For many years, ultrasound technology is utilized in veterinary reproductive medicine for applications such as pregnancy detection and foetal sexing. In today's highly competitive livestock industry, multiple uses for ultrasound in food animal evaluation are being explored. Esaote-Pie Medical has developed an Animal Science probe, specifically designed to provide its users with a non-invasive method of determining value of an animal from foetal development through to marketing.
In farm animals, the measurements made with the Animal Science probe, together with the appropriate software package, can be used to predict number of days needed on feed, which in turn can save feed and yardage cost and help to identify the market potential of the animal. The data collected with the system is provides aid in the evaluation of seed stock for Expected Progeny Difference (EPD) calculations and determining carcass composition and quality to include estimated marbling score and yield grade. Applications for cattle include subcutaneous rib fat, rump fat, intramuscular fat and the rib eye muscle area. In swine, fat thickness, loin muscle depth and loin eye muscle area are the most common measurements to predict percent lean in the live animal with the included for royalty free software calculation package.
Animal Science probe is easy to hold and manoeuvre, has a remote freeze control and two available stand-offs, one for cattle and one for swine. Additionally, the probe's length of 180 mm ensures transverse scan plane imaging of the complete rib eye in cattle and swine. Producers may also use the available probe and stand-offs for both the Falco imaging sheep and goats. The Animal Science probe works with Falco and Aquila Vet ultrasound systems.
