**Please Look**Prolapsed vagina 8 mo bred heifer

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rulintheroost

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Hi All,

Sorry to just jump in without introducing myself. We live in Texas, about an hour and a half south of Dallas.
I will go to the intro board soon.
We have a 3 yr old heifer, unk bull bred to, that started to proslapse this afternoon approx. 4pm.
It only prolapses when she lays or pushes, and goes back in on standing, she has urinated twice that I have seen her.
A really great old time cattler from down the road came and palpated her, said the calf was really small. (I figured it was
too soon for birth) My question is how do I know if she is in active labor, (she does not seem stressed), and if the calf is
dead will she pass it on her own? I have read that they can prolapse up to a few weeks before calving. This is her first calf
and mine..lol I have been trying to get a vet most of the day, but being Friday I guess everyone has been out to dinner.
Is there a possibilty that the calf could still be alive? Or am I just hoping against hope?
She has been gradually bagging over the last 3 weeks, and she has been pretty floppy around her vagina since we got her 2 months ago.
Thank you for any information.
Jen
 
the conventional wisdom is that if the prolapse goes away when she stands up and walks around for a few minutes, then its fine to leave it alone. if it doesnt go back in once she stands up and walks around for a while, then it needs to be pushed back in and stitched. sounds like your girl is okay, good sign that she's still piddling. if she needs stitching and you cant get the vet, your old cattleman neighbour might be able to stitch her for you. if that is the case you have to cut the stitches when she does calve

usually with a vag prolapse the calf is fine, no reason to suspect it is dead

I might give her a shot of antiobiotics to be safe, since everytime she sits down and it protrudes, it picks up dirt and grot, and that ends up inside her when she gets up and the prolapse goes back in ...
 
She can have a live calf, so relax. Now if it goes out and does not go back in then get the vet out to put a purse string in her. Go to the Breeding forum there is a post there on the signs of labor. that should help you out.
Ship her this fall and do not keep the calf out of her if it is a heifer because it can be passed down from mother to daughter.

Correction it is on the Health and Nutrition board
 
Thank you all for taking time to post and give me information. I just thought I would update.

I still have her separated and her vagina has stopped coming out. I only saw it once yesterday and not at all so
far today. Now she has a bloody slimy watery mucus like discharge, not alot, just enough to ooze.
Just keeping a close eye on her, not much else to do.
i luv herfrds, I read that it wasn't good to keep them. Which stinks, she really is nice looking, but we may just take her
to market and get the meat, she's only 3. I really wouldn't want someone else to breed her and put her through this again
and I also believe she has some joint issues. Thanks for the info.
keren, thanks also for the info, Very helpful and reassuring.

rulintheroost
 
SirLoin2":e1dvhrag said:
Jen,
Re:
snip snip
This is her first calf and mine.
3 yr old heifer, that started to proslapse
It only prolapses when she lays or pushes and goes back in
IMO as a real beginner you are probably seeing the water bag and not a prolapse.
If she is getting up and down and urinating she is about to give birth.
I suggest you just leave her along by herself and let her do her own thing.
Don't bother her, unless you see a part of the calf for over a ½ hour and she is making no progress. Then and only then should you intervene. Stay away, or you very well maybe the cause of her delayed birth..

If by some chance she is/does prolapse, the time to repair it is after the birth, not before or during.
SL

NOT! if she is prolapsing and it does not go back in, it needs to be repaired before calving. Then the cow needs to be watched closely for signs of calving so the string can be cut

Jen, how much blood? A pic would be good...
 
rockridgecattle

I will try to get a pic the next time she stands. It isn't alot of blood, more of just a showing. I know that is was not
her bag of water we were seeing. When the cattler from down the road came and palpated to check her the vagina was pushed
out and he could feel the calfs head, after he finished and she didn't have the pressure it went back in. She lays down alot
normally anyway, I believe because of her joint issues, and with the extra weight she seems to do it more lately.
If I can the the pics you will also see that she is far from overweight, which I know can contribute to a prolapse.
I saw some pics on the health and nutrition board of births, and the discharge I am seeing is not as heavy or as much
as those. Still haven't seen it pushed out at all today. I can see her in the pen she is in from my kitchen window, so going
out and bothering her isn't and problem either.
 
Hi All,

Went to take the pics...BOOM baby on the ground....YAY.. Just standing and nursing..Beautiful red with white face
Thanks to all for getting us through...Bless you all.

Jen
 
Congrats now get that naval iodined asap if you haven't already and enjoy your new edition. Sounds like you get to keep mom around after all..
 
