Busy Thursday Morning

[Radar]

I'm currently involved in some research requiring the collection of rumen fluid. We recently purchased a couple of heifers for this project. I'm lucky that my better half is a vet as she did the procedures.

Prepping the site

Etching the Outline

Pulling out the rumen

Rumen stitched to the hide

Finished Product

 

[Faster horses]

Interesting, but I do feel sorry for the heifer.

Can you fill us in as to the reason for doing this?

 

[sw]

Radar, what are you doing? When I was at MSU, we had at times up to 15 head of cannulated cows that we did all kinds of things with, nylon bag trials, rumen microbe counts, you name it. We also did duodenal and ileal cannulas on 5 cows and a bunch of sheep to get absorption of nutrients. We also did calves at one month of age to get an idea of rumen development and diet selection of calves on range. BTW, calves have a fully functional rumen by 1 month, the rumen starts to get colonized with in days of birth. Anyway, now when I need rumen fluid to take into the class rooms to explain a ruminant to kids, I get fluid with a dose syringe that we made to suck stuff up instead of shoot stuff out. We put a tube in a cows throat, run a hose into the rumen and suck up enough to fill a thermos, thats enough to last all day to view in the microscopes. We even did an invitro digestion trial in the Roundup High school a few years ago, they don't want to do that again, some of the kids complained about the smell of good ole rumen fluid. I should send you an official rumen divers cap to celebrate the occasion :!:

 

[Radar]

Don't worry faster horses, they were sedated and didn't feel a thing. It's less invasive than cutting a DA. I checked on them yesterday afternoon and they were laying around ruminating as if nothing had happened. These cattle are treated very well with health and well being monitored at least twice a day.

SW We are doing some in vitro rumen trials in the lab and often need over 5 liters. Unfortunately orally tubing these cattle becomes to cumbersome, but we do some of that as well when we are checking pH and VFA levels and don't need mass quantities.

 

[sw]

We had cannulated cows that we ran out on the range just like normal cows, they were bred every year just like everybody else. We used them for winter supplementation studies and for forage selection, intake and so on. We had a cow named Polly that was at the Nutrition Center that we never bred or anything, just mostly kept her for invitros and such. She was involved in more research trials than anybody on campus. She was huge and tame as can be. Twice, we took her into the Student Union during Careers Day, and put her in a pen at the College of Ag booth. No big deal you say, the booth was on the third floor and she got to ride the elevator :!: She died at the age of 15, she was buried at the Nutrition Center and has her own headstone, she should have a PhD for her contributions.

 

[Radar]

SW,
Polly sounds like a steer my wife talks about that was at Iowa State. He was around for a long time. She said many a vet student would go down and talk to him and rub his head for luck before tests.