Late Calf...

[Just Curious]

Cow appears to be in labor.... But nothing seems to be happening... No feet... Full udder... (Actually the udder is quite swollen and starting to turn a brighter red like it's inflamed...)
She has a discharge from her that seems like it's part of the placenta... She started this early this morning... Before that she had been stringing for about the past three days
But she's out eating with the rest of the cows tonight... Even with the discharge hanging out of her...

 

[rockridgecattle]

did i get this right? you have a cow in possible labour since morning?
HAVE YOU DONE AND INTERNAL EXAM---check and make sure she is okay

If you haven't and she hasn't had her calf gotta do it. NOW

Get some iodine,
gloves
calving chains---clean
puller ---clean
go to it
need help call a vet.

 

[msscamp]

Just Curious, is this a heifer or a seasoned cow?

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Really wouldn't make any difference - heifer or cow. "IF" she truly has any membrane hanging out - SOMETHING'S WRONG!! - or she already calved.

 

[dun]

The mebrane haning but no signs of either a calf or of being in labor is what I've seen in in heifers mostly and occasionally a cow, that has tried to calf and failedd. The calf will still be in her and dead but the memrane will be hanging out almost as if she had calved normally.

 

[KMacGinley]

Is it discharge, or membrane?

 

[jcarkie]

if the calf fails to enter the birth canal they will stop labor. i had one like that and she had a twisted uterus, call the vet or do an exam yourself.

 

[cow_crazy_101]

Cow appears to be in labor.... But nothing seems to be happening... No feet... Full udder... (Actually the udder is quite swollen and starting to turn a brighter red like it's inflamed...)
She has a discharge from her that seems like it's part of the placenta... She started this early this morning... Before that she had been stringing for about the past three days
But she's out eating with the rest of the cows tonight... Even with the discharge hanging out of her...

Do we have a follow up??what happened

 

[rockridgecattle]

I'm curious too! what happened

 

[Just Curious]

I'm curious too! what happened

Sorry for the delay in getting back to all of you... But the website has been down (At least to me) and I haven't been able to access it until just now...
Calf dead... Mom doing ok...
Now to recap... I was in a hurry when I first initiated the post... But here's what happened...
2nd calf cow... She had been stringing for about three days... Clear and sticky... Kinda isolated herself from the rest of the herd... And a little off of her feed...
Then yesterday morning (9 AM) she started to show a little blood in her discharge and it was more watery... Still nothing out of the ordinary and nothing hanging at that time... But when I got home from work, it appeared that part of the placenta was hanging out... 7 PM.
After a quick drive around the property and no sign of a new calf, I called the vet and posted the message... Then was out the rest of the evening until 12:30 AM with the cow...
When we went in, the calf was dead... But could not pull it because the cervix had not dialated properly... I could not get the head and front legs into the birth canal at the same time. So I loaded her into the trailer and down to the vet we went...
A C-Section later produced a deceased 80 lbs full term bull calf... From what the vet said, it appeared to have been dead about 6 hours...
The only thing different about this calf that I could see was that the front hooves appeared to be rolled forward more than I have been use to seeing... I.e more of the fetlock and less of the pointed hoof trying to exit...
I don't know... and have never given it any thought until now... But I wonder if this posture (Or at least the correct posture) has anything to do with stimulating the dialation of the cervix?
At any rate, neither the vet nor I could see any obvious reason for this becoming an unordinary birth...
It's been a long season and only two more to go...
BTW after a closer examination of the udder, it was full but nothing out of the norm... It appears that the redness was due in part to a sunburn... It is normally overcast most of the winter and well into the spring around here... But we have had full sun for several days this past week.
Thanks for your all of your feedback...

 

[rockridgecattle]

I am so sorry to hear that.
It's hard to lose a calf like that. We keep thinking what could we have done differently.
i also understand the time constrants of working off farm especially during this stressfull time. both my husband and i work off farm.
only one thing i could suggest and this is out of experience and that is when in doubt, check, if we are clean upon entery and gentle and careful there is negligable risk for hurting her or the calf. We do this especially when we have to leave for work. Just to make sure. Both my husband and work the same shifts so...
I hope you had better luck with the rest of your cows and the few to go
Tammy

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I am so sorry to hear that.
It's hard to lose a calf like that. We keep thinking what could we have done differently.
i also understand the time constrants of working off farm especially during this stressfull time. both my husband and i work off farm.
only one thing i could suggest and this is out of experience and that is when in doubt, check, if we are clean upon entery and gentle and careful there is negligable risk for hurting her or the calf. We do this especially when we have to leave for work. Just to make sure. Both my husband and work the same shifts so...
I hope you had better luck with the rest of your cows and the few to go
Tammy

:shock: ?? Unless you are ACTUALLY in the process of pulling a calf, you should always "check" by going in thru the rectum - as far as I know - never in the vulva.

 

[rockridgecattle]

JSV i agree that if we are just doing a "random" check that the rectum is the way to go.
For us random checks include...she's acting funny no bag and hasn't fallen...preg checking...etc
But if we suspect she is in labour (bag fully swollen, fallen around the tail bone for an extended period)and if she is in possible distress, for us, the vulva is the way to go. The reason is we are clean...clean shoulder length gloves, as well as wrist latex gloves, iodine, washed the vulva with iodine scrub...If we were to go through the rectum and there is a problem we would have to change gloves wash us, the cow, and anything else. For us that is time wasted. We gentley enter and check the position of the calf so as not to disturb the calf sac (puncture). If all is well and the calf is alive we release from the mat.pen and keep and eye on her. If there is a problem we are ready to go.
For us the object to to be as clean as possible and our equipment washed and cleaned so less risk of bacteria entering the uterus and navel ill for the calf.
But I guess that is what this web site is for... to share our ideas and to learn from others for the next time
Thank you for the reminder of the rectal check ;-)
Tammy

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Interesting. I will post the question on a new topic.

 

[rockridgecattle]

good idea... too will watch the posts