a first for me

[rockridgecattle]

So at 430 this morning, i wake up thinking i am late to drive bus. I woke up hubby to check to see if he had made is 3 am check. He was up all night the previous night so incase he missed his alarm. He did the check but decided to go out any how...it was cold

at 5am i get a call...get up i need you.
So this means get dressed, I'm coming have everything you need to pull a calf. Hubby arrives home and informs me he is takeing the tractor out, a cow gave birth and cant get up. She rolled on her back. So, still take all my gear, by the time i get out there, she has pushed out her calf bed (uterus) about 10 inches.
The tractor come up and gets the forks under her and starts to roll her over, as i get the calf to safety and call the vet. We get the cow to the mat pen, wait for the vet, she lays down and the bed come out more.

Vet arrives! Icy roads, 5 am cold cold cold. He gives her an epidural, and halters her just incase we can not get her in head gate. Get the cow up. The vet removes what is left of the afterbirth, and washes the uterus off. I get to hold the thing and he starts shoving it back in. Wow, so easy. Then he sews up her pouch like a purse, some oxytocin and some LA200.
The calf meanwhile is still standing, cold and hungry. All in all from the time hubby called until we tried to get the calf to suck 1.5hours. Not bad.

Calf was too cold to suck the cow we we milked some colostrum and tube the baby.

Hope it all works out.
Learn something new every day

RR

 

[hillsdown]

Yikes, been there in 2009 but did not have an epidural or a vet. She went on to raise her calf and a twin that year
Hopefully your outcome will be the same .

 

[snickers]

knock on wood that has not happened to us yet thank the Lord.

 

[randiliana]

Haven't had one of those in a long time, hope yours works out good though.

Had a 42 lb baby born this morning though. Mama (heifer) had been sick most of last year, she's better now I think.

 

[Kingfisher]

Cull? Why would a 42 lb calf be trouble for one of your cows?

 

[hillsdown]

Cull? Why would a 42 lb calf be trouble for one of your cows?

\


OMG do you even take time to read the post ..

Hope your calf is going to be OK Randi .

 

[randiliana]

Kingfisher, Never said it was trouble for the heifer, just a bit of trouble for us as it didn't get going on its own....

HD, I think she will be OK we had to give a shot of selenium to it but it seems lively enough now, as long as it can reach the heifer's udder....
DH tubed colostrum into it, I don't know how he did that, I tried and didn't think it would work...

 

[rockridgecattle]

The calf is doing alright, a little dumb. It seems he got too cold and like most calves that get too cold, he is having a hard time understanding the idea of latching on. So we have to assist. Hopefully today he's "got it"
The momma is sore. I think partly because we used the tractor to push her over and partly due to her distress. When we got her up gave her a shot of LA and flunazine to help reduce any swelling. She is not to fussy on getting up right now. Hope the drugs help.

Calve are coming like crazy. In the last two weeks we have seen 4 blizzards/ice storms/snow storms. Another one on it's way.

 

[randiliana]

Good luck with her. Hopefully the drugs get her up and going. Hope you weather smartens up too, we're supposed to be in for a bunch of snow over the next few days, and this is the busiest time of our calving season too...

 

[rockridgecattle]

Momma and baby are doing well. Baby latched on unassisted. Momma looking brighter
She is going to stay by the barn for at least a week so we will be able to keep a close eye on her. The stitch comes out on friday

Randi,
keep safe. Hope the weather smartens up for you too. We probably get what you get just a few days later. This one coming in tonight is an Alberta clipper. Friday it was a colorado low.

 

[bigbull338]

im shocked that yall didnt wash it off an put it back in an sew her up.

 

[TexasBred]

im shocked that yall didnt wash it off an put it back in an sew her up.

:dunce: :dunce: :dunce:

 

[rockridgecattle]

We did not put it back in ourselves because:
1. never done it before
2. did not want to risk twisting it
3. the vet has cool drugs we do not have access to, to make it easier
4. we want to give the cow every chance to breed back on time. The vet bill might be a bit since mileage, but the cost of a cow not breeding back or breed back late, costs even more considering the cost it takes to maintain her
4. the calf was alive and well. Milk replacer is a frightfull price if the cow dies.

Learned alot from having the vet out...priceless

 

[CowgirlUpNY]

I'm supremely jealous that you have a vet that you can call at that hour.

Heck, I'm jealous that you have a vet you can call -- period.

I'm not so lucky where I'm at - Not a big cow area so I do what I can by books, internet and good advice from my horse vet. Although, I have to say, she comes to help no matter what my issue is, be it horse, dog or cow. Also, goat but we don't raise goats any longer.

Congratulations on what seems to be the road to recovery for your cow.

 

[randiliana]

We have a good vet out here too, actually there are several good cattle vets in the area. We'd probably have handled the prolapse on our own, have done it before, or have called a neighbour who has some experience. But if needed, our vet is available late at night or early morning too.

 

[bigbull338]

we havent lost a cow doing that ourselves that i can remember.its just 1 of those things that we learned among meny others todo ourselves.