c-section question

[joeu235]

Heifer had a calf via c-section yesterday. Both are fine. My question is about the next calf. I know that with humans the doctor recommends a woman have c-section birth for all children after a c-section. Is this true with cattle? Does the heifer need to eventually ship out to the auction house? Or no big deal?

 

[Muddy]

What's the reason behind the c-section? Mispositioned calf? Calf being too big? Small opening?

 

[joeu235]

calf was very big coupled with mis-positioned

 

[dun]

No big deal

 

[TCRanch]

We had a c-section a couple years ago & the only reason we sold that heifer is because it was an "oops" baby (used Lutalyse twice & still didn't work), breech & dead. Vet recommended selling because of potential problems breeding back. Have fun cleaning the sutures/wound & penicillin for the next couple weeks but glad they're both okay & good luck.

 

[fenceman]

I would say sell her.
You have had a set of experienced hands on her . talk to the man that did the csection if your wanting to keep her

 

[Lucky_P]

Did quite a few back in the day. Didn't necessarily recommend that ALL of them be sold, but probably the majority need to move on - but not so much because of the uterine incision/suture line as for pelvic abnormalities or small size.
If it's a heifer with small pelvic area, or an abnormal pelvic canal... send her on.

It may be disproven BS at this date, but they taught us in vet school 30+ years ago, that there's just something about a calf passing through the birth canal (whether normally, or by pulling) that 'spreads 'em out', and they don't go all the way back. I would not keep a heifer that had to have a c-section. Just eases the culling decision - that's a 'strike' that I don't want repeated... or propagated.
Pelvic bones fuse at around 27 months... I want a heifer calving out before then, as it allows for a little more 'wiggle room' for the calf to get out.

I had one last year - big calf, but as big as the heifer was, she should have been able to have him easily enough - if her pelvic canal had been big enough. I let her raise the calf and sent her to the salebarn as an open cow.
Had one, about 10-12 years ago that had this weird bony protrusion sticking up from the floor of her pelvis... had a hard pull to get the first calf out. Should have sold her. Had to have a C-section next time around. Lost both calves about a week out. Cow went to town that time.

Next door neighbors called me over one day this past winter with a heifer in labor; didn't take me but just a minute to tell 'em it wasn't coming out the way it went in. Local practicing vet came out and did the c-section, told them to sell her. I didn't disagree.

 

[Bigfoot]

I've only had two c-sections, both died. Turned me off of them, but could have been a coincidence or just my bad luck.

 

[cowgirl8]

We had a UhOh have one last year. At the time of the surgery, i asked my vet if he'd keep her. He said yes. Just for my piece of mind, i took her a month before she was due to calve back to have her checked by him again. He said there was no reason why she couldnt have the calf, he'd keep her. She had her calf easy. She did not raise her calf, it was born dead. She grew nicely and i was unable to pick her out of the group and only knew her history by her number. If you have any concerns, ask the vet who performed the surgery.

 

[highgrit]

We had a UhOh have one last year. At the time of the surgery, i asked my vet if he'd keep her. He said yes. Just for my piece of mind, i took her a month before she was due to calve back to have her checked by him again. He said there was no reason why she couldnt have the calf, he'd keep her. She had her calf easy. She did not raise her calf, it was born dead. She grew nicely and i was unable to pick her out of the group and only knew her history by her number. If you have any concerns, ask the vet who performed the surgery.

Bad call she should of been culled. I wouldn't ever keep a heifer that had any kinds of problems. I have a lot to learn and have a few questions. First one is why would anyone keep a heifer that had problems? Next question is how much does a typical C - section cost? Between the cost and after care is it possible to come out a head?

 

[fenceman]

I'll keep a hiefer that just needs a little pull if she does a good job with the calf. But I don't like the idea of keeping one that's had surgery.
Can't see a reason to keep it.
I would guess that if you place any value on your time. There would be no financial reason to have it done. :2cents:

 

[cowgirl8]

We had a UhOh have one last year. At the time of the surgery, i asked my vet if he'd keep her. He said yes. Just for my piece of mind, i took her a month before she was due to calve back to have her checked by him again. He said there was no reason why she couldnt have the calf, he'd keep her. She had her calf easy. She did not raise her calf, it was born dead. She grew nicely and i was unable to pick her out of the group and only knew her history by her number. If you have any concerns, ask the vet who performed the surgery.

