?
calf must be resuscitated in a recovery position, look for straw in nose, water in ear and rub vigorously
do NOT hang upside down to prevent abdominal contents press on diaphragm, restrict respiration
fluids is from stomach and not the lungs
What is a vaginal delivery and what equipment do we need?
Reposition calf if necessary/possible
require bucket w/ warm water, rectal sleeves, calving suit, calving chains/handles/jack puller/snare, J-lube
don’t be too aggressive and make the decision for c-section early
What pain medication can be used for birth?
administer NSAID to both calf/dam after a difficult birth for a brighter calf, increased bonding and colostrum intake
When do we call a vet when a cow is in dystocia? what can we do if the calf is alive vs dead?
call when there is a breech, uterine torsion, not dilated, deformed or unsuccessful after 15 minutes
C-section is alive and fetotomy is dead calf
How do we prepare for a C-section?
block and prep left paralumbar fossa as the left side used as rumen helps keep intestines in abdomen as uterus and calf are exteriorize
Clock options are paraveterbral and epidural
What is a fetotomy and what equipments do we need for it?
to cut a calf into small pieces to assist removal vaginally
equipment is hand held fetotomy knife, snare, frick speculum if fetotome not available +/- scapel
J-lube + pump and hose
In terms of abortion and infertility rates, what is the ideal % of pregnant cows at the end of breeding season. When should we be concerned with open cows? How often is abortion in cows vs heifers
Ideally >95% pregnant at end of breeding season
Concerning when >6% cows, >8% heifers open at pregnancy detection
>3% abortion in cows, 6% in heifers
What happens when abortion and infertility strikes? what could be a cause of abortion?
abortion storm outbreaks through investigation for dietary changes, vx protocols, new animals introduced and what stage of gestation they were in.
Can be caused by vita A + E deficiency, poor BCS, toxicity, BVD, Bovine herpes virus, neosporisis, tritrichomoniasis, leptospirosis, brucellosis, campylobacteriosis, clamydia
How can BVDV affect abortion? What happens at conception, 1-4 months and 4-6 months of gestation? How can we prevent this?
@ conception: early abortion/reabsorption
1-4 mo: abortion, resoprtion, fetal defects, persistently infected
4-6mo: ocular, CNS, bone congenital defects, still born, premature/dysmature, weak
prevent by id’ing and fully persistently infected calves, inc biosecurity and vx
What is tritrichomoniasis and campylobacterosis? how is it spread? How can you test?
Tritricho - trich = protozoal parasite, vibrio = bacteria
spread to cows during breeding - asymp in bulls
test by scraping of bulls prepuce at semen collection for a PCR
What is vaginal prolapse? how do we treat? prognosis?
over conditioned/under exercised cows suspectible - especially in late pregnancy
its the relaxation of the pelvic ligaments in which the vaginal prolapses out of the vulva, pressure causes the cow to strain and exacerbates prolapse
tx w/ epidural, replace, buher stitch
px excellent but likely to recur
What is uterine prolapse? Emergent? tx? px?
prolapse of the uterus
After partruition - common bc of hypocalcemia
Emergent - causes endotoxemia, hypovolemia, uterine artery hemorrhage, ketosis
tx w/ caudal epidural, replace prolapse, buher stitch
px guarded + reduced fertility
What can mastitis be from? what % of dairy herds have subclinical mastitis?
from staph aureus and strep agalactiae
can be acute/chronic
can be clinical/subclinical
75% have subclinical mastitis
What are the clinical and subclinical symptoms of mastitis?
clinical: dec milk prod, anorexia, fever, swelling/heat of affected quarter
subclin: elevated somatic cell count in bulk tank - California mastitis test
How can we treat mastitis clinically vs subclinially? what is the prognosis for mild, severe, clin, cubclin and acute
tx w/ frequent stripping of udder
clinical: systemic + intramammary antibiotics and NSAIDS
Subclin: intramam antibiotics, milk discarded to meet drug WT’s
px - excellent for mild/subclin
poor - severe/clin/acute
How can we prevent mastitis?
dry cow intramam antibiotics, clean milking parlor, wash hands/wear gloves while washing teats
germicide dip of teats after milking
What is urolithiasis? is it an emergency? what are the symptoms, tx and px?
Occurs in feedlot steers (or on high protein, high conc, low forage diets)
the urinary calculi that blocks the narrow urethra of steers (bc of early castration), common site is sigmoid flexure
EMERGENT
symp: stranguria, dysuria, dependant edema, enlarged abdomen, skin necrosis, and death bc of cardiac + kidnehy failure
tx w/ remove calculi + perineal urethrostomy
px guarded by a salvage procedure
