5 tips for successful synchronization

Delays in rebreeding dairy cows can add up: reduced milk production, higher breeding costs and greater risk of culling. In fact, delays in rebreeding can cost between $0 to more than $3 per day for each day open.¹ Dairy synchronization programs can help improve breeding efficiency, increase pregnancy rates, save time and protect your bottom line.

Setting up a synchronization program doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, it can make your life easier on the dairy. Work with your veterinarian to find a protocol that fits your schedule. However, don’t forget that it is just as important to educate your employees so they are able to stick to protocols. Protocol drift can result in lower conception rates, missed inseminations and wasted opportunity.

         1. Work with your veterinarian to set up an on-label synchronization protocol that best fits your herd.
         2. Train and regularly retrain employees on synchronization protocols and protocol compliance.
         3. Identify cows enrolled in a synchronization program. Keep accurate records and good ID tags to be sure the 

             correct product is administered and the correct cow is inseminated at the prescribed time.
         4. Use color-coded bottles and different-sized syringes to identify the specific product.
         5. Use the smallest gauge needle allowed — an 18- or 20-gauge needle, 1.5 inches long. This allows the   

              injection to be placed deep in the muscle. Replace the needle often to avoid abscesses.

You can help manage breeding schedules more efficiently with LUTALYSE^® Injection (dinoprost tromethamine injection) or LUTALYSE^® HighCon Injection (dinoprost tromethamine injection), FACTREL^® Injection (gonadorelin injection) and EAZI-BREED^™ CIDR^® Cattle Insert in a fixed-time artificial insemination program. Work with your veterinarian to develop the most suitable reproductive program on your dairy that makes following protocol compliance easy.

Avoid contact with skin by wearing protective gloves when handling EAZI-BREED CIDR inserts. Do not use in heifers of insufficient size or age for breeding or in cattle with abnormal, immature, or infected genital tracts. Do not use inserts more than once.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: FACTREL is for use in cattle only. See full Prescribing Information.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: Women of childbearing age and persons with respiratory problems should exercise extreme caution when handling LUTALYSE/LUTALYSE HighCon. LUTALYSE/LUTALYSE HighCon is readily absorbed through the skin and may cause abortion and/or bronchiospasms, therefore spillage on the skin should be washed off immediately with soap and water. Aseptic technique should be used to reduce the possibility of post-injection clostridial infections. Do not administer LUTALYSE/LUTALYSE HighCon in pregnant cattle unless cessation of pregnancy is desired. See full Prescribing Information for LUTALYSE. See full Prescribing Information for LUTALYSE HighCon.