Determining Bovine Pregnancy Status

Jul 20, 2015

Maintaining a successful reproductive program on today’s dairies is an arduous task. While it is rewarding to hear a pronouncement of pregnancy, there is not much the manager can do with that diagnosis. Except wait. Wait to recheck later to make sure the calf is growing. Wait for a calf to be born. So while it is tempting to focus on a positive pregnancy diagnosis, it is important to remember that an early non-pregnancy diagnosis is valuable information to act upon.

The sooner non-pregnant cows can be identified, the sooner they can be re-inseminated. Coupling a non-pregnancy diagnosis with a management decision to quickly reinitiate AI service improves reproductive efficiency and pregnancy rate. Repeat breeders who fail to become or stay pregnant also offer management the option to make a culling decision.

There are direct and indirect methods used to determine pregnancy status. Direct methods involve the direct detection of the tissues and/or associated fluids of the conceptus either manually by transrectal palpation or visualized by transrectal ultrasound. Indirect methods measure reproductive hormones at specific stages after AI or the detection of conceptus specific substances in maternal body fluids.

In Determining Bovine Pregnancy Status, UW-Extension Taylor County Agriculture Agent Sandy Stuttgen and UW-Extension St. Croix County Agriculture Agent Ryan Sterry discuss the direct and indirect methods in determining pregnancy in a cow.

Source:uwex.edu

Video: Intrauterine Vaccines in Swine - Dr. Heather Wilson

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Heather Wilson from VIDO at the University of Saskatchewan explains how intrauterine vaccination is being developed as a new option for swine health. She shares how formulation, adjuvants, and delivery methods influence immune responses and what early trials reveal about safety and reproductive performance. Listen now on all major platforms.

"The idea was that an intrauterine vaccine might avoid a tolerance response and instead create an active immune response."

Meet the guest: Dr. Heather Wilson / heather-wilson-a8043641 is a Senior Scientist and Program Manager at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan. Her work centers on vaccine formulation and delivery in pigs, including the development of intrauterine vaccination to support reproductive health and passive protection of piglets. Her background spans biochemistry, immunology, and functional pathogenomics.