Cow trailing umbilical cord

[SRBeef]

I have one cow who had a very nice calf on Thursday (3 days ago). Cow and calf seem normal except the cow is still trailing the umbilical cord. I take it the cow has not expelled the placenta.

My vet says to watch it for a couple days that sometimes they expell a few days later. He'll come over and pull it if not out in a couple days.

I have never had one like this before. This is a cow I almost culled last fall but changed my mind. She is now back on the list after weaning.

Calf was about a 70 lb bull calf from the looks of it. Have not weighed him yet. No problem calving at all, just didn't clean up like the rest of them. Coming a bit more regularly now.

My question is how common is this? Do cows that do this tend to do it again?

 

[jkwilson]

Don't worry about it unless there is a discharge or strong odor.

 

[Herefords.US]

My question is how common is this? Do cows that do this tend to do it again?

Not common, but it happens. Most will "sluff" it in a few days. If a cow retained her placenta for more than a day, my Dad always helped the process along by tying a rock about the size of a "half-brick" to the part of the placenta that was hanging out using a cotton string. The slight extra weight seemed to speed things along. I've done the same thing to one of mine since I got back into the cattle business and she sluffed the placenta by the next day.

In my experience, a retained placenta wasn't likely to be repeated the next year or later on.

George

 

[dun]

Thread on the subject
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=56171&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=retained#p647200

 

[SRBeef]

Thanks for the replies and link.

The trailing cord was about 6-7 ft long. I just pulled on it an it came out easily. This was before I read the advice in the link not to do that!

Cow is eating normally, calf is nursing neither seem to be in any distress. Benign neglect it is. Later the cow was hunching up out in the pasture like she was trying to expell something. She probably has by now.

A couple more beautiful Hereford calves born today. 70 lb heifer & 75 lb bull. Weights seem very close together this year.

I appreciate the information shared here.

Jim