Newsletter

Mounting with Ram Mount® Equipment Mounts

The ReproScan 2.0 Monitor was specifically designed to work with Ram Mount mounting equipment. Clients that adapt the Ram Mounts to their ReproScan equipment are very pleased with the results. The advantages of using the Ram Mount equipment include:

1. The ultrasound unit and monitor are up out of the way and therefore safer.
2. The monitor to be positioned exactly so the image is easy to see and clearer.
3. The monitor is not affected by the wind.
4. Cows entering the chute are not distracted because the equipment is not moving.
5. The monitor and the ultrasound unit stay cleaner.
6. The 3 recommended mounting systems are quite universal.
7. Set up is quick and easy.

Considering Efficiency

The beef industry is built on a platform of efficiency; cow-calf operations, stockers, and feed yards all strive for efficiency. For cow-calf producers, reproductive efficiency is the key to success. Many ranches are currently utilizing ultrasound technology to increase their efficiency. In recent years ultrasound technology has greatly improved, offering simpler and more affordable options for both producers and veterinarians. Producers and veterinarians alike can greatly benefit from the implementation of convex probe extension arm ultrasound technology.

Viewing Device Considerations

Monitor versus Goggles for Bovine Reproductive Ultrasound – the debate continues!

Advantages of the ReproScan 2.0 Monitor

Diagnostic Image Quality – The ReproScan 2.0 monitor offers great image quality due to advanced design and internal processing of the ReproScan 2.0 monitor display.

Safety - using a monitor enhances personal safety by improving peripheral vision. Awareness of one’s surroundings should be a goal in everyday life and especially chute-side where too many accidents have occurred in the past.

Preg Checking Check List

It’s time to get ready for preg checking season and here is a list of things to consider:

Your ReproScan Equipment:

• • Charge your batteries in your XTC or BoviScan Curve and monitor.
• • Connect your equipment and turn it on. Ensure that batteries, connectors and cables and chargers are all in good shape.
• • Run the equipment for several hours to make sure that your batteries will give you the time you need at the chute. Battery duration should be: XTC 6 hours, BoviScan Curve 8 hours, ReproScan 2.0 monitor 8 hours, Blue Batteries for ReproScan 1.0 monitor 6 hours. If you have less time than this, please make arrangements for a new battery.

Ram Mount Kit

• • If you haven’t purchased a Ram Mount kit for mounting your monitor at the chute, now is a good time to get one. This inexpensive equipment works great with ReproScan monitors to safely mount the monitor exactly where you want.
• • If you already have a Ram Mount kit, connect the pieces and make sure the parts are all there. Discuss your method of mounting your ReproScan monitor with ReproScan staff to see that you have the Ram Mounts parts that work best with your chute. For example, consider getting a RAM Tough-Claw Large Clamp if you work in tubular chutes. We have had great reviews of this product.

Shorty Arm If you do a lot of short bred cattle, consider ordering a “Shorty” 23” ReproArm. Shorty Arm makes checking heifers at 120 days or less a lot easier in most setups.

Dairy

ReproScan ultrasound equipment provides solutions for all the challenges of dairy cattle reproductive ultrasound. When selecting ultrasound equipment for dairy cattle reproductive examinations, one needs to consider many factors.

Early Pregnancy Diagnosis

A presumptive diagnosis of pregnancy can be made as early as 25 days. This diagnosis is based on the presence of clear uterine fluid and a functional Corpus Luteum greater than 20 mm on the same side as the fluid. These pregnancies must be recheck as the rate of pregnancy loss at this stage can be quite high. Very early pregnancy testing is usually done with a hand held 6.5 MHz linear rectal probe such as BoviScan HD, BoviScan Linear or ReproScan Flexx (6.5 MHz probe). Pregnancy testing 30 days and up gets considerably easier to do. The heart beat in the embryo can be used confirm the viability of the embryo. The 4.0 MHz convex rectal probe can be used for early pregnancy exams with the “arm in cow” method. The larger field of view makes some examinations easier but there is lower resolution for some procedures. Extension arm ultrasound usually starts at 35 days and up in moderate sized seasonally bred dairy cattle.

Small Ruminants

Small Ruminants (Camelids, Sheep, Goats, Deer, Elk) Llamas, alpacas, sheep and goats can be pregnancy tested with ultrasound equipment. The best equipment to use will depend on the stage of gestation and the method that you wish to use. Alpacas and llamas can be pregnancy tested with “arm in animal” between 30 and 90 days after breeding similar to a cow if one’s arm is small enough. Extension arm ultrasound can be used in alpacas and llamas.

Equine

Most veterinarians that are doing equine reproduction will want to use the 6.5 MHz linear rectal probe for early pregnancy checks and for scanning and measuring ovaries. Tendons can be examined with the 7.5 MHz L40 probe. The 3.5 MHz C60 convex T handle probe is the probe of choice for equine abdominal exams. If the practice has a 4.0 MHz convex rectal probe, this probe is useful for advanced pregnancy testing in ranch mares.

Companion Animal

For companion animal examinations, the 6.5 MHz C20 micro convex is the most commonly used probe. Routine examination of the bladder, uterus, abdomen for fluid, thorax for fluid, can be done with the Flexx with this 6.5 MHz probe. The 3.5 MHz C60 T handle probe may be used for large dogs and the 7.5 MHz L40 T handle probe is recommended for very small dogs, tendons and cats.

Having the right ultrasound equipment for mixed animal practice is a challenge. Providing bovine, equine, small ruminant and companion animal ultrasound examinations for your clients is a challenge. Multiple probes are involved as the organs and body systems examined are all very different in shape and size between species. A mixed animal practitioner may be called upon to exam equine tendons, pregnancy test goats, exam a dog for ascites and pregnancy test cows all in the same day! Having a multi-probe ultrasound unit in each mobile veterinary unit helps make the challenging days for a rural mixed animal practitioner much easier.

Swine

Pregnancy testing sows at day 21 to 28 is a very economical procedure in modern pork production. Sows are relatively easy to ultrasound when restrained in a crate. With more production switching to loose housing for sows, pregnancy testing is more of a challenge. The BoviScan S60 with 3.5 MHz C60 T handle probe is ideal for pregnancy testing sows transabdomenally in crates and/or loose housing. Most people prefer the Vista goggles for this job. The BoviScan S60 can worn with the waist strap or put in a backpack for added protection.

Beef

ReproScan ultrasound equipment is ideally suited for reproductive ultrasound in cow/calf and beef production, especially pregnancy testing and fetal aging pregnancies in beef cattle.

There are 2 main types of reproductive ultrasound on cow calf operations. The first is the traditional “arm in cow” ultrasound that traditionally has been used for early pregnancy diagnosis and fetal aging (less than 120 days) and fetal gender determination in fetuses 58 to 80 days. The second type of reproductive ultrasound is extension arm ultrasound. With ReproScan equipment, this is done with a 4.0 MHz convex rectal probe on the extension arm (ReproArm). With the larger field of view provided by the 4.0 MHz convex rectal probe, more of the fetus can be seen at one time and pregnancy testings and some degree of fetal aging can be done from 30 days and up.