Vet ever miss one?

[Jake]

I find 45-120 days is the easiest to nail down how far along they are, once you get past that calf position and size can be tricky based on what the end birthweight will be and where the pregnancy is being carried. Never call a cow open unless you can for sure feel both horns and even then I want to make sure I don't feel any fluid. Our crew at home has gotten used to if I take more than about 10 seconds that typically means she's open and I'm digging for proof.

 

[WalnutCrest]

Within the last year, we've seen:

* An "open" cow gets an embryo implanted in her (that obviously didn't stick) -- a very expensive whoops!
* A cow that was called "bred 120 days" calved less than 45 days later.

 

[TCRanch]

Last year we had one with a chronic foot problem that we were going to sell as soon as the withdrawal period was up, vet said she'd probably calve mid May. We had her in a separate pasture & wasn't paying close attention so when we pulled up with the trailer March 9, imagine our surprise when we found her with a calf. Whoops! But in defense of our vet, she's flat-out obese and I'm surprised he could even get his arm in there in the first place :hide:

 

[TexasBred]

I find 45-120 days is the easiest to nail down how far along they are, once you get past that calf position and size can be tricky based on what the end birthweight will be and where the pregnancy is being carried. Never call a cow open unless you can for sure feel both horns and even then I want to make sure I don't feel any fluid. Our crew at home has gotten used to if I take more than about 10 seconds that typically means she's open and I'm digging for proof.

On longer bred cows do you then examine the uterine artery to determine term?

 

[BK9954]

I find 45-120 days is the easiest to nail down how far along they are, once you get past that calf position and size can be tricky based on what the end birthweight will be and where the pregnancy is being carried. Never call a cow open unless you can for sure feel both horns and even then I want to make sure I don't feel any fluid. Our crew at home has gotten used to if I take more than about 10 seconds that typically means she's open and I'm digging for proof.

On longer bred cows do you then examine the uterine artery to determine term?

Apparently my vet waits. Bought a young heifer 9 months old, he did ultra sound and said open. Went back at 16 months, ultra sound again and then he realized there was no uterus. Wish he had caught that before I fed her for 9 months and took a $500 hit when the market crashed. Another heifer he was off 3 months buy using his hand. Called the office when the heifer looked like she was going to calve, asked the receptionist if he could have miscalled it. She said "it happens". Now unless I see the cow being bred and he calls it at 30 days with ultra sound, I look for signs within 90 days of what he called. He is a younger guy.

 

[dun]

I find 45-120 days is the easiest to nail down how far along they are, once you get past that calf position and size can be tricky based on what the end birthweight will be and where the pregnancy is being carried. Never call a cow open unless you can for sure feel both horns and even then I want to make sure I don't feel any fluid. Our crew at home has gotten used to if I take more than about 10 seconds that typically means she's open and I'm digging for proof.

On longer bred cows do you then examine the uterine artery to determine term?

Apparently my vet waits. Bought a young heifer 9 months old, he did ultra sound and said open. Went back at 16 months, ultra sound again and then he realized there was no uterus. Wish he had caught that before I fed her for 9 months and took a $500 hit when the market crashed. Another heifer he was off 3 months buy using his hand. Called the office when the heifer looked like she was going to calve, asked the receptionist if he could have miscalled it. She said "it happens". Now unless I see the cow being bred and he calls it at 30 days with ultra sound, I look for signs within 90 days of what he called. He is a younger guy.

I really think that manual preg checking is as much voodoo as science. I've seen really experienced vet totally shank the status and how far along and green vets hit it pretty much dead-nuts on.

 

[Jake]

I find 45-120 days is the easiest to nail down how far along they are, once you get past that calf position and size can be tricky based on what the end birthweight will be and where the pregnancy is being carried. Never call a cow open unless you can for sure feel both horns and even then I want to make sure I don't feel any fluid. Our crew at home has gotten used to if I take more than about 10 seconds that typically means she's open and I'm digging for proof.

On longer bred cows do you then examine the uterine artery to determine term?

I don't, was never taught how.

Only ever doing our own stuff so the later term stuff doesn't typically matter as far as getting dates nailed down.

 

[garnetann]

If a cow was a twin, is she more likely to have twins herself?