Growing up as the vet’s kid must be a very unique experience. I know my wife Emily and I have had our children grow up with us every step of the way in the truck running farm calls. A good example of this happened a while back when we were called to calving problem at a large dairy. The calf was coming backwards and I thought I might have a teaching moment for my kids. So, we hooked up the chains and my eight year old daughter Caylee helped pull the calf. Once the calf was on the ground, I put a sleeve back on and told Caylee that I was going to reach back into the cow and asked her if she could think of any reason I would want to do that since the calf was already out. She thought about it for a few moments and asked, “To see if there is another calf?” I said, “That’s right!” So I reached in and there was a second calf coming backwards. So, we hooked up the chains and pulled the second calf. Once again, I put on a sleeve and told Caylee I was going to reach back into the cow and asked her now that the twins were out, could she think of any reason that I would reach back in. She thought for just a moment and asked, “To see if there is another calf?” And I said, “Exactly!” And what a teaching moment it was because there was a third calf coming backwards. I couldn’t help but think that I was 35 years old before I saw my first set of triplets born and that my daughter was getting to see it at eight! So, we hooked up the chains and pulled the third calf. And at that point I asked, “What do you want me to do?” Caylee quickly replied, “Put a sleeve on and reach back in!” (more…)
A Closer Look
Hurricane Harvey Relief
AETA Members,
As many of you know, Hurricane Harvey has caused extensive, disastrous damage and flooding in Texas and on the Gulf Coast. Thousands have lost their homes and businesses, and their lives have been forever changed. Included in those affected are farmers and ranchers.
Below are some organizations accepting aid and donations to help the farmers, ranchers, and livestock that have been affected by Hurricane Harvey.
Catching Up with Dr. Matt Iager
Welcome to MD-West-View Genetics in Boonsboro, Maryland, the home farm of Dr. Matt Iager, his wife Laura, and children Noah and Brooke. Matt currently serves as treasurer of AETA and chairs the education committee. He was a partner with Mid-Maryland Dairy Veterinarians in Hagerstown, Maryland for twenty years. He started his own business, MD-West-View Genetics, from his strong interest in registered dairy cattle breeding. He now shares his time working with both companies as a certified practitioner with AETA. Matt frequently partners with his brothers Mike at Bulldog Holsteins and Mark at Maple Lawn Farm along with several other great breeders and wonderful friends. His embryo business consists of a donor facility and small recipient herd with both a certified lab and mobile veterinary lab.
AETA Practice Tip
By Marianna Jahnke and Dr. Tyler Dohlman, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University
Who has not gotten frustrated with a straw exploding or issues with loading a direct transfer 0.25-cc straw? Last year we had some problems with the yellow 0.25-cc DT straws that are commercially sterilized and repackaged in groups. We had a few straws exploding, and within those straws we noticed that the cotton plugs and the PVC were separating during the loading process. As we were pulling the last column of ethylene glycol, the ethylene glycol kept going through the cotton plugs into the syringe as seen on the images. As we all have been trained and continue to train others, it is important to make sure fluid penetrates the PVC and cotton plugs in order to create a good seal to the straw. With this issue, our concerns were that the straws were not sealing properly, leaving them at an increased risk of exploding during the thawing process or even potentially allowing liquid nitrogen to enter the straw. This is probably not new information to some of you who have been in the industry for some time and it probably has been discussed over the years, but this was our first major straw issue. In addition, we have noticed other straws from other ET practitioners that seem to be doing the same thing, with a cotton plug being exposed at the end of the straw or gone completely.
Evidence-based ET: Is the exposure time of bovine embryos to ethylene glycol (EG) prior to freezing and/or after thawing critical to survival?
Is the exposure time of bovine embryos to ethylene glycol (EG) prior to freezing and/or after thawing critical to survival?
