newborn bleeding out thru navel

[pappy6]

Hello all...just wanted to get opinions or answer to what happened recently.
I had a newborn calf-large about 90lbs for our herd- that I found right after birth. While applying iodine to the umbilical cord while calf still laying I notice some blood. Mother had not finished cleaning off so I backed off and watched. Mother worked on calf but after a while layed down beside calf. I suspected a hard labor and she was tired. Calf made very little effort to get to his feet so I went back and tried to help him get up. When I got him to stand while bracing against my leg I saw blood streaming from the navel...falling from strands of hair in about 4-5 streams. Applied more iodine and when I moved of course he went back down. Other attempts to stop bleeding--pressure with rag at navel to clot and stop bleed powder were unsuccessful. Of course you can figure the outcome.

I had never had this happen with a newborn, just asking if you had and was there anything else I should have done? I figure either the cow had either fell on the calf, stepped on his abdomen, or the umbilical cord had torn something in his interior. The cow was not real agile from the hard labor but no long term effect. Your thoughts or experiences please.

 

[Nesikep]

Your suspicions are certainly possibilities... I don't know if cows have hemophilia, doesn't sound like the blood was clotting

 

[branguscowgirl]

I am sorry to hear that you lost your calf. Something could have been wrong inside, like you said.
It has never happened to me, but I would have clamped or tied it off with some non-waxed dental floss. (What we do with puppies.) The cord usually has a particular spot that is more conducive to severing. If broke higher, I suppose it may not seal as well.
I do not know if it would have made a difference or not in the case with your calf though. There may have been more wrong than what was seen.

 

[wbvs58]

From your post I didn't realise that it had died. Usually the tearing and breaking of the cord is the greatest form of haemostasis as the blood vessels stretch then break over a fair length and the muscle in the walls contract and close it off very quickly. A bit like castrating pulling them out produces the best results compared to cutting.
As Brangus suggested some tying off would have been indicated but if it died I would suspect that problems may have been a lot deeper and the result may have been the same except that you just didn't see the blood.
Ken

 

[mncowboy]

I had something similar before, the near steady stream of blood, I placed a small castration rubber band on the band along with iodine dip. By the end of the day it had become a little puffy above the band and a day or two later the puffiness dissipated and the calf made it. If I remember right, the band initially was too big and slid off until I placed it a little higher up.

 

[suzorse]

I keep dental floss in my calving/kidding/foaling and farrowing kit for the just in case
SUZANNE

 

[bmoore87]

I placed a small castration rubber band on the band along with iodine dip. By the end of the day it had become a little puffy above the band and a day or two later the puffiness dissipated and the calf made it.

X2 I tied it off with string

 

[dieselbeef]

that happened to me also..i think momma got spooked off it and tore it away...i only knew cuz i saw it laying there with the huge puddle at its belly...

 

[pappy6]

thanks for the responses...been away a couple of days...I guess I was not clear that I did tie it with a strand of the rag but that it only stopped the exterior flow...something inside must have been damaged...dental floss going into my calving kit...good luck all

 

[bward]

That happened to me years ago. Found calf with bloody legs, navel ripped off at belly level. Calf could not even raise its head. I milked out the cow for 4 days and tube fed the calf 3 times a day. We would try at each feeding to get it up and it could stand for several seconds, then start huffing and puffing and collapse. On the 5th day, I drove in the yard to find the calf up and nursing, much to my sheer amazement.