Use of Ultrasound to Determine the Prognosis of Obstructed Teats

When teat abnormalities occur in dairy cattle, the therapeutic choices vary from "do nothing" to invasive surgery (thelotomy and implant). In many cases, the prognosis is considered poor. It would be useful to have a cowside method of evaluating the abnormality and predicting the outcome. Radiography is the standard method but is cumbersome as a cow-side tool. This study considers the potential of ultrasound as a practical alternative. Ducharme, et al classified teat abnormalities based on palpation, the passing of a blunt cannula and radiography.1 A prospective study involving 51 cows treated surgically concluded that Type I (focal teat cistern lesions that involved less than 30% of the mucosal surface of the teat cistern) and Type V (lesions leading to milk loss through abnormal routes such as lacerations, webbed teats and fistulae) had the best short and long-term prognosis for lactation.2 We hypothesize that ultrasound will identify those lesions which have a good prognosis.