Bright Raven
Well-known member
In the thread "Always a Fish to Fry", I presented the scenario around the abortion of a heifer I recently purchased. I believe she aborted because of twins which is not unusual. Here is my basis:
1. She was observed having a discharge 7 months into her gestation.
2. On examination, her vaginal wall was irritated and red. Upon palpation, a calf was in utero. I thought the irritation was vaginitis, I now think it was due to the first aborted fetus.
3. A couple days later, she came in with placenta showing. Upon palpation, there was no in utero fetus. She was retaining the placenta.
4. A day later, I picked up a full placenta. The cotyledons were intact.
5. This morning, I observed placenta protruding from her vulva. I got her in the chute and with a very gentle tug. Out came another intact placenta. See picture below.
6. Fire Sweep Simmentals has a full flush mate to this heifer. For any beginners, that means these two sisters are as closely related as possible short of being identical twins or clones. The Velvet sister Fire Sweep has also twined this fall. The point: twining is inheritable.
What I think happened. When I first observed the discharge, I think she had aborted one of the twins. When I palpated, I was feeling the other twin. When she came back up the next day with placenta showing, she had aborted the other twin. She was retaining both placentas. She passed the first one a couple days ago. I pulled the second placenta this morning. Conclusion: she could not take both calves to full term. Not unusual.
I still plan to run a serology to check particularly for Neospora. When I pulled the second placenta, I pulled blood from the caudal vein this morning. See picture below.
1. She was observed having a discharge 7 months into her gestation.
2. On examination, her vaginal wall was irritated and red. Upon palpation, a calf was in utero. I thought the irritation was vaginitis, I now think it was due to the first aborted fetus.
3. A couple days later, she came in with placenta showing. Upon palpation, there was no in utero fetus. She was retaining the placenta.
4. A day later, I picked up a full placenta. The cotyledons were intact.
5. This morning, I observed placenta protruding from her vulva. I got her in the chute and with a very gentle tug. Out came another intact placenta. See picture below.
6. Fire Sweep Simmentals has a full flush mate to this heifer. For any beginners, that means these two sisters are as closely related as possible short of being identical twins or clones. The Velvet sister Fire Sweep has also twined this fall. The point: twining is inheritable.
What I think happened. When I first observed the discharge, I think she had aborted one of the twins. When I palpated, I was feeling the other twin. When she came back up the next day with placenta showing, she had aborted the other twin. She was retaining both placentas. She passed the first one a couple days ago. I pulled the second placenta this morning. Conclusion: she could not take both calves to full term. Not unusual.
I still plan to run a serology to check particularly for Neospora. When I pulled the second placenta, I pulled blood from the caudal vein this morning. See picture below.