pregnancy detectors

strawberriesclint · Post by **strawberriesclint** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 11:39 pm

Hi everyone. Need to pick your brains. I have had problems getting a couple of my dexters in calf, one of them I had injected by the vet twice so i could predict when she would be bulling so I could have her A.I'd. However not sure if she has taken and so I have been toying with the idea of getting a pregnancy detector kit for them as vet bills multiply and get very costly. So I was wondering if any of you fellow members own one yourself or could reccomend one and tell me (gently) how much it is liable to cost. Mant thanks

Cyndy

Jo Kemp · Post by **Jo Kemp** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 9:06 pm

I have used the vet injection to bring two cows in season together to make life easier and cheaper re. AI ..... it is a fairly exact science in that after waiting a certain number of hours (72 seems to ring a bell) after the injection, the AI should be done. One of mine took and the other didn't but she was difficult as foot & mouth meant she had missed a year (I wasn't going to have anyone tramping up to my cattle and I didn't have a bull then)
You don't really 'watch' for the heat after the injection.
I did have success with watching the cows' behaviour, hers and her companions the following year.
A bull is much better though.
I borrowed a young one and he sorted out my difficult one but my own bull is mustard - he catches them at least a month earlier
Jo

strawberriesclint · Post by **strawberriesclint** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 10:09 pm

Hi Jo

Yes I also used that injection and it didnt work and I know a bull is better but I dont have the space to hire in a bull.

My question is apart from having the vet out to P.D my dexters is there a pregnancy detector so I can do it myself?

Cyndy

Carol K · Post by **Carol K** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 11:25 pm

Over in the USA there are people that have used a regular "human" pregnency detector, they do use a certain one, and I can't remember which one, and you do have to obviously wait for a urine sample to try it, they collect the sample in something first! But nevertheless they assure people that it has worked. Maybe you could find out if the ones available in th UK would work the same way, has to cheaper?

Carol K

strawberriesclint · Post by **strawberriesclint** » Wed Feb 16, 2005 10:04 pm

Thanks Carol has to be worth a try. I had considered trying it but thought it wouldn't work but I will try it and let you know. If you can remember which pregnancy detectors they use could you let me know please.

Many thanks all

Cyndy

Carol K · Post by **Carol K** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 12:16 am

Cyndy,
I did look for you, and I know I read it somewhere on a Mini Cow board, but I still can't find it. All I can remember is that there were several people who had said they used the cheapest "human" one they could find, used it 30 days past mating and they had a positive. I must say though that there were others who said that they didn't think it would work as they check for differing things in a human compared to a cow. I'd be interested to know if you try it how it worked out for you, and if I come across the info. I will post it.

Carol

Jim Taylor · Post by **Jim Taylor** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 9:39 pm

In a recent television programme Hugh Fernley whittingstall was shown how to tell if a cow was pregnant by internal examination. Can anyone comment if this is a practical option for the smallholder (me) and what age does the foetus need to be to have a reasonable chance of detecting it.

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 10:25 pm

ON NO ACCOUNT SHOULD ANY UNQUALIFIED PERSON attempt a rectal examination of a cow. There are many professional options from using your vet who may use manual pregnancy diagnosis or use ultrasound, to using your local AI service many of whom have trained ultrasound operators, to getting blood or milk samples checked.
Having said all that, I have to say that it is an unfortunate complication of keeping only one or two cows, or at any rate very small numbers, that many things which work out reasonably economic for commercial farms are quite different in the Dexter world. But it does pay to think ahead and make best use of your vets time when he/she does visit - be as organised as possible, coordinate as many jobs as possible, and ask if they will charge at an hourly rate for time on farm rather than a standard rate for each job. But remember that if you are on an hourly rate if it takes half an hour to get a stubborn cow to where she should be that is expensive.

Sorry for the rant, I look forward to the flack!!!!

Duncan

PeterO · Post by **PeterO** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 11:29 pm

Hi

Duncan has the right approach - I combined chondodysplasia blood samples (incl vials etc) and manual PDs for three cows with a (free) TB test visit and I was charged £22 by my vet which I thought was pretty good (especially as a heifer decided to depart for points further west and he had to come back a second time - perhaps he has a good sense of humour)!

The normal charge (if combined with something else) for a PD is £3 but get the local farm vet or you can start adding 0's to that.

Peter

Sylvia · Post by **Sylvia** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 9:22 am

Yep, I agree. Find a good cow vet and get things done in groups if poss. Disbudding, dehorning, castration pd ing, but tell him/her what you want before they come so they can leave enough time. I even get the dogs vaccinated!! It saves the time of taking them to the surgery. By the way, livestock vet fees are significantly different to pet fees. Try not to muddy the waters by calling your dearly beloved Dexter darlings PET cows. It shouldn't matter but it has in the past with Pygmy goats where some vets cost their treatment as livestock and others have clobbered their owners with pet costs for c/s sections and the like.

Peter thornton · Post by **Peter thornton** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 10:57 pm

I use a Renco Pregtone for pigs. It cost just over £100 from the US.

I think a cattle version is available but it costs a bit more than this. Possibly something to consider for local clubs?

PeterO · Post by **PeterO** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 11:21 pm

Peter

What is it - a scanner?

Peter thornton · Post by **Peter thornton** » Sun Mar 20, 2005 1:24 am

The pig version is not a scanner in that there is no image to be seen. It sends an ultrasonic signal which then reflects back if it encounters fluid. This means that provided you point it in the right direction it will emit a tone if it encounters amniotic fluid. Basically it is a simple yes/no device. It won't tell you how many, for example.

strawberriesclint · Post by **strawberriesclint** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 11:52 pm

Hello everyone.

Yes Peter Renco does a pregnancy detectors for cattle called 'preg alert' however it costs $2,295.00.

Cyndy