Palpate vs Ultra Sound

[dt34715]

What would be advantages and disadvantages of each? What would you consider the safest?

 

[Jessica06]

With ultrasound, you can preg check much earlier, with almost no margin of error, and age them accurately within about 10 days up until the fetus is about 120 days old. ie. a 45 day fetus is noticeably different than a 55 day fetus. You can also detect twins, sex, and viability. The downside is that it's hard to age anything over about 4-5 months with a lot of accuracy. That is where palpation is better. Of course, the difference might be nil if they are ultrasounded by hand. Ours uses a probe, and we palpate everything that looks open. I would consider ultrasound to be safer, especially with short bred cows.

 

[Hook]

A hand is free, ultrasound equipment isn't. Palp is more intrusive and a higher risk on short breds.

 

[cow pollinater]

I had a few customers try ultrasound to diagnose cows earlier. The problem that they ran into was diagnosing cows before early embryonic death had done it's damage so what they were finding was that it was mandatory to confirm everything. They have all since decided that finding out fifteen days earlier was not worth it and they're back to palping.

 

[regolith]

I had a few customers try ultrasound to diagnose cows earlier. The problem that they ran into was diagnosing cows before early embryonic death had done it's damage so what they were finding was that it was mandatory to confirm everything. They have all since decided that finding out fifteen days earlier was not worth it and they're back to palping.

That's interesting. Early pregnancy testing to identify the earliest calvers is being pushed very hard here - I've just received a flyer in the mail telling me I should be doing that now - but from talking to a vet last year I got the impression no one actually does it.
I was just thinking that at this stage I could as easily get the information I want from an early pregnancy test as from improved heat detection, but I'd never put the cows through that (and pay for it) without very good reason. Like if they're being sold, it has to be done, or if you have workers who don't know what a cycling cow looks like.

The backpack ultrasound is very good. Vets are using it to do small groups, where previously they were setting up a lot of equipment to ultrasound a whole herd but they'd only palp a group of twenty or so. They still manually check any cows that appear open on the ultrasound.

 

[pricefarm]

I like just taking a blood sample. It doesn't tell u how far along the cow is but if you know when u put the bull in and when u took him out them u can get pretty close. They have to be 30 days breed to do the blood test.

 

[Lucky_P]

I'm working with a veterinarian right now who has a seedstock producer client. Have had several small groups of cows that were confirmed pregnant on blood test at less than 60 days - back in March. Now have about a 20% 'open' rate in several of those groups. Of course, no one noticed those cows aborting - and depending upon WHEN they aborted, there may not have been much to see; unless you were right there when she dumped that small package of fetal membranes, you wouldn't necessarily know.
Folks - even veterinarians - talk about cows 'reabsorbing' pregnancies. That doesn't happen. They abort. It's just that if it's early in the pregnancy, you're rarely gonna find the fetus or placenta, except by sheer accident.

Thus far, all serologic testing for infectious abortifacient agents has come up negative, and we're now looking at mineral status(Cu, Se, Mn, Fe, etc.) - but this is a well-managed herd, and I don't anticipate finding anything out of whack...

I never got enough practice palpating to feel comfortable with confirming anything less than 45-60 days; colleagues who were in cows all day long every day...were probably consistently reliable at 28 days. But...some of those 28 day pregnancies are not gonna persist...
And, in my hands...anything beyond 4 months is just 'bred'. I might stick my neck out and say second or third trimester, but so far as saying 7 months, 8 months, or making a projection as to the size of the calf...I can't do it - and think that most people who do so are likely blowing smoke, for the most part.