theblueakita
New member
I was just wondering if anyone here could explain to me what "flushing" actually is. It would be greatly appreciated, I missed the day in class that we discussed this.
Thanks!
Thanks!
You are a vet student and don't know what a flush is????theblueakita":2vbbk65h said:I was just wondering if anyone here could explain to me what "flushing" actually is. It would be greatly appreciated, I missed the day in class that we discussed this.
Thanks!
Flushing is the process by which you harvest a fertilized egg (embryo) from a cow. Usually in the aspect of most flushes , you are harvesting several embryo at once. This is acomplished by stimulating a super ovulation with the assistance of FSH (folicle stimulating hormone) . With the fsh the donor cow (the one you are flushing) produces more eggs this cycle than normal . Usually around 8 or 10. These are fertilized either by natural service if you own the bull or by artificial insemination. The cow once brought into super ovulation is bred during standing heat. The donor cow then incubates the fertilized eggs till day 7. At this time the embryo are still preblastocytes but are mature zygotes (I think). The method for harvesting is as follows. You insert a cathater into the front of the cervix. The cather is extended to block off the anterior mouth of the cervix. Flushing medium is then released into the uterus and both horns of the uterus is manipulated to express the medium back toward the cathater. The catheter (I can't spell , surely one way is right) leads back through the cows vagina and posterior to the vagina (outside the cow) there is a valve. The tech opens a squeeze clamp on the catheter tube releasing the medium into a container with a screen smaller than the embryo but that lets the fluid drain through. This process is repeated until the uterus is throughly washed. Once the embryo are in the screen/strainer the tech takes the container with the screen and rinses the contents into a petree dish. The dish is placed under a wide angle low power microscope and the embryo are sorted from the medium , graded for maturity and viability , and washed with a calf serum. The embryo are then gathered into a freezing medium (ethelene glycol normally now days) and frozen or they are inserted directly into a waiting recipient cow which has been brought into estrus to syncronize with the donor cow (day 7). Under optimal circumstances somewhere around 50% pregnancy rate can be expected. Hope this helps. If I missed something or got something incorrect maybe someone will help us out. Good luck.theblueakita":11lj586d said:Actually, for your information, this is my first semester and it is for my FIRST Animal Breeds & Husbandry class. Only the first of six semesters-- to be totally honest, I had mono and missed the first day of Bovine study when she listed the terms we should know; flushing was included in that list. I was able to figure out the rest of them, and had a general idea of what flushing was but I wanted a clearer definition from someone who I knew could give me one.
But let me thank you for your support, Scotty.
Seriously. Thanks to the rest of you for helping me out. :3
milkmaid":t2g1f8w9 said:To get the name "vet tech", at least in my area, doesn't involve anything special other than getting the job.
theblueakita":14eljtmv said:That is the program that I am in, in NC. It is not required here in order to get a job as a Vet Tech, but I'd prefer to know what I'm doing before I jump into it all.
Scotty":1hozlfnr said:theblueakita":1hozlfnr said:That is the program that I am in, in NC. It is not required here in order to get a job as a Vet Tech, but I'd prefer to know what I'm doing before I jump into it all.
Maybe I can redeem myself one of these days. I would say if you are serious about going into that line of work it is better to have all the certifications and such. More pay and will help open yourself into a bigger job market.
Scotty