Sirloin2,

Actually I'm a Mommy, but that's ok. I'm just glad mom and babe are good.
As I said, I'm a beginner, but I did not realize that she would present for 3 days before she
gave birth. Even with a heifer I thought it would be several hours at most..You live and learn..I
will know better what to look for in the future. However, after this ordeal, I might just stick with
chickens...LOL

As far as the joints, she has been gimpy since we got her over 2 months ago. At first we thought she had gotten bruised
at the sale barn. When she gets up from laying down she limps horribly, front legs..no swelling, then the more she moves the
more she seems to loosen up..Do you think this will change since she has calved and has less pressure on her?

I really appreciate all of your help.
 
Sirloin2,

No bag, just a thick cord (umbilical?) hanging. Her sides seem to still be contracting and no prolapse.
The calf did nurse for a good amount of time and I saw milk on it's lips. They seem to be napping now, I don't blame
them..Whew, what a day!!! LOL

Jen
 
If she does not clean within 24 hours call your vet. As a beginner you need to learn the right way and not take short cuts that the seasoned cattle producers do. Once you know the right way, you can learn the short cuts or medicate your animals on your own. It will require that you develope a relationship with your vet. But this is a good thing. It might cost a few dollars in the short term, but that cost will more than pay off down the road when you can look at a calf or cow and diagnose the problem and treat on your own. As a newbie, knowing your limits and where to go for help is smart.
As a cattle producer developing a working relationship with your vet, you will gain knowledge and understanding that would other wise be missed. You will learn the proper way to give injections, when and how to vaccinate, learn about the drugs on the market and when to use them, and much much more. Develope the relationship...it will be a good thing.

Cows, yes can eat their after birth. The problem occurs when some go to chew their cud and it comes back up and she chokes on it. If she does eat it, watch for problems.

I agree with Hillsdown, iodine the navel. It cleans the area and helps to prevent navel ill. Best prevention though is clean dry bedding.
 
SirLoin2":ux7a2iqr said:
And even if it didn't go back in I still wouldn't repair it before calving as she is only going to tear it open farther again during calving.

SL

SL ... have you actually had a cow with a vaginal prolapse prior to calving? I mean, one that doesnt go back in?

The prolapse will prevent the cow from expelling both urine and the calf. So she will either die before she calves, from bladder rupture, or she will die during calving.

Which is why a vaginal prolapse NEEDS TO BE TREATED!!

And I have seen a number of cows that have needed stitching, deliver without re-prolapsing; its not a certainty that they prolapse again.

SirLoin2":ux7a2iqr said:
A prolapse usually only occurs during birth, when the calf pulls the vaginal lining out with it, not before birth.

Ummmm ... no. Generally speaking, prolapses before calving affect the vagina. Prolapses during/after calving affect the uterus.
 
My point is you are advising beginners not to treat a vaginal prolapse ... when in fact it NEEDS to be treated if the cow and calf are to be saved, as I explained.

It does not matter that in this case, the problem wasnt a prolapse. My concern is if someone searches for "vaginal prolapse" and comes across your words of 'advice'; or that you will repeat this 'advice' the next time a vaginal prolapse appears on these boards.
 
SL,

If there is 2 types of prolapses, one that affects a cow BEFORE birth and one that affects a cow AFTER birth do you not agree that it is wrong to tell a beginner that you shouldn't TREAT a prolapse until after birth? When if it is the type of prolapse that happens BEFORE birth that NEEDS to be treated BEFORE birth.
 
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I hope this goes through..If so, this is what I was seeing on Friday..If it is not clear enough, it was bright pink
and about the size of a kids ball with capillaries..so I think.

Baby is doing great and beautiful as you can see from the last..Mom is passing the afterbirth as we speak (type)

Thank you all

Rulintheroost

Jen
 
rulintheroost":2p3m6fm8 said:
I just saw the post geez oh pete..I did what it said..any suggestions?
I had been having some issues with the ranchersnet photo gallery too. Once you get them uploaded/processed, then click on the picture, then right click, and click on properties, copy that location, "control C" then come to cattle today and click Img, put your curser in between the Img dealies, then paste "control V" and that should work..... :???: :? hopefully.
 
rulintheroost":32l8n8t5 said:
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100_0743.JPG
100_0746.JPG


I hope this goes through..If so, this is what I was seeing on Friday..If it is not clear enough, it was bright pink
and about the size of a kids ball with capillaries..so I think.

Baby is doing great and beautiful as you can see from the last..Mom is passing the afterbirth as we speak (type)

Thank you all

Rulintheroost

Jen
 
ckc1586,

That is exactly what I thought I did..I will try it again just incase I missed a step.

Thanks
 

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