John F. Hasler
Efficient and efficacious cryopreservation of bovine embryos is critical to the commercial ET industry because, as shown by the most recent AETA statistics (2011), 72% of embryos were frozen following collection versus only 28% that were transferred fresh into recipients. Following the published report of Voelkel and Hu in 1992 on cryopreservation with EG, the commercial bovine ET industry rather quickly switched from glycerol to EG as the major cryoprotectant in freezing media. The overall percentage of embryos frozen in EG rose rapidly starting in 1992 and reached 97% in 2008, the last year that the AETA collected data on this specific statistic.
Small Dry Shippers
By Karen Rockey
Let’s face it, without our cryogenic tanks, we would not be in business. So let’s take a little time to discuss the tanks we use for export shipping of embryos.
Small dry shippers and Dobles are most widely used for domestic transportation and shipping to neighboring countries, because of their size and non hazardous status. Unfortunately, they have limited hold times. Knowing the hold time is very important. If you have issues in customs, or papers are lost, a hold time of 14 – 17 days doesn’t give you much time to rectify the situation.
One of the items available (and recommended for all wide mouth dry shippers), is the cabosil insert. When fully absorbed with nitrogen and placed inside the tank with the embryos, it will give the tank a little extra time of charge. Insurance may also require the use of these inserts. I am not sure if others are making these now, but our source has been Chart/MVE.
Understanding Shoulder Pain and How to Return to Living
By Meredith Griffin PT, DPT
Shoulder pain is a very common issue. Every day in the clinic, I see at least one patient with complaints of shoulder pain and the only other diagnosis I see more frequently is low back pain. Shoulder pain can be brought on by a variety of causes, including over use, trauma, and aging. Veterinarians, especially ET practitioners, are highly susceptible to the former of the three. Despite the cause, the progression of therapy is generally the same.
Sleep Deprivation
By Mid-Maryland Vets
I had a weird experience at an early morning herd check. Donald was bouncing off the walls, talking a mile a minute, yelling, and sprinting like a mad man. He bragged about the all-nighter he spent out in the fields before coming home to milk and prep for herd check. He had popped a few caffeine pills chased with black coffee an hour before to amp him up for the morning which explained his nuclear energy level. I think I could even see his heart trying to explode out of his chest. A visit to another farmer during late spring revealed a completely run-down, exhausted, incoherent mess of a man barely able to function. But like the aforementioned spastic man, this fellow also bragged about his lack of sleep. Most farmers and a few veterinarians love to brag about the all-nighters and present their lack of sleep like a badge of honor. They believe that pushing through exhaustion by extending the work day and depriving themselves of sleep makes them more productive. In reality, sleep deprivation makes us less productive.
AETA Articles of Interest
Effective use of SexedULTRA™ sex-sorted semen for timed artificial insemination of beef heifers
Genetic component of sensitivity to heat stress for nonreturn rate of Brazilian Holstein cattle
Leptin supplementation in vitro improved developmental competence of buffalo oocytes and embryos
2-Methoxystypandrone improves in vitro-produced bovine embryo quality through inhibition of IKBKB
Relationships between uterine health and metabolism in dairy cows with different dry period lengths
Register Now for the AETA Annual Convention!
Register Now for the 2017 AETA-CETA/ACTE Annual Meeting!
The 2017 AETA-CETA/ACTE will be held from October 26–28, 2017, in Orlando, Florida. The conference will be held and the Caribe Royale Orlando Suites and Villas.
All of the AETA scientific, social, and exhibitor information can be found on the AETA Annual Convention page.
It is safe to say that Orlando is an exciting destination to host this event. Below you will find some links to help you plan your stay while at the Conference. The Caribe Royale is a Walt Disney World Good Neighbor Hotel. There will be representatives on site to sell discounted park tickets and offer transportation to the parks, water parks, Disney Springs, and golf courses. Please contact the hotel directly for discounted rates.
Walt Disney World® area – 1.5 miles
International Drive – 1 mile
SeaWorld Orlando® – 6 miles
Universal Studios Resort™ – 10 miles
Discovery Cove ® – 5 miles
Old Town – 4 miles
Celebration Town – 5 miles
This is a very small list of the many attractions that Orlando has to offer. Please check out Visit Orlando to customize your stay.
We look forward to seeing you all in sunny Florida in October!
Sincerely,
AETA