To maintain optimal reproductive health and drive top revenues, breeders operate according to proven medical protocols that facilitate the most successful breeding outcomes—yearly pregnancies with healthy mothers and crias.

An example of a recommended fetal monitoring ultrasound protocols is listed below. This schedule allows a breeder to evaluate the pregnancy at critical stages. If a problem occurs during gestation, the breeder knows right away and is able to “breed back” the animal with the least loss of time. The less time a breeder loses determining whether a pregnancy is viable, the better able they are to maintain the most profitable breeding results: one healthy cria per year.

Ultrasound Time Table

Below is a list of recommended stages for ultrasounds and the reason for the stage. Choose the one or two that best fits into your breeding program.

• 22 days of pregnancy: The definitive answer that your female is pregnant at the earliest stage.
  
• 30 days: Monitor proper development and assure the pregnancy is holding.
  
• 60 days: Considered safe to travel at this point. Females can be moved safely from a breeding farm back to their home.
  
• 90 days: Continue to monitor fetus growth. This is a common time for a female to lose her pregnancy. Reconfirming the pregnancy has held, especially if a female has just returned from another farm, is a cost effective way to minimize the time a female is held open should the pregnancy not hold.
  
• 5 months: Another common month for a female to lose the pregnancy.
  
• 8 months: Assure the development of the cria in the later stages.