Ultrasonography of Uterine Involution in Goats

The purpose of the study was to investigate the uterine involution in goats from a local Bulgarian breed through ultrasonography. Six goats from a local breed, 3 to 7 years of age, weighing 42-60 kg, housed in the Production Animal Farm of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Trakia University, Stara Zagora, were included in the experiment. Ultrasonography was performed with Aloka SSD 500 Micrus (Tokyo, Japan) ultrasound and a 5 MHz linear transducer. Goats were examined in standing position for the transabdominal approach, and when the visualisation of studied structures was impossible, the transrectal approach was used. Uterine involution in goats was evaluated by serial ultrasound examinations at days 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 20 and 30 postpartum. The outer and inner diameters of the caruncles, uterine body lumen, and uterine wall thickness were measured. The visualisation of outer and inner caruncular diameters was possible until the 9th day postpartum. The ultrasound measurement of uterine lumen diameter, outer and inner caruncular diameters revealed a statistically significant reduction in their size (P<0.05) as early as the 3rd day compared to the 1st day postpartum. Uterine wall was considerably thinner (P<0.05) by the 9th day after the parturition. The evaluation of results suggested that ultrasonography could be an alternative for monitoring the uterine involution in goats to slaughter.