Ogema - Cattle herds in Saskatchewan suffer economical loss every year due to abortions and stillbirths. There are many causes of abortions that include viruses, bacteria, and nutritional deficiencies. Determining the cause may be able to decrease the economical losses by modifying management practices to prevent the abortions. Identifying infectious causes like BVD or nutritional deficiencies can reduce the losses that may be otherwise over-looked on a year to year basis.
Prairie Diagnostic Services Laboratory (PDS) and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture have collaborated to perform laboratory testing on bovine fetuses submitted through bovine practitioners between December 2008, and March 31, 2009. The study will accept a maximum of 225 fetuses, with up to 4 fetuses from a single herd. Fetuses are eligible for the study if they are stillborn or have only lived shortly after birth. The fetuses will not be accepted if they are severely decomposed or scavenged.
Participating veterinary clinics can receive aborted or stillborn calves, preferably with a sample of placental membranes, and do an initial post mortem exam. PDS will perform a comprehensive lab exam on the submitted tissues that include viral, bacterial and other infectious causes of abortions along with mineral levels. This testing is funded by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture. The required tissue samples will be submitted by the veterinarian along with a short questionnaire completed by the producer. The herd owner will not be charged for the postmortem or lab testing when participating in this project.
Please contact us at the Deep South Animal Clinic if there are any abortions or stillborn calves in your herd between December 2008, and March 31, 2008. We will advise you if the fetus is eligible for submission to the study. When the testing has been completed and the results analyzed, the herd owner will be provided with a summary report.
Dr. Tiffany Pomarenski D.V.M.
Deep South Animal Clinic.
Ogema, Saskatchewan
Vets Voice
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Published on
January 13, 2009
- Published on February 1, 2010
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Staff ~ Radville & Deep South Star
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