Cow birthing simulator used to educate Oklahoma State Fair visitors

Past thrilling rides and mouth-watering honest meals, the Oklahoma State Truthful showcases agricultural displays for fairgoers to study from and revel in.

Oklahoma State College Extension’s show of its Hereford Dystocia Simulator is one instance of an academic alternative out there to go to on the honest. The life-like beef cow machine, made out of rubber and fiberglass, is used to simulate tough births in cows.

Dr. Barry Whitworth, a veterinarian and meals and animal high quality specialist with OSU’s Extension, acknowledges the assistance heifers and cows typically want when giving start, particularly by way of tough deliveries, is usually unavailable. He mentioned the calving simulator has been a useful instrument to supply scholar veterinarians and livestock producers the hands-on expertise needed to arrange for a cow’s labor.

“The great factor about this simulator is that we are able to open it up, look inside it and present them how calves might be positioned inside,” Whitworth mentioned. “We are able to just about simulate the kind of points you might need to cope with when you’ve a dystocia cow.”

Heifers and cows need assistance giving start about 10% of the time, based on the U.S. Division of Agriculture. Not realizing how you can assist a cow going by way of irregular labor, resembling a breeched start, may price livestock producers hundred of {dollars}. So large-animal veterinarians and producers typically work collectively to ship a calf safely.

Whitworth mentioned he hopes fairgoers can come away with extra understanding of what goes into producing beef after visiting the calving simulator show.

“It’s no secret that most individuals these days don’t have any clue the place their meals comes from,” Whitworth mentioned. “So it’s at all times good to get out into public and present them about what goes on within the reproductive cycle in cattle and the individuals which are producing that meals for them.”

A Cow’s Supply Course of

Whitworth, who’s been a veterinarian for 32 years, mentioned veterinarians and producers search for the presentation, place and posture of the calf when feeling contained in the cow’s start canal. The best presentation of the calf can be frontwards going through, the best place can be right-side up on its stomach, and the best posture can be each the calves’ entrance legs and head going through in direction of the start canal.

Whitworth prepares the cow simulator by spraying the cow’s uterus, a transparent see-through bag, and a 55-pound life-like rubber calf with cleaning soap and water to simulate the amniotic fluids that will be current in an actual pregnant cow. After inserting the heavy calf contained in the cow, I put lengthy protecting gloves on, and Whitworth instructed me to really feel contained in the cow’s start canal for the calf. The calf is in an excellent presentation, place and posture referred to as the dorsal sacral place.

After tying a double half hitch across the faux calf’s entrance legs, in a real-life scenario, Whitworth mentioned the veterinarian or producer would pull the calf in momentum to the cow pushing. After pulling the calf out, he mentioned the veterinarian or producer would then tickle the newly born calf’s nostril with straw, so it sneezes and clears itself of any mucus. Then they might place the calf on its sternum, or chest, so the mom cow can maintain the remainder.

The Hereford Dystocia Simulator, or the calving simulator, will probably be on show day by day on the Oklahoma State Truthful till its ultimate day, Sunday, Sept. 25. It’s situated within the AGtropolis exhibit, within the Oklahoma Expo Corridor, by the Barnyard Birthing Heart. For extra details about the calving course of, go to Oklahoma State College’s Extension web site.