Ultrasound Machine
As an ethical breeder, we are always looking for ways to improve our breeding program. Something that has been on my wishlist for a while is an ultrasound machine. We finally decided to go ahead and make the purchase. It is a big investment but I am so excited to add this tool to our mama dogs prenatal care.
Advantages
Some of the advantages of having an ultrasound machine ….
- Monitor our mama’s in their home throughout their pregnancy
- Pregnancy confirmation can happen as early as day 25.
- Rule out a singleton litter. Extra care is needed when a mother is carrying a singleton litter
- Get an idea of the size of litter
- Useful during whelping – We can check during whelping to make sure all the puppies have been delivered
Technology has come a long way!
It is amazing how far technology has come. Years ago, I always found it difficult to figure out “what was what” on an ultrasound picture. To demonstrate, I found this video clip on YouTube of an ultrasound picture from 1979.
Machines have sure have improved since I had my first child in 1981. They didn’t even give me a picture of my baby but they did point him out on the screen. It wasn’t very clear and believe me he didn’t look anything like a baby😂
To illustrate the improvements, compare the 1979 ultrasound pic to the 2024 ultrasound pic. If you weren’t told what the 1979 picture was of, you may have been puzzled as to what you were looking at. But, the 2024 pic is obviously easy to see that it is a baby.
FYI – This is an ultrasound pic of my grandson who is due in July. We are so excited to welcome on 13th grandchild into our growing family! My daughter and her husband are expecting their first child – such a blessing!
Time to Learn
Learning how to use this machine is going to take practice and Maui and Willow are my “guinea pigs” 😂. Not only do I have to learn to use the machine but trying to get the video’s saved and downloaded was no easy task. Hopefully moving forward I will become more familiar with the process and things will be easier.
Even though I am a novice, I want to share a couple of video’s saved from the girls ultrasounds that we did last night. As Willow and Maui are nearing the end of their pregnancy and their puppies are getting bigger, you are not able to get a picture of the whole puppy at once. I had the depth setting further away so I could get more of the puppy on the screen. The downfall of changing the depth is that the image doesn’t appear as clear.
Even so it isn’t too bad. See if you can make it out. Look for movement from the puppy’s ribs, spine and a beating heart. Slowing the video by adjusting the speed in the settings may help.
Willow’s Ultrasound
