Clinical management of cattle twin pregnancy

Question 1

Clinical diagnosis of twin pregnancy in cattle

Twinning in cattle

Answer 1

• Unipara
• Effects: environment, nutrition, climatic seasonal factors, age, parity
• Different judgement in dairy and beef
• Low h2 (0.01 – 0.09)
• Quantitative trait loci: chromosomes 5,7, 19, 23

Question 2

Clinical diagnosis of twin pregnancy in cattle

Results of early pregnancy diagnoses in 3 Hungarian dairy farm

Answer 2

Total: n=1253 (100%)

Twin: n=105 (8,4%)
Unilateralis: n=57 (54,3% of twins)
Bilateralis: n=48 (45,7% of twins)

Singleton: n=1148 (91,6%)
Right: n=670 (58,4% of singletons)
Left: n=670 (41,6% of singletons)

Question 3

Clinical diagnosis of twin pregnancy in cattle

Incidence of twin pregnancy in dairy herds

Answer 3

• More common in dairy
• East Europe: 2.4%
• At calving time: 6-8 %, 3.4 %
• At early pregnancy exam: 10-20%
• Co dominant follicles ovulate
• Bilateral twins are more common
• Monozygotic twins are low: 4-6 %

Question 4

Clinical diagnosis of twin pregnancy in cattle

Incidence of twin pregnancy in dairy herds

Causes

Answer 4

1. Milk production
2. Different preovulatory FSH patterns
3. Due to increased metabolism increased blood flow though the liver

Preovulatory hormones treatment is not a cause

Question 5

Clinical diagnosis of twin pregnancy in cattle

Consequences of twin pregnancy in dairy cattle

Answer 5

• Abortion: 2,5 3x
• Freemartinism
o Placental anastomes
o Day 35: placental union
o Freemartinism: Sertoli cells, AMH o Diagnose: clinical examination
• Foetal mortality:
o During foetal development of gestation if one foetus dies surely the other will also die
• Length of pregnancy: shorter 3.5 – 8 days
• Dystocia
• Placental retention
• Postpartum reproductive performance decrease

Question 6

Twin pregnancy diagnosis

Answer 6

• Rectal palpation
    o Palpation of the fluctuation NON SPECIFIC     
    o Amniotic Sac palpation
    o Foetal membrane slipping
• Ultrasonography
• Pregnancy protein measurement
    o bPAG blood o bPAG milk
    o bPSPB blood
• Progesterone concentration measurement NON SPECIFIC

Concentrations of maternal P4 concentrations in twin and singleton carrier animals in the first
trimester of pregnancy