NZVA Bovine Ultrasound Course (Intermediate & Advanced)

BCF Ultrasound supports the NZVA’s upcoming Intermediate & Advanced Bovine Ultrasound courses.

These courses are designed to improve your confidence and competence in all aspects of cattle ultrasound, including pregnancy diagnosis, foetal aging, ovarian scanning and foetal sexing.

Accurate early pregnancy test data aids with the reproductive management of dairy herds.

About this course

Intermediate course – pregnancy detection and fetal aging

A high level of accuracy in pregnancy detection and foetal aging is both expected and required for optimal herd reproductive management. Increase your knowledge and skills scanning cattle accurately, diagnose and age bovine pregnancies using the latest ultrasound equipment and scanning techniques.

The course will cover the following:

• Types of ultrasound machines available
• How they work and how to look after them
• How to find the foetus and use foetal size and structures to accurately age pregnancies
• The limitations of ultrasound scanning and how to make it easier for you and the cow
• How to use and interpret pregnancy test data in the InCalf Fertility Focus Report and become familiar with how MINDA and Infovet can assist with data management.

By improving your competence in bovine ultrasound scanning, you will minimize complaints and risks to your patients, yourself, and your practice.

Advanced course – ovarian scanning and fetal sexing

Ovarian scanning helps determine whether the cows are cycling vs. non-cycling or if ovarian patholoyg is present. Ultrasonography has a higher sensitivity and specificity detecting follicles and CLs than manual palpation, helping to refine breeding programmes.

The sex of a bovine foetus can be readily determined using rectal ultrasound from about 55 days from conception.

The management applications of fetal sexing are numerous and include the following:

• The sale value of bred heifers or cows if they carry a heifer or bull calf.
• Grouping bred heifers by sex of foetus for calving (dystocias are higher with male calves).
• Culling decisions of older pregnant cows if she carries a bull or heifer calf.
• Twins: fetal sexing can distinguish between same-sex twins and freemartins.
• Embryo transfer recipients can be sexed to determine if desired sex is achieved

Format

The new updated bovine ultrasound course is a combination of two weeks online learning followed by a one day intermediate and a one day advanced ultrasound on farm scanning workshop in two locations (central North island and South Island)-providing high quality practical content.

Tutors

Steve Cranefield BVSc, BSc

Steve has 24 years experience in mixed animal practice with the Veterinary Enterprises group where he was involved in clinical work, practice management and veterinary training. His focus over the last six years has been on mastitis management as he helped to establish PureMilk as a senior mastitis consultant. Steve recently joined Agrihealth as a technical manager with a focus on veterinary education. He has tutored the Bovine Ultrasound Roadshow, and the Advanced Mastitis Course and he is a member of the National Mastitis Advisory Council. Steve was recently elected onto the DCV committee and he also sits on the Veterinary Professional Insurance Society (VPIS) board and is an assessor for dairy related insurance claims.

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