Cow won't carry full term.

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El_Putzo

El_Putzo

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Central MO
Some of you may remember when I asked about one of my cows aborting back in December. Well, she's at it again. She's a heifer that aborted her first calf the beginning of December. I had her blood tested, nothing abnormal. I thought, no big deal, sometimes things just aren't right. She came back in heat 21 days after abortion, bred her again, she stuck. Carried that calf for about 60 days, then came back in heat. She was in with the bulls at the time, so she got bred again. Decided this would be her last chance. Well, low and behold, she came in heat again on Jun 1.

So, before I send her for hamburger, does anybody know of any diseases, and or genetic defects that would cause a cow to only be able to carry a calf for 60 days? It's actually a little ironic because she cycles very regularly, and when you do breed her, she sticks the first time every time, she just won't carry it full term. Any ideas?
 
I remember you mentioning her.

Could be one of the virals like BVD... could be she's cystic (are you sure she was carrying a calf those last two times?)... could be she's a freemartin; I hear freemartinism can have a wide range of severity, mildest being heifers that can cycle and breed, but cannot maintain a pregnancy.

I believe Jeanne mentioned a cow she had once that had to have progesterone shots every week or she'd slip that calf - I do recall her saying she wouldn't do that again!

My vet has a half dozen OPEN dairy heifers at his clinic that are going through a $500 treatment (if that's the right word) to make them lactate. For some reason unknown to even him, everything feels normal but they won't/can't maintain a pregnancy. So two weeks of shots to make them think they've calved will bring them into milk, and he says they'll usually breed OK after that. Guess their system just needs a jump-start?? (If it were me I'd milk them long enough to make back that money and then ship them; don't need any more of those non-breeders!)

There's an endless list of things it could be. Quick preg check by a good vet would tell you if it's something "simple" like cysts. Careful you don't spend too much trying to figure out what's wrong. :lol: ;-)
 
Learn something new every day from here. Never heard of Neospora but here's a link that explains it:

http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/dairy/short ... &intSCID=9

Caustic: how did you all get rid of that?? by culling?



Ok, nevermind Caustic, I have now read your post in the Hay, Grass section. I did a search on the Neospora but see that its the same link Dun posted in the other thread.
 

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