my first uterine inversion

[moloss]

To start off we are a small farm with only about 20 or so momma cows and have only had cows for about 4yrs.....this actually happened last Sunday morning while checking cows.....long story short went out on our coldest morning this year (wind chill of 9) and found a calf wandering around the pasture with no mama.....not good....found her down with an inverted uterus....took the calf to the garage to warm up and get dried off.....now for the cow, I thought she was paralyzed and was gonna have to put her down but she got up.....my wife and I got her into the squeeze chute....

long story short it took several hours and the help of the whole family (me in the chute, wife on one side, 8 yr old son holding up the tail, 6 yr old daughter answering phone) plus a couple of friends but we got it back in and sewed her up....week later she's out with the other cows like nothing happened....AMAZING! While this is not something I want to repeat it is neat how our little family came together and worked.....I don't think many do that anymore.

 

[Bigfoot]

Thats awesome. Even the most experienced cow hands struggle with that procedure.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Thats awesome. Even the most experienced cow hands struggle with that procedure.

and vets..like shovin' a basketball through a keyhole. good work

 

[Sir Loin]

moloss


Great job, and you are right to thank your helpers.
I wouldn't have try to repair that one with out at least 3 strong men.
I don't think most people know just how heavy all that is and how hard it is to hold onto.
Welcome to the world of emergency medicine.

You owe your helpers a steak dinner, but you might what to wait a few days, if you know what I mean. Pizza is another thing they may not want for a while also.
SL.

 

[moloss]

I was really suprised how difficult it was to get back in..... and when she would bear down with my arm inside well all I have to say is wow! It took awhile (I'm hard headed) but I finally figured out to hold what I had when she would contract and as soon as she would relax get back to stuffing! then just go thru the whole thing over and over until we had it back in.......by monday my shoulders were sore and my forearms were brusied but I had a live cow! So many times when I try to save a cow, calf, horse, goat or whatever at the house it fails it's nice to finally win one :cboy:

 

[dun]

I was really suprised how difficult it was to get back in..... and when she would bear down with my arm inside well all I have to say is wow! It took awhile (I'm hard headed) but I finally figured out to hold what I had when she would contract and as soon as she would relax get back to stuffing! then just go thru the whole thing over and over until we had it back in.......by monday my shoulders were sore and my forearms were brusied but I had a live cow! So many times when I try to save a cow, calf, horse, goat or whatever at the house it fails it's nice to finally win one :cboy:

If you sprinkle sugar on it it takes a lot of the swelling away. The old fix included using a coke bottle to push it in and keep it right while they were sewed up.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I was really suprised how difficult it was to get back in..... and when she would bear down with my arm inside well all I have to say is wow! It took awhile (I'm hard headed) but I finally figured out to hold what I had when she would contract and as soon as she would relax get back to stuffing! then just go thru the whole thing over and over until we had it back in.......by monday my shoulders were sore and my forearms were brusied but I had a live cow! So many times when I try to save a cow, calf, horse, goat or whatever at the house it fails it's nice to finally win one :cboy:

If you sprinkle sugar on it it takes a lot of the swelling away. The old fix included using a coke bottle to push it in and keep it right while they were sewed up.

Sugar does help that's for sure. Last one I had like that 10 or 12 year's ago I drew the X. She was down when I found her.

 

[moloss]

so how much sugar?

 

[Bigfoot]

so how much sugar?

A bag or more.

 

[Sir Loin]

The only think I ever heard and used that helps, short of a shot of ?????????? ( brain fart ) Saddle block, is to have someone keep poring cold water on it to reduce swelling.

What do you think caused it?
Was it a big calf ?
Was it her first calf?
What did you sew her up with? I have used hog rings to close her up. Old old way of doing it, just don't forget to take them out after about week.

SL

 

[Sir Loin]

Never tried the sugar but have used a coke bottle.
Hell I have used everything from my foot with the shoe off to a toilet plunger.
SL

 

[IluvABbeef]

The only think I ever heard and used that helps, short of a shot of Oxytocin ( brain fart ) Saddle block, is to have someone keep poring cold water on it to reduce swelling.

What do you think caused it?
Was it a big calf ?
Was it her first calf?
What did you sew her up with? I have used hog rings to close her up. Old old way of doing it, just don't forget to take them out after about week.

SL

I hope you (the OP) didn't have far to travel with her prolapse like that...

