Advice on Animark preg checker

[esty]

Hi,

I am considering buying an animark Pregnancy checker and was wondering what folks experiences with it are?

Thanks in Advance

Ester

 

[Jill]

Ester --

I myself have NO experience using one, but from what I have heard, it's dangerous if you don't really know what you're doing (can injure the mare). Others will hopefully know more than I do.

Jill

 

[Mona]

If you are referring to the PregTest machine, is it 100% SAFE! Mares are checked externally. I have very limited experience with it, but am not aware of any other Animark ones that would be dangerous, so maybe they have a new internal type checker?

 

[coopermini]

Last flyer I got from Animark all were external ultrasounds. Only internal was Oviscan(sp?) for checking ovulation. Thought about getting one here but want to see one in use before.

We used a similar type unit when we had hogs and preg checked sows often. Some days it worked great and other days it was waste of time as far as accuracy.

Mark

 

[lilfolks]

The Animark machines are all external with no danger to the mares whatsoever. On most mares you can detect pregnancy from 21 days forward once you are used to the machine. The more you practice with the machine the more accurate you will become in detecting pregnancy. Another good feature is if you find a fetus in the field and don't know which mare it came from, you can use your machine to find out who is still bred and the one who isn't. A big help in breeding and very very safe.

Joyce

 

[lil hoofbeats]

we rented the machine several years ago, to see if we liked it before we actually bought one. We used it for about 2 weeks on several mares, we never were able to use it right, i read the manual several times, called the distributer a couple of times, we found it to be a total waste of money and time.

After talking with several Miniature horse breeders, who owned an actual ultrasound machine, we bought an ultrasound machine from EI medical. It was used at a Vet Clinic, and had been traded in when they upgraded. We bought it refurbished and with a year guarentee, for less than what Animark wanted for theirs.

We love it! I can check a mare in less than a few miniutes, and can see a live heartbeat on most pregnancys over 28 days. and can detect pregnancy as early as 19 days. No guess work! you can see it! all you have to use is resonable caution, i have done hundreds now, and never had a problem.

 

[lilfolks]

I'm sorry to hear you had bad luck with your Animark machine. Some folks love them and I guess some like you were not pleased. I think that goes for any machine or product produced for sale. I bought my machine many years ago and liked it so well that I became a Rep for Animark. But that is just my opinion and my thoughts so I'm sincere when I say I'm sorry you had bad luck with it.

Joyce

 

[R3]

A friend of mine purchased one and together, and separately, we tried to figure out how to use it accurately, but were never successful. We were able to find pregnancies, but we also found some pregnant stallions, so we knew that wasn't right. We weren't comfortable that we could trust our results, so just continued to use the vet to do internal ultrasounds for us. She has been pretty much 100% accurate starting at about 14 days gestation.

The machine is safe though it is external, so no chance of hurting them.

Although they are ultrasound machines, they don't show you a 'picture' of the foal. The version that my friend bought has a graph line with markings along it that represented different 'depths'. The machine sends out ultrasound waves and records the 'depth' that it detected an echo. That detection shows as a spike along the graph line. A positive result for pregnancy is a spike at a particular 'depth', (I want to say at 13???, but its been a while). You will also get spikes at other depths, but that might be the bladder or some other thing in there that creates an echo.

Knowing exactly where to place and aim the ultrasound is the key. We tried and tried but could not get consistent results. She eventually sold the machine.

 

[JKMiniatures]

A friend of mine purchased one and together, and separately, we tried to figure out how to use it accurately, but were never successful. We were able to find pregnancies, but we also found some pregnant stallions, so we knew that wasn't right. We weren't comfortable that we could trust our results, so just continued to use the vet to do internal ultrasounds for us. She has been pretty much 100% accurate starting at about 14 days gestation.

The machine is safe though it is external, so no chance of hurting them.

Although they are ultrasound machines, they don't show you a 'picture' of the foal. The version that my friend bought has a graph line with markings along it that represented different 'depths'. The machine sends out ultrasound waves and records the 'depth' that it detected an echo. That detection shows as a spike along the graph line. A positive result for pregnancy is a spike at a particular 'depth', (I want to say at 13???, but its been a while). You will also get spikes at other depths, but that might be the bladder or some other thing in there that creates an echo.

Knowing exactly where to place and aim the ultrasound is the key. We tried and tried but could not get consistent results. She eventually sold the machine.

I know this post is old, but Lill HoofBeats, tell me more about EI medical scanners. I looking for a scanner to buy, most likely from USA - to scan our miniature horse mares. Looking for the best affordable option, as it not something really available here.

 

[Mick]

I have one for sale if anyone wants it. It's a PT001. It is located in Sydney, Australia.