Routine Fertility Visit Flashcards
How often do routine fertility visits take place? what about on enormous farms?
Every fortnight.
Maybe weekly on enormous farms.
Name 6 things that the vet is looking for when the cow is put in the crush?
- her demeanor
- locomotion score
- BCS
- Conformation e.g. body/udder
- Vaginal discharge
- Bulling signs
What is the voluntary waiting period?
This is where the cow is not put with the bull even if oestrus is observed following calving.
Name three things that might make it difficult to feel things on a rectal?
- ballooning
- peristalsis
- faeces
After a prostaglandin injection, how soon will the cow be bulling?
3-5 days (2-3 days in 80%)
Why might vets not let students give the prostaglandin injection?
slow, might not do it right, intense contractions (asthmatics) and abortions.
What 4 things does the farmer mean when he has a ‘PD’?
- she is healthy and milking okay
- She has been inseminated
- no bulling activity since insemmination
- no vaginal discharge
Over what size can you call something a follicle?
Over 5mm
What drugs would you give to abort a pregnancy?
Prostaglandins (estrumate) as this breaks down the CL.
Where abouts does the 1st follicular wave fall in cattle?
About 10 days
What can the ultrasound tell us?
- +/- pregnancy
- Pathology of uterus
- pathology of ovaries
- Stage of the oestrus cycle
What three things can we do to improve our guess as to where she is in the cycle?
- history e.g. calving dates and oestrus dates.
- Manual palpation e.g. uterine tone
- Vaginal exam - mucus, blood
When in the cycle does the cow have high tone in the uterus?
During oestrus - this is the opposite to the mare.
In normal bovine cycle, how long is the CL present for?
15 days
What preceedes an LH surge?
High GnRH
What preceeds ovulation?
An LH surge
How long is the follicular phase?
6 days
Whereabouts in the 15 days is the cow least receptive to PGs?
Towards the end of the 25 days.
What are the three vaginal mucosal stages during oestrus?
- Mucus increasing
- Copious amounts of clear mucus (in middle of oestrus)
- Mucus decreasing, often blood stained. no large follicles present.
When progesterone dominants, what will not be produced?
Mucus.
What does the CL produce?
Progesteron
What does the administration of GnRH lead to?
LG surge and leuteinisation of follicles or ovulation.
What else does GnRH injection stimulate the release of?
Small amounts of FSH, but tiny in comparison.
What is a PRID?
Progesterone releasing intravagainal Exam
What is it acting as?
A temporary corpus luteum
How long do you keep the PRID in the cow?
7-11 days
When the PRID is removed, when does the cow then come into oestrus?
2-4 days later.
How long is the license of the PRID?
7 days
What does removal of the PRID mimic?
Luteolysis
What do CL’s look like on ultrasound?
A ball of tissue
What do follicles look like on ultrasond?
A ball of fluid
What is the difference between endometritis and metritis and which is more worrying?
Endometritis is when the lining of the uterus is inflammed and infected - this discharge smells horrible and is yellow in colour.
Metritis is inflammation and infection of the whole uterus - this is very serious and the cow can die!
What is a pyometra?
This is an infection of the uterus and there can be no discharge at all (due to closed cervix), but upon ultrasound, can see pus build-up.
Why might a CL be persistent?
A damaged endometrium might mean cows cannot produce enough PGs to luteulyse the CL.
Is a damaged endometrium self-curing?
Often, cows will self cure when they enter oestrus.
If there is a persistent CL, what is the problem with this?
High progesterone means the uterus is not very good at cleaning out therefore more infection.
What things during oestrus mean the uterus is cleaned out?
The cervix opens, increased blood and mucus flow, squeezing of the uterus, increased blood supply to the area therefore increased inflammation to clear the infection with inflammatory cells.
What would you administer a sick cow?
Parenteral antibiotics
What would you administer a cow with whites and no CL?
Intrauterine antibiotics
what would you administer a cow with whites and a CL?
Prostaglandins to bring her into oestrus.
If you give prostaglandins to a cow, within how many hours do they abort?
Within 48 hours.