 

[moloss]

I assume what caused it was the that the calf was on the large side (even though we used a heifer bull).....she is an older cow (maybe 10 or more) and was someone's cull when I bought her 4yrs ago....as far as what I sewed her up with I don't remember exactly but it was with the largest needle and strongest suture I had in my emergency cow box at the time and did a running suture b/c I was worn out by then. http://www.wikisurgery.com/index.php?ti ... ous_suture

 

[Caustic Burno]

I assume what caused it was the that the calf was on the large side (even though we used a heifer bull).....she is an older cow (maybe 10 or more) and was someone's cull when I bought her 4yrs ago....as far as what I sewed her up with I don't remember exactly but it was with the largest needle and strongest suture I had in my emergency cow box at the time and did a running suture b/c I was worn out by then. http://www.wikisurgery.com/index.php?ti ... ous_suture

The one I had like that was an old girl that had many fine calf's here. The time when she prolapsed like that she had a heifer that weighed maybe 60 lb's. IMO some cows are prone to prolapse and sometimes something goe's haywire.

 

[DavisBeefmasters]

I assume what caused it was the that the calf was on the large side (even though we used a heifer bull).....she is an older cow (maybe 10 or more) and was someone's cull when I bought her 4yrs ago....as far as what I sewed her up with I don't remember exactly but it was with the largest needle and strongest suture I had in my emergency cow box at the time and did a running suture b/c I was worn out by then. http://www.wikisurgery.com/index.php?ti ... ous_suture

Nice work doc!

A shot of lidocaine epidural in the future helps keep her from shoving it back on you... extremely helpful to know how to give that shot to assist

Let her raise that calf then sell her... or if you want to try again have the vet make sure the uterine horn has been properly placed, etc. etc. -- also, did you give her a shot of antibiotic or something to minimize the chance of infection that could drag her down in the next few weeks?

 

[Anonymous]

No kidding. Nice work.
Tried to stuff a pigs rectal prolapse back once. No way it was going back so I made a tube of PVC. 3/4" diameter. Cut some groove notches in it and stuffed it in. Place a castrating band at the base of the prolapse. Pig could poop, and about 2 weeks later the prolapse, tube and all were no longer attatched. Pug lived just fine up to butcher size.
I hate prolapses

 

[BettyLandercasper]

Do NOT give a prolapse oxytocin before you get it in, it will reduce the size of the cervix and make the job harder.
If you have 2 people to help,placing the prolapse on a tray and holding it up will help a ton. Using oven mitts, slick ones, can help you not to push your hand thru the uterus while replacing it. The coke bottle is super dangerous, easy to make a hole in the womb.
The sugar does work IME. There used to be a sulfa urea powder that worked great but I don't think is sold any longer.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

To start off we are a small farm with only about 20 or so momma cows and have only had cows for about 4yrs.....this actually happened last Sunday morning while checking cows.....long story short went out on our coldest morning this year (wind chill of 9) and found a calf wandering around the pasture with no mama.....not good....found her down with an inverted uterus....took the calf to the garage to warm up and get dried off.....now for the cow, I thought she was paralyzed and was gonna have to put her down but she got up.....my wife and I got her into the squeeze chute....

long story short it took several hours and the help of the whole family (me in the chute, wife on one side, 8 yr old son holding up the tail, 6 yr old daughter answering phone) plus a couple of friends but we got it back in and sewed her up....week later she's out with the other cows like nothing happened....AMAZING! While this is not something I want to repeat it is neat how our little family came together and worked.....I don't think many do that anymore.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

I'm very impressed! Good work. Not long ago there was a front-page article in our small local paper (they were talking about cattle ranchers), and part of the story was this exact sort of mess, with photos, but with a local vet assisting. Hope to never see this up close and personal.

 

[moloss]

I washed down the uterus with warm water and soap (remember it was cold that morning) and placed it on the 2x4's you see in the 3rd pic (that really seemed to help keep the uterus from coming back out just due to it's weight, it's heavy and hard to hold) I also poured 3 small bottles of betadine all over it......she got la200 and a big shot of decadron (dexamethasone) while in the chute and another dose of la200 the following day....I'm curious if anyone has had a spinal or epidural placed on their cow and the results.....next time I'm at the vet and gonna have him talk me thru it.....anything to make that easier to replace is a good thing