Bad call she should of been culled. I wouldn't ever keep a heifer that had any kinds of problems. I have a lot to learn and have a few questions. First one is why would anyone keep a heifer that had problems? Next question is how much does a typical C - section cost? Between the cost and after care is it possible to come out a head?

The heifer was 15 months old and our biggest birth weight bull bred her.. I totally agree as to reasons not to keep one, in the past c section females got culled when told to cull. I always ask my vet, he usually says sell. This mentioned heifer was a really nice heifer, wasnt her fault she was fertile at 4 months..Bred back, which says a lot about her and calved just fine. This is why i said, ask the vet who preformed the surgery. They will know the inside and outside of that animal, literately..lol. The way i wrote the above, her c section calf died, the calf she had this year is doing well. Like i said, i cant pick her out of the herd.
My vet charges around 200 for a c section. If you save the cow, yes, if you save the cow and calf yes it is worth it. Even if it cost up to 500...if they need one what else would you do? As far as the care afterwards, you just chunk them back in the pasture. I'd say maybe 10% of the time you may have to get them up for something....but on the most part, they just heal on their own

 

[highgrit]

Well that all sounds reasonable. How do you know when to call the vet for help? We have a 50-50 chance of being able to get a hold of our vet after hours. And the next closest is better than a hour away.

 

[fenceman]

Well I did say I was guessing. :cboy: If you can get it done for 500, with little post surgery maintenance, I'll eat my hat on my last statement. I would still cull her.

 

[Muddy]

I too, would culled the heifer that had a c-section for obvious reasons. To me, she is still an unproven heifer, not a cow.

 

[Ojp6]

When we used to feed heiferettes we had a couple c-sections. They weren't all that expensive and it sure beat having a dead cow and calf. This year a live calf would have easily paid for the surgery if you just sold him as a newborn at least with our vet.

 

[cowgirl8]

Well that all sounds reasonable. How do you know when to call the vet for help? We have a 50-50 chance of being able to get a hold of our vet after hours. And the next closest is better than a hour away.

When you see a heifer in labor over an hour or so and nothing is out, you get her up to investigate. We do not take a animal in that the calf can be pulled. If we palpate and find the opening is for sure not large enough for the calf to pass through, we load her up and haul her to the vet. I have small girl hands, if my hand does not fit in easily and over the calf's head, c section. I think every heifer who had a c section on our place got nothing out, no toe tips and specially no feet/nose. A lot of times if you dont see them go into labor, their labor stops and hopefully you'll be able to see a bit of tissue hanging out from the sack, otherwise the calf rots. I have had 2 my vet thought he could pull, but killed the calf in the process....erk..
With a cow, the problem would be presentation problem more likely and most times that can be done manually and not call for a c section.
One time we took in a heifer i called Puckerpuss. She was a very very nice heifer except for her vulva seemed kind of shaped funny. I watched her carefully at calving time and luckily saw her go into labor. After 2 hours she got nothing out. Got her up and found out that the pucker in her hoonanny meant she had an opening the size of a quarter....took her in for a c section. Vet got one calf out, son pointed out he left a leg.....twins. She raise the twins, and was culled at weaning....

 

[dun]

Got her up and found out that the pucker in her hoonanny meant she had an opening the size of a quarter...

And that is the reason we do a pelvic exam on all heifers before breeding season.

 

[highgrit]

Got her up and found out that the pucker in her hoonanny meant she had an opening the size of a quarter...

And that is the reason we do a pelvic exam on all heifers before breeding season.

That's kinda the way we do it here Mr. Dun. When I palpate a heifer, if I can't pass through the pelvic area fairly easy she's going for a ride. And we make no exceptions, that lesson has been learned the hard way.

 

[cowgirl8]

We learned also......
Someone also learned when they bought a bred cow at the sale barn. I wanted to leave her open, but was too hard to do since we had nowhere to put her that didnt have a bull in the pasture or across the fence...