Opinions please.....what happened?

[HOSS]

As I mentioned in the post about the premature calf I have another cow that has what appears to be placenta like tissue dangling out about 14" or so. I checked my records and she was not AI'd in early May like I thought but was with the bull from early June. On December 4th she was preg checked by the vet and he judged her to be 3 months bred. He was off by 3 months on some others so I have no real confidence in his accuracy. I am concerned about having another premature calf. Here is a picture of her and the tissue dangling from her vulva. To me it looks like what preceeds a calf but I figured I would get some opinions. It has been like this since sometime last night so I am assuming that she has either delivered it early and it is dead or the calf is dead and not delivered?? Opinions please?

 

[jcarkie]

if she is not straining then her utreus could be twisted or something . had that happen a few years back mine was full term and in labor then she just stopped and i took her in to be checked. the calf survived by a miracle, but the cow was done. the faster you check the better. if she was not very far along then you probably wont find the calf. do you vaccinate for vibro/lepto, bvd etc....?

 

[dun]

Glove up and reach in there, that's the only way to know.

 

[HOSS]

if she is not straining then her utreus could be twisted or something . had that happen a few years back mine was full term and in labor then she just stopped and i took her in to be checked. the calf survived by a miracle, but the cow was done. the faster you check the better. if she was not very far along then you probably wont find the calf. do you vaccinate for vibro/lepto, bvd etc....?

Yes. My herd has also not been exposed to any other cattle (not even over a fence) in about a year.

 

[HOSS]

Glove up and reach in there, that's the only way to know.

It crossed my mind. I may get her up and see what I can feel.

 

[dun]

Glove up and reach in there, that's the only way to know.

It crossed my mind. I may get her up and see what I can feel.

Rectal first!

 

[Dylan Biggs]

Looks to me like she aborted and has not cleaned completely, but the best way to be sure is to follow Dun's advice.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Backards.

 

[angus9259]

Glove up and reach in there, that's the only way to know.

It crossed my mind. I may get her up and see what I can feel.

Rectal first!

Why?

 

[angus9259]

This is what happened to the cow I put in the barn to have her calf but she decided she didn't want to. The water broke and she had some sack hanging out of her, but when I gloved up, the calf wasn't in the birth canal and so was not initiating contractions. The uterus wasn't twisted so I was able to remove the calf.

Had a calf, then cow, die from a twisted uterus once . . . how do you resolve that situation?

 

[CKC1586]

Glove up and reach in there, that's the only way to know.

Sooner rather than later, if calf is dead in there infection will come fast.
And yes, rectal first. If you are unsure or wary about doing this, call your vet.

 

[TexasBred]

Looks like she lost her calf. Rectal palpation should confirm it. Hoss...sounds like something is going on with the cattle.

 

[HOSS]

I got her up today and penned her. I palpated her but I was not sure what I was feeling. I called the vet so he will be out in the morning. TexasBred, I have the same fear so I am going to see if he can run some tests to see if this is more than a fluke thing. I have several more that I AI'd that are springing right on time. They are bagging and loosening and will probably calve in a week or so which is spot on with my gestation calender. I'll keep ya'll posted on what I find.

 

[jcarkie]

the reason i asked about vaccinations is we had problems with repro problems. i had a couple of calves weak and one was blind, we kept lossing calves early. the vet said next time anything suspicious bring it in for a blood test. well it turned out to be BVD we tested every animal, we had bought up cows to get started and well yikes what a mess. we pinpointed a cow that was PI and elimated her and her daughters and that was the end of that. now we are back on track, it was worth the expense and the trouble to pinpoint the problem. i am thankful for a great vet and his staff

 

[TexasBred]

I got her up today and penned her. I palpated her but I was not sure what I was feeling. I called the vet so he will be out in the morning. TexasBred, I have the same fear so I am going to see if he can run some tests to see if this is more than a fluke thing. I have several more that I AI'd that are springing right on time. They are bagging and loosening and will probably calve in a week or so which is spot on with my gestation calender. I'll keep ya'll posted on what I find.

Hope he can pinpoint the problem quickly HOSS...let us know what you find out.

 

[HOSS]

The vet came out today and cleaned her out. He said that the calf was aborted early and still in her. I was not home when he came so he took care of it. I had told him about the first cow having a live calf premature. When he got to the farm he called me and asked her ear tag. I told him and he went out and got her up too (I got a good vet for that type of thing). He pulled blood on them both. I should know something soon.

 

[TexasBred]

Sure hope he's able to isolate the problem HOSS...keep us updated.

 

[angus9259]

The vet came out today and cleaned her out. He said that the calf was aborted early and still in her. I was not home when he came so he took care of it. I had told him about the first cow having a live calf premature. When he got to the farm he called me and asked her ear tag. I told him and he went out and got her up too (I got a good vet for that type of thing). He pulled blood on them both. I should know something soon.

Wow - that's a great vet.

 

[rockridgecattle]

You have a keeper of a vet there! keep us posted on what the vet says.

A previous poster metioned twisted uterus. Some might not know this but there is a way to tell if the uterus is twisted. Glove up and when you put your hand inside, it will want to twist as you try to get you hand inside. There will also be the feeling of a shelf and drop off and you can not get your arm inside the cow very far. Classic twisted uterus...call a vet.