Embryo Transfer Equipment

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shorthornfan

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Mar 19, 2007
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I'm thinking of attending the Agtech Embryo Transfer class this fall.  There are several registration options, from basic tuition to a premium package that comes with a freezing unit and microscope.  I am exicted to learn the technique, but I want to be able to do ET when I get back.  Are the freezer and the microscope the main equipment that I will need, or would there be a lot of other things I would have to order as well?  I'm just trying to figure out if its worth the exta money for the premium package...
 

kanshow

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May 24, 2007
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If your goal is to do your own ET then you are going to need the equipment and supplies.  I have no idea if there is used equipment on the market that you could purchase or not.  I know the new stuff gets pretty pricey.  Agtech does have  a pretty good incentive program so might be worth looking into.. 
 

Davis Shorthorns

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I was just at agtech yesterday and was talking to them about the programs, and are you wanting to do the 1 day ET or the 2 day flushing clinic? 
 

simtal

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Not sure where your from, but around here, in order to become a person that does ET, you need  a DVM or PhD in repro-physiology.  If your going to flush just for yourself, I guess that doesn't matter.
 

Dusty

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simtal said:
Not sure where your from, but around here, in order to become a person that does ET, you need  a DVM or PhD in repro-physiology.  If your going to flush just for yourself, I guess that doesn't matter.

Where are you from???  I guess I always though that an ET tech just needed a vet prescription for the drugs.  I didn't think they actually needed to be a vet.  I do know the Veterinary Assoc did raise some hell over it at one time though.  Personally I think it is just a tactic to try and keep competitors out  so that the vets get more business.  A person would not need a DVM degree or PhD to be good at ET.  Experience is a better teacher of ET than anything.  I would rather have someone who had be doing it for years with no education working on my cow, than someone who is only out of Vet School a couple years.
 

shorthornfan

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Mar 19, 2007
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The program I was looking at was 3 days, the Complete Bovine ET class.  And I was planning on just flushing my own cattle.  I would love to do it as a career, but I have also heard that you need to either be under the supervision of a vet for the drugs or else have the veterinary license yourself.  That was the one reason I ever considered vet school... but it's not worth all the extra hours of studying just so I can inject someone else's cows!  Thank you all for the feedback, this is something I'm really excited about and hope it works out to try it  ;D
 

red

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Jan 20, 2007
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It depends on where you live I believe. I'd check & see if your state requires you to be a vet.

Red
 

Cowboy

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Morning every one!

I won't put al;ot of things on here no one wants to read -- but I feel like I should add a few momentos to the thread.

I started learning ET in 1981, WAY before any one was teaching it, and before there were very many people even doing it. I can remember about a dozen good guys, a few of them are still at it today - me being one. To tell you that ET is easy is like running backwards down the interstate trying to catch the traffic -- it ain't gonna happen! Unless you are serious about it, and you have lots of cows to play with, you are going to be in for some frustrating times. I think back then it took me almost 6 months to get my first pregnancy, of course it was all trial and error -- we are past that today.

Ag Tech runs a pretty good school, but ask your self this question, even with the best trainers, and the best equipment, how much can you actually retain from three days worth of class room and a few cows hands on??? It takes time to perfect anything inlife, this is no different. A good friend of mine named Curt went to that school 5 years ago or so, he came home with the knowledge to do it if he practiced his tehnique, but after a few flushes and a few more transfers, he realized it was not going to be for him. He bought the whole deal when he went, 12,000$ later - his scope and freezer are sitting drawing dust, and they use a commercial out fit to the thier work.

I am not trying to discourage you from going, you will enjoy the class, and get alot from it. They are good people. Understnad something however, it will not happen over night, you simply can not flush one or two cows in class and stick a few dumby eggs in some cull cows and feel you can go home and do one of your 10,000 dollar cows and get pregnancies -- it is frustrating work and simply takes lots of practice to perfect.

I have said many time over that if I had to go back and learn it again from scratch , knowing what it took to do the first time, I would have never went thru it all again. I love my job, I work for myself and get great pleasure from seeing results for my customers and can't imagine doing anything else today. I started 27 years ago, and believe me, there are still tiomes when I fail to get the job done as good as I wanted to do.

You will not need to worry at all about any regs if you do your own cows only, and in most states, if you are GOOD at it, and the feds don't get complaints like they did up in Iowa a few years ago on a couple of grads fom Elsdens school, you would probably still be ok. I don't step on toes out here, I get along with every Vet I know except one, and he just happens to be a competitot who WILL turn you in ifhe gets the chance. He has done it already to several others who tried to promote the service using Rx drugs -- that was his reason he said. You can get any drug in this country if you have a Vet-Client relationship -- in other words, they are prescription drugs -- anything from Lidocaine to Follitropin, they are all prescription. Fda is getting harder to deal with all the time too -- so it gets frustrating.

I guess I wanted to let you know that you do need to go, but come home with a realistic outlook. You will get frustrated, you WILL get pissed and doubt your decision, but if you try hard and don't quit, eventually you will succeed!

One word of advice, if you ever do decide to do some out side cows, I would encourage you to make sure you have done at least 50 donors at home, and transfdered at least 200 embryos first. That is a very dire minimum, you will see why I say that while you learn. Having said all this, I wish you the very best of luck -- get excited and go try -- but be ready for lots of frustration along the way!

(thumbsup)

Terry


 

Jill

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Good answer Terry, is it getting any warmer up your direction? 
I can tell you that a vet license has absolutely nothing to do with ET work, just because you have initials doesn't mean you are qualified.  We love our vet, we have a great vet-client relationship, but we gave up having him put embryo's in, it just gets too expensive if it isn't something you do all the time and are GOOD at.  I know there are states that require a license, but I would take experience over a piece of paper any day of the week!
 

frostback

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Feb 7, 2007
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About the only time you need a vet to do your flushing is if you are exporting the embryos, they also need a credited facility to go some places.
 

stumpy

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May 1, 2007
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Great Bend, KS
I attended the AgTech class that lasts one day to transfer embryos. It was a great class and I have been lucky enough to have some sucess. I have no desire to flush my own cows but the transfer class has been very beneficial. I agree with Terry that you will have some disapointment, and will ad this. If you have not AIed A LOT of cows, it will not do you a lot of good. Artificial breeding is the tip of the iceberg for this kind of work and you need to be extreemly confident there first. I hope that you have the best of luck and sucess with this and you will love working with the AgTech crew!
 
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