Pregnancy diagnosis techniques in goats – A review

Abstract

Several techniques for pregnancy diagnosis in goats are developed. Some of them are efficient and applicable in the field, but not enough accurate. Others are outlined with a high precision, but require equipment and specialised skills. Laparoscopy, laparotomy and vaginal biopsy are accurate but invasive and thus, inappropriate for the routine practice. Abdominal inspection, transabdominal palpation and increased live weight could be indicative for pregnancy in goats but they are reliable only after the second half of gestation. Udder examination and palpation are of low accuracy and their independent application for pregnancy diagnosis is not suitable. Blood, milk and faecal progesterone assays could indicate pregnancy in goats after the 21st post insemination day until the end of gestation. The detection of pregnancy associated glycoproteins (PAGs) in blood plasma or milk samples is an early pregnancy marker but requires laboratory equipment. Non-return to oestrus is a cheap, practical and widely used method for detection of pregnancy between post insemination days 17 and 21 and does without signs of oestrus are assumed to be pregnant. A-mode, B-mode and Doppler ultrasonography are alternative methods for pregnancy diagnosis. Their accuracy and practical application potential are different. The two-dimensional ultrasound is one of the most appropriate methods for pregnancy diagnosis in goats. The accuracy of the method is about 100% on post insemination day 25–30 using the transrectal approach, whereas via the transabdominal approach, this accuracy is attained between the 40th and the 45th day.