Bovine Services

As a mixed practice, cattle care remains a significant part of our professional focus. Much of our bovine work is seasonal, serving cow-calf producers, with a concentration on calving issues, fertility testing for bulls in the spring, and pregnancy diagnosis in the fall. Over time, the industry has shifted away from traditional "emergency" medicine and moved toward a more herd health-focused approach. Now, our attention is less on individual animals and more on overall herd health, collaborating closely with clients on protocols for vaccination, parasite control, nutrition, and fertility. We also analyze records to help identify areas for improving profitability.

Additionally, several members of our team have specialized interests in areas such as embryo transfer, ultrasound, and feedlot medicine. Outside of regular hours, our veterinarians are equipped to handle traditional emergency cases like dystocia during calving, uterine prolapses, and neonatal care.

The majority of our bovine obstetrical cases are treated at the clinic, as we encourage clients to bring in animals when possible. This helps streamline care and ensure we have the necessary equipment readily available. Some cases, such as uterine prolapses, are typically treated on-farm, and breeding soundness exams and pregnancy diagnoses are also mostly performed on-site.

Herd Health

By focusing on the overall health of the herd rather than individual issues, livestock operations have become more efficient. Assessing all aspects of production—such as nutrition, reproduction, disease control, and biosecurity—provides a clearer picture of the overall health of a group of animals. This comprehensive service is available to producers who would like to consult with one of our veterinarians. Herd Health is an essential part of maintaining a current VCPR with the clinic to ensure that prescription medications are available for producers as required.

Ultrasound Pregnancy Diagnosis

We routinely use ultrasound for bovine pregnancy diagnosis. This is accomplished with a rectal probe on a linear plastic wand that when inserted, displays an image of the uterus. This image can be visualized with special goggles we wear that allows us to walk up and down catwalk facilities or by a monitor that looks like a television screen that we attach to the chute. We can detect pregnancies at 30 days gestation with ultrasound and see fetal structures like the heart, body, head and eyes. These structures can be measured to help determine the age of the fetus between 30 and 120 days gestation.

Semen Evaluation

Lloydminster Animal Hospital offers full breeding soundness exams of bulls, also known as semen testing. We also offer semen collection in conjunction with Entech Genetics out of Saskatoon. This is under the owner use only program where semen can be collected on your bull and frozen at Emtech Genetics for use later.

Reproductive Services

We will work with you to develop estrous synchronization protocols for recipient groups receiving frozen embryos, or schedule embryo implantation for individual recipients with observed heat. We offer non-surgical implantation of both fresh and frozen embryos. We are also experienced with timed insemination protocols and artificial insemination using frozen semen. We're happy to answer any questions you may have.