Some Extra Ultrasound Experience

By: Sarah Spiegelman

Colorado State University

The year before I applied for vet school, my pre-veterinary advisor informed me that my resume was lacking in the area of food animal medicine. Now, I eat meat and I have a leather jacket, but apparently she thought I should work with a live cow before I could expect veterinary school to accept me.  I went home feeling dejected and cursing the world of ruminants.  A few days later, I received an email that a local beef rancher was looking for a student worker with experience in ultrasound.  Perfect! After a semester out at the equine reproduction lab, how hard could this be? I figured that palpating a cow couldn’t be that different from a horse, so I sent back a reply and a resume.

I got to the feedlot and found where I needed to be.  The manager helped me get oriented with their ultrasound machine. The ranch hands were all ready, brought in the first cow and loaded her in the squeeze chute. Meanwhile, I had come prepared and I pulled out my long palpation glove and lubed up my arm. But when I saw the cow, something wasn’t right.  Because instead of a cow, there stood an unmistakable and very male, Angus bull. Dangling participles and all.  Now, I figured the other workers were pulling a prank on the newbie, so I laughed it off and waited for them to bring a cow in next. Five ranch hands stood staring at my gloved and lubricated arm. One of them started giggling and asked, “Where do you plan to put that?”

After much confusion, me staring at testicles and dripping lube all over the room and five grown cowboys laughing themselves into tears, I came to find out that I had been hired for meat quality ultrasounding. Apparently, feedlots ultrasound their beef cattle to determine the condition of choice meat cuts, looking for marbling and other factors.  The boss explained that they had really intended to hire someone with experience in this type of ultrasound technique, so they wouldn’t be able to keep me on.  He did however allow me to come watch over the next few weeks to learn about working with beef cattle. I got my food animal experience after all.