How do you weight a retained placenta?

[Wisteria Farms]

Question...
Have a cow that STILL has a string hanging after the birth of twins on Friday. I know it can take a while to completely clean out but I'm thinking this is too long. I know you don't want to PULL on it as you can do more damage but I've heard you can put weights on it to help gravity do its job...anybody have experience with this? What kind of weights?...

 

[rockridgecattle]

have you done the oxytocin and lute thing to help her expell? Those would be the routes i would go first. Talk with your vet about what they recommend.

We always, and vet recommended, give a shot of oxytocin to cows who had hard births, twins, large calf at birth. This has helped in the RT as well.

 

[msscamp]

Question...
Have a cow that STILL has a string hanging after the birth of twins on Friday. I know it can take a while to completely clean out but I'm thinking this is too long. I know you don't want to PULL on it as you can do more damage but I've heard you can put weights on it to help gravity do its job...anybody have experience with this? What kind of weights?...

Just fold the placenta back on itself and tie it in a knot. No, 4 days is not too long, especially after having twins. I wouldn't even worry about it unless it goes past a week to 10 days, starts acting 'off', or she develops a foul smell.

 

[CKC1586]

WF: Twins, wow! Both doing okay? Hope they are same sex.Pictures? Anyway my heifer that had twins last year took about 10 days to fully clean, I didn't mess with any of the hanging parts.

 

[KNERSIE]

Just fold the placenta back on itself and tie it in a knot.

Thats what I do as well.

 

[dun]

Just fold the placenta back on itself and tie it in a knot.

Thats what I do as well.

If it's not hanging below the hocks there isn;t much point in it. It's high enough it won;t hang up on things and it will be exerting all the pressure possible if it isn;t hanging any lower. I just leave them alone. If it's to the hocks or below I tie them back up on themselves like the others do.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

It's too late to give Oxytocin now - only give it immediately after calving (like while she's still down). Wait 7-10 days to give Lut. - which I would give her even if she cleans by then.

 

[Wisteria Farms]

Thanks guys...
Yes, twins but no luck.
I'm so mad right now...one did really well, the other struggled (wouldn't suck, couldn't hardly stand). I tubed it with colostrum, gave it Bo-se and Vit A&D.. then started on milk replacer. It got better. Then scoured. As soon as I saw it I started the calf-medic. It got better (regular poops yesterday). It was also nursing really well yesterday. We were so happy that the little guy pulled through...then I come home today and its dead. The only thing I can figure is that mom layed on him. The stall they're in is HUGE (something like 15x18) and she was so careful about walking around both twins that I can't imagine what happened. His nose has a weird "scuffed"? place on it so I think she might have stepped on his muzzle...not sure...but I'm just sick as he was doing so good. What's weird too is that yesterday a friend of ours called and asked if we had any calves...that she knew someone who was decorating a babies room and wanted pictures of farm babies. Jeff told the guy to come on out so he did and the guy got lots of pictures of the dead one nursing...he told the guy, "My wife's going to be so happy to see these pictures as this little guy has really struggled and we were worried he wouldn't get well"...So, now it looks like some stranger is going to be sending me pictures of my calf that was doing GREAT who is now DEAD....

Its got to get better as it can't get much freakin worse....

As for the placenta...she expelled most of everything as we saw her chug two large blobs dropped in seperate places...this is just a string..and no there's no foul smell and she's not acting "off" at all. We'll keep watch on her and I may tie it up as it is a bit long (right at the top of the hocks)...Thanks again.

 

[CKC1586]

Oh I am so sorry you lost the little guy! How is the other calf doing??

 

[Wisteria Farms]

[img]http://s605.photobucket.com/albums/tt132/p4620/th_DSC00600.jpg[/img]

Well, here they were on Monday afternoon...the light one is the one who died. The darker one weighed 5lbs more at birth and is doing really well...
We were so excited for twins because we had that heifer that calved while we were gone and lost it so we felt like we were given a "bonus" with these twins...I just don't get it...he was doing SOOOOOO good yesterday...
Oh well, what can you do.....got to move forward...

 

[CKC1586]

Both bulls???

 

[Wisteria Farms]

Both bulls???

Yes, both bulls. The light one weighed 78lbs and the dark one weighed 83lbs. The cow they're out of is my BIG girl...she has so much length to her that both were perfect (no sign of being cramped in there). As I said, the light one was so pathetic...he just wouldn't hardly hold his head up Saturday...(born Friday night)...but tubing him gradually brought him around and by yesterday you wouldn't have been able to tell he and his brother apart (development-wise)...both fought for the teat...both were up walking around...so to find him dead this morning was a shocker...the cow accepted both equally (which amazed me as I had put him in the garage under a heatlamp from Friday night to Monday morning). I had been rubbing his pizzle and butt to get him to pee and poop and he was just doing great...I hate it.

 

[CKC1586]

Both bulls???

Yes, both bulls. The light one weighed 78lbs and the dark one weighed 83lbs. The cow they're out of is my BIG girl...she has so much length to her that both were perfect (no sign of being cramped in there). As I said, the light one was so pathetic...he just wouldn't hardly hold his head up Saturday...(born Friday night)...but tubing him gradually brought him around and by yesterday you wouldn't have been able to tell he and his brother apart (development-wise)...both fought for the teat...both were up walking around...so to find him dead this morning was a shocker...the cow accepted both equally (which amazed me as I had put him in the garage under a heatlamp from Friday night to Monday morning). I had been rubbing his pizzle and butt to get him to pee and poop and he was just doing great...I hate it.

Gosh, I am sorry you lost him. Thank goodness they were same sex, you don't have that to worry about.
Hey on a different subject.... who does the MG use for their lab? I guess GenMark is not going to do bovine any longer, I haven't heard yet what lab our Assn. is going to switch to.

 

[Wisteria Farms]

Both bulls???

Yes, both bulls. The light one weighed 78lbs and the dark one weighed 83lbs. The cow they're out of is my BIG girl...she has so much length to her that both were perfect (no sign of being cramped in there). As I said, the light one was so pathetic...he just wouldn't hardly hold his head up Saturday...(born Friday night)...but tubing him gradually brought him around and by yesterday you wouldn't have been able to tell he and his brother apart (development-wise)...both fought for the teat...both were up walking around...so to find him dead this morning was a shocker...the cow accepted both equally (which amazed me as I had put him in the garage under a heatlamp from Friday night to Monday morning). I had been rubbing his pizzle and butt to get him to pee and poop and he was just doing great...I hate it.

Gosh, I am sorry you lost him. Thank goodness they were same sex, you don't have that to worry about.
Hey on a different subject.... who does the MG use for their lab? I guess GenMark is not going to do bovine any longer, I haven't heard yet what lab our Assn. is going to switch to.

CKC..
Depends on what you're doing...parentage verification goes through Igenity
A-manno testing goes through Kansas State
Texas Veterinary Medical...also offers testing that a lot of others don't
If you need more info just let me know....

On a brighter note...I have a cow getting ready to calve anytime (must be the stormy/unsettled weather)...lets hope she gives me a nice heifer...(she's a nice cow). Fingers-crossed!!