Effect of student transrectal palpation on early pregnancy loss in dairy cattle

Abstract

Transrectal palpation of the reproductive tract is the most common method for pregnancy determination in cattle and is considered a veterinary skill that new veterinary medicine (DVM) graduates should perform proficiently. However, using privately owned cattle to train students can be difficult because producers may believe that transrectal palpation by inexperienced students increases the risk of pregnancy wastage compared with examination by an experienced clinician. We used a randomized field trial of 1,216 healthy Holstein and Jersey cattle in 2 commercial dairy herds to estimate the effect of veterinary student transrectal palpation on early pregnancy loss. All cattle were determined to be pregnant using transrectal ultrasonography at approximately 37 d after artificial insemination. Cattle were then allocated into 2 groups based upon their ear tag number (study group = 598; control group = 618). Cattle in the study group were immediately palpated after ultrasonography by a fourth-year veterinary student, whereas control cattle were not subject to any additional pregnancy assessment. For analysis, the student palpators were divided into 2 groups: students who had previously had formal palpation training via an elective bovine palpation class (n = 30) and students who had not had palpation training (n = 134). All cattle were reevaluated using transrectal ultrasonography approximately 70 d after artificial insemination. A total of 53 (4.36%) animals lost their pregnancy between the first and second pregnancy assessments. Of the animals that lost their pregnancy, 26 (4.35%) were study group cows and 27 (4.37%) were control cows. Of the 26 cows documented to have had pregnancy loss within the study group, 20 out of 378 (5.3%) had been palpated by students who had not taken the palpation elective and 6 out of 220 (2.7%) had been palpated by students who had completed the elective. We found no difference in pregnancy loss between student-palpated and clinician-ultrasounded cattle, supporting the safety of using privately owned animals for student bovine palpation and pregnancy diagnosis training without affecting early pregnancy loss.

Seroprevalence and Clinical Outcomes of Neospora caninum, Toxoplasma gondii and Besnoitia besnoiti Infections in Water Buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis)

“…RFM); the age of the animals was also recorded. Each water buffalo enrolled was submitted to a complete clinical examination with particular focus on the reproductive apparatus performed through visual examination of external genitalia, trans-rectal palpation and ultrasound according to the indication of Bond et al [38] (data not shown). Jugular blood was collected in tube containing serum separator (Vacutainer ® , Becton and Dickinson, Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA) at time of examination.…”

Efficacy validation of a low-cost handmade simulator (SIMCA-COW) in palpation, ultrasonography evaluation, and artificial insemination in cows

“…There is controversy among authors about how rectal palpation affects pregnant cows. Some studies suggest that rectal palpation in early stages may be a major cause of pregnancy loss [ 20 , 21 ], while others provide evidence that palpation does not affect fetal loss [ 10 , 22 ] although it may be a stressor [ 8 ]. This fact, combined with the limited resources of veterinary schools, the increase in the number of students in lecture halls and the low availability of animals for teaching due to welfare regulations, reduces teaching opportunities in live animals [ 23 ], justifying the increased use of simulators in theriogenology.…”

“…Some authors claim that teaching rectal palpation is a practice that induces a stress response in cows, as well as a reduction in vagal tone [ 8 ] and that repetitive rectal palpation and insemination practices can affect bovine health and productivity [ 9 ]. Other studies suggest the safety of using live animals for bovine palpation training [ 10 ]. The use of simulators in high education enables practical training by repetition in similar to real-life situations, ensuring the correct performance of the technique before applying it to live animals [ 11 ].…”

The Role of Transrectal Sonography in Pregnancy Diagnosis in Cattle

“…Early studies have been criticized for faulty methodology, including lack of control groups. 16,35 More recent studies have demonstrated that PPR does not contribute to a higher pregnancy loss compared to doing nothing or doing TRUS. 16,24,34,35 Pregnancy loss with TRUS was reported between 4.2% and 6.5% when sonography was performed at 25 to 30 days post breeding and then rectally palpated 60 days later.…”