Has anyone seen this lately and treated it successfully? A big bull calf, born last night, about two handfuls-worth of intestine poking out in the umbilical area. He hasn't got to his feet. Son and his girl plan to rinse it all in an iodine solution, put it back in and stitch it up. Will give him antibiotics and electrolytes. Middle of nowhere, no veterinary help available. Anyone done it before?
Help! Newborn bull calf with intestine hanging out
- Thread starter jilleroo
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hillsdown
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I agree with Dun and hit him hard hard hard with antibiotics for a long time.
If he does not start improving they will have to put him down.
Good luck..
If he does not start improving they will have to put him down.
Good luck..
They just rang and said they shot him - he had formed with the intestine on the outside, the hole was very small and they would've had to make an incision to put it back. The calf was already in pain, kicking when they touched the area. Thanks for your input!
For the rest of you more experienced folks - how often does it happen? I've seen a pic of it once on another board - calf was put down as he'd torn a hole in the intestine by the time he was discovered - but I haven't run into it myself yet.
regolith
Well-known member
I took photos of one newborn last Thursday morning - whole intestines were external and the calf died before I had time to get back to him and put him down.
That is the first I've ever seen. Year before last I had the vet in to calve a cow with an inside-out calf - similar cause. So I guess that's two, out of 260 cows so far this year, 140 last year, 155, 140, 140, 180, 160, 360, 360, 360, 120, 55x 3 years plus whatever incidental calving cows I might have been around... I can't read the percentage on my calculator but that's 2 out of some 2,500 calvings.
I have photos of both calves but possibly too gruesome for a family board - pm me if you'd like to see them.
That is the first I've ever seen. Year before last I had the vet in to calve a cow with an inside-out calf - similar cause. So I guess that's two, out of 260 cows so far this year, 140 last year, 155, 140, 140, 180, 160, 360, 360, 360, 120, 55x 3 years plus whatever incidental calving cows I might have been around... I can't read the percentage on my calculator but that's 2 out of some 2,500 calvings.
I have photos of both calves but possibly too gruesome for a family board - pm me if you'd like to see them.
The kids just sent through photos they'd taken of the calf - looks to me like the whole of his intestine was out, much more than I realised from their description. Nice big charolais calf out of a second calf santa cow. Out of thousands of births, I've never seen a live one (uh oh, you know what's going to happen here next....) but have seen one or two dead in the paddock.
I've only seen it twice, both times in Holstein heifers. Their guts were protruding because of a hernia, not a defect on the forming of the intestines externally. Little hernias with just a hand full of guts out I've seen a lot more often, also in Holsteins. Those were fixed with duct tape (kind of a body bandage deal).milkmaid":3k4bl21n said:
regolith and jilleroo-- I'd be interested in seeing pictures of both calves.
I've seen pics of a defect where the abdominal wall never closes/intestines develop externally - anyone remember the name of that? - not sure if that one is a more severe form of an open hernia, or if it's a separate defect.
I've seen pics of a defect where the abdominal wall never closes/intestines develop externally - anyone remember the name of that? - not sure if that one is a more severe form of an open hernia, or if it's a separate defect.
redcowsrule33
Well-known member
milkmaid":1snjq927 said:
Schistosomus reflexus. Pretty cool to look at as long as it isn't yours.
mnmtranching
Well-known member
I'm glad this is very rare. I've not seen it in a few thousand births under my watch.
If I did see it I would realize, this calf is not going to be saved.
If I did see it I would realize, this calf is not going to be saved.
Angus Cowman
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I had 2 calves born with their intestines out of the naval the weird part was I had 1 one day and 1 the next this was a couple of yrs ago, the first calf they were out about a 1 1/2 ft the 2nd calf they were out a long way and wrapped around his back feet this happened during birth as the calf was still alive when he came outmilkmaid":19au3glf said:
I had a schistosomus calf last yr in over 20 yrs of calving this was only the 2nd schistosomus calf I had seen, The first was when I was working for a vet yrs ago and we had to take it c-section and then mine last yr and the cow had it naturally (i don't know how) as both times in these calves the spine was malformed and the shoulders and hips were almost connected because of the spine being severely bent in a U shape
MM I have pics of all three if I can find them will E-mail them if you would like just PM me with the info
AC
chippie
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Ugh. Icky. I'm glad that we've never experienced that.
regolith
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snickers
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I have a friend that had a calf without a anal opening and the calf was healthy otherwise. He called the vet and the vet told him he only had that to happen twice before and he wasn't able to save either so he advised to put him down.
Angus Cowman
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I have actually worked on a coupe calves like this and saved them no problemssnickers":1qhiq5yk said:
if the anus is there but not opened you can cut the skin and you will usually be ok and have no further prob
1 we did we had to insert a short peice of tubing in which we remove after the incision healed because the rectum was closed off and there was No anus it was a little more difficult and the calf could not control his bowel movements as he had no muscles to close off his anus
you sure didn't want t get behind him :lol:
