Predicting pregnancy loss

It has become general practice nowadays for dairy managers to use tools which allow for pregnancy diagnosis earlier than the traditional 35 to 45 days after insemination. Early pregnancy diagnosis enables early identification of open cows and allows sufficient time for reinsemination strategies, which will help reduce days open and increase profitability. Pregnancy loss in dairy herds is a major concern and was the subject of a recent research study conducted in Brazil with more than 400 pregnant, lactating Holstein cows. Ultrasound was used to determine pregnancy 31 days after insemination. 12% of the cows had lost their pregnancy on day 59 and 7% more lost their pregnancy before calving. However, the study pointed out that circulating pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAG) on day 31 were higher in the cows that kept their pregnancy between days 31 and 59. Researchers also found that it would have been possible to predict future pregnancy loss with about 95%  accuracy by setting a minimum PAG level on day 31. To read more, click HERE.