Evaluation of the iVET® birth monitoring system in primiparous dairy heifers

Henningsen, G.; Marien, H.; Hasseler, W.; Feldmann, M.; Schoon, H-A; Hoedemaker, Martina; Herzog, Kathrin

doi:10.1016/j.theriogenology.2017.07.005

Cited by 9 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Promising results have been obtained by devices which could be placed within the vaginal canal, thus identifying the beginning of fetal expulsion (stage II of labor) with greater precision [10,21,27].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Sensitivity and Profitability of an Intravaginal Sensor for Remote Calving Prediction in Dairy Cattle

Crociati

Sylla

Stradaioli

et al. 2021

Sensors

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One critical point of dairy farm management is calving and neonatal first care. Timely calving assistance is associated with the reduction of calf mortality and postpartum uterine disease, and with improved fertility in dairy cattle. This study aimed to evaluate the performance and profitability of an intravaginal sensor for the prediction of stage II of labor in dairy farms, thus allowing proper calving assistance. Seventy-three late-gestating Italian Holstein cows were submitted to the insertion of an intravaginal device, equipped with light and temperature sensors, connected with a Central Unit for the commutation of a radio-signal into a cell phone alert. The remote calving alarm correctly identified the beginning of the expulsive phase of labor in 86.3% of the monitored cows. The mean interval from alarm to complete expulsion of the fetus was 71.56 ± 52.98 min, with a greater range in cows with dystocia (p = 0.012). The sensor worked correctly in both cold and warm weather conditions, and during day- or night-time. The intravaginal probe was well tolerated, as any cow showed lesions to the vaginal mucosa after calving. Using sex-sorted semen in heifers and beef bull semen in cows at their last lactation, the economic estimation performed through PrecisionTree™ software led to an income improvement of 119 € and 123 €/monitored delivery in primiparous and pluriparous cows, respectively. Remote calving alarm devices are key components of “precision farming” management and proven to improve animal welfare, to reduce calf losses and to increase farm incomes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Sensitivity and Profitability of an Intravaginal Sensor for Remote Calving Prediction in Dairy Cattle

Crociati

Sylla

Stradaioli

et al. 2021

Sensors

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“…The benefits of technical devices for detecting calving and deciding when to move cows were not unanimously accepted by study participants. Various devices for calving surveillance have been developed and evaluated [ 41 , 63 , 73 , 74 ]. Study participants most frequently recommended vaginally inserted temperature loggers for calving detection.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Study participants most frequently recommended vaginally inserted temperature loggers for calving detection. However, experiences and results of publications were diverse and such devices were not recommended by any author as a sole tool for calving prediction [ 6 , 63 , 73 , 75 , 76 ]. Tail-fixed accelerometers were also recommended by study participants, although there is little published evidence to support their benefits.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Calving Management: A Questionnaire Survey of Veterinary Subject Matter Experts and Non-Experts

Voß

Heuwieser

Mee

et al. 2021

Animals

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Accurate detection of the onset of parturition is a key factor in the prevention of dystocia. In order to establish current best practice recommendations for calving management, we asked subject matter experts (SME) who had published on calving management (by online survey, n = 80) and non-SMEs, veterinary practitioners (by workshop survey, n = 24) for their opinions. For this, we designed a questionnaire on the significance of signs of imminent parturition (SIP), the frequency of calving observation, and influencing factors for the timing of cow movement to a maternity pen. The response rate was 67.5% in the online survey and 100% in the workshop survey. The majority (89.7%) of all respondents agreed that it is beneficial for successful calving management to differentiate between stage I and II of parturition. Of 12 signs of imminent parturition (for stage I and II), “restlessness” and “visibility of fetal parts in vulva” were cited by 56.5% and 73.3% of SME and non-SME respondents, respectively. There was no consensus on the right time to move the cow to the maternity pen; recommendations varied from one to over 21 days. Almost half of the respondents (45.7%) recommended a 6-h observation interval for prepartum cows in the maternity pen. This study identified a strong consensus on the SIP and how and when to observe cows prior to parturition. SMEs and non-SMEs provided broadly similar recommendations, while the SMEs and the non-SMEs differed significantly in the number of publications on calving they authored, they differed little in their knowledge of calving management.

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“…Some intravaginal thermometers are able to recognize both the pre-calving drop in dam's body temperature and their own expulsion when fetal sacs or the fetus enter the birth canal. The T-shaped calving alert iVET ® (iVET ® -Geburtsüberwachung für Kühe, 2012) is characterized by a light-sensor and has been evaluated for use in Holstein primiparous [61]. Sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of the iVET ® were 0.78 and 0.93, respectively.…”

Section: Intravaginal Devicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

How to Predict Parturition in Cattle? A Literature Review of Automatic Devices and Technologies for Remote Monitoring and Calving Prediction

Crociati

Sylla

Vincenzi

et al. 2022

Animals

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Cattle farming is facing an increase in number of animals that farmers must care for, together with decreasing time for observation of the single animal. Remote monitoring systems are needed in order to optimize workload and animal welfare. Where the presence of personnel is constant, for example in dairy farms with great number of lactating cows or with three milking/day, calving monitoring systems which send alerts during the prodromal stage of labor (stage I) could be beneficial. On the contrary, where the presence of farm personnel is not guaranteed, for example in smaller farms, systems which alert at the beginning of labor (stage II) could be preferred. In this case, time spent observing periparturient animals is reduced. The reliability of each calving alarm should also be considered: automatic sensors for body temperature and activity are characterized by a time interval of 6–12 h between the alarm and calving. Promising results have been shown by devices which could be placed within the vaginal canal, thus identifying the beginning of fetal expulsion and optimizing the timing of calving assistance. However, some cases of non-optimal local tolerability and cow welfare issues are reported. Future research should be aimed to improve Sensitivity (Se), Specificity (Sp) and Positive Predictive Value (PPV) of calving alert devices in order to decrease the number of false positive alarms and focusing on easy-to-apply, re-usable and well tolerated products.

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Evaluation of the iVET® birth monitoring system in primiparous dairy heifers

Cited by 9 publications

References 11 publications

Assessment of Sensitivity and Profitability of an Intravaginal Sensor for Remote Calving Prediction in Dairy Cattle

Assessment of Sensitivity and Profitability of an Intravaginal Sensor for Remote Calving Prediction in Dairy Cattle

Calving Management: A Questionnaire Survey of Veterinary Subject Matter Experts and Non-Experts

How to Predict Parturition in Cattle? A Literature Review of Automatic Devices and Technologies for Remote Monitoring and Calving Prediction

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