Spaying Heifers can Reduce Costs

How It Works

The best way to understand how the Meagher Ovary Flute works is simply to put one in your hand. The illustrations below show how simple the procedure is. For any further information or questions, feel free to email Dr. Disney.

  1. The instrument is introduced to the anterior dorsum of the vagina with the cutting head retracted.

    introduction of the instrument to the anterior dorsum of the vagina

    cutting blade is locked out of the way

  2. The instrument's cutting tip is exposed to aid vaginal wall penetration; the instrument enters the peritoneal cavity.

    instrument penetrates the vaginal wall

    cutting tip is exposed to aid penetration

  3. When the cutting blade is retracted, air flows through a patented air channel into the peritoneum, allowing the viscera to sink. This reduces the risk of accidental nicks or cuts of the viscera.

    air flows through the instrument

  4. The shaft of the instrument is retracted, opening the cutting chamber. An ovary is placed into the cutting chamber using hand per rectum. The ovary slips inside the tube like the head of a nail slips into the claw of a hammer.
    Note: the rectal hand is not shown in the diagram below, but positioning the ovaries for the procedure will require the operator to simultaneously work with one hand in the rectum. I find it best to extend fingers and thumb around the instrument to pinch the ovary against the chamber aperture before opening. A shallow groove has been milled into the tube, so the operator knows the position of the aperture even from the topside of the instrument.

    cutting chamber is opened, and the ovary is inserted

    retracted shaft opens the cutting chamber

  5. Operator uses free hand in the rectum to examine for any excess tissue.
    Note: the narrow slot of the cutting chamber will hold the ovary at this point. The palpating hand and rectal tissue should not feel 'stuck' to the instrument, nor should one feel masses of tissue funneled into the aperture. Pressure to sever the ovary is minimal, so if you feel much resistance, you are trapping something that does not belong. All surfaces are purposely very blunt except for the small zone at the very front of the slot, so complete 'biting' off a piece of extra tissue takes extra effort.

    ovary in the chamber is severed with the slightest pressure

    shaft pushes forward to severe the ovary

  6. The ovary is cut from its attachment and stored in the forward chamber of the instrument.

    severed ovary is stored in the instrument, preventing dropped ovaries from reattaching

  7. After the second ovary is cut from its attachment, the instrument is withdrawn, and the two severed ovaries - stored in the tool - are removed from the heifer.