In some areas, there has been a proliferation of people offering bovine reproductive services who are not licensed veterinarians. Recently, the American Association of Bovine Practitioners developed a position statement on transrectal palpation. The AABP Board of Directors passed the position statement that was submitted by the AABP Reproduction Committee.
It reads: “Transrectal examination of the reproductive tract by palpation, ultrasound, or any other method constitutes the practice of veterinary medicine and should be performed by or under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian. Examination and assessment of the bovine reproductive tract is a skilled diagnostic procedure requiring integrative knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology to perform safely and correctly”.
AABP President Christine Navarre, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, Louisiana State University, offers the reasoning behind AABP’s position statement. “Accurate, timely pregnancy diagnosis in cattle is critical to herd productivity and profitability,” she says. “Pregnancy diagnosis by transrectal palpation or ultrasound takes knowledge and skill. Keeping pregnancy diagnosis within the purview of veterinary practice helps protect livestock producers by making sure that pregnancy diagnosis is performed by properly trained and licensed people.”
For more information, visit http://www.aabp.org/.
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