Goat ultrasound

Ultrasound is a journey, and even for many ScanX customers, it often begins with very basic introductory scanners – such as the Contec ultrasound machine. Cheap, unsupported and lacking many of its advertised functions, it nevertheless offers to many an affordable entry point into the world of ultrasound technology. Goat breeders are nobody’s fools, and are well aware of the limitations of such machines: it is a conscious choice to see how ultrasound can improve their work, establishing proof-of-concept, before making a more substantial investment.

There are some risks to this approach, of course. Some people never get on with ultrasound because the first machine they buy is simply too poor to generate useful images. Others are unlucky enough to have their cheap machine break after a few weeks, and have nobody left to go back to (Chinese sellers rarely respond to service requests). For most, however, the experience is positive enough that they eventually decide to upgrade to equipment that offers more detailed pictures (and therefore more information about pregnancy), and round-the-clock support, like the Elite 5600 or ScanX.

This is a typical journey of a user of farm ultrasound, but more recently, goat breeders have begun to go one step further and consider high end, high resolution, colour Doppler scanners like the Apogee 1000 Lite. Already popular with veterinarians, some goat breeders are beginning to make the leap. This week, we decided to try out the future of goat ultrasound with one of our clients, at Dew Drop Farm in Texas.