post mortem cesarean--is it ever successfull?

[greybeard]

I recently saw it attempted unsuccessfully when a very preg cow got down in a narrow chute and suffocated from her own weight and being in that narrow alley. They got her out and tried to cut the calf out but it had evidently taken too long. Calf looked full term--fully developed.
Is it ever successful?

 

[dun]

Rarely, but yes. Only time I saw it work out was shooting the cow and cutting as soon as she dropped.

 

[pdfangus]

got to consider that when that cow expires the life support system for that calf is gone with her....
very short time frame to get the calf out alive.
the cow falling on the wrong side could make all the difference.....

 

[greybeard]

Yeah, I figured it was just a long shot they opted to take. It all happened right before I got there, so I really don't know how much time had elapsed, but I would think ya only have a few minutes at most--less than a couple.

 

[dun]

Yeah, I figured it was just a long shot they opted to take. It all happened right before I got there, so I really don't know how much time had elapsed, but I would think ya only have a few minutes at most--less than a couple.

I doubt if you have more then a minute, maybe 2.

 

[Limomike]

We have done it twice in my many years, and both times we lost the cow and the calf. And it was done with an experienced vet. So the success rate is just not very good at all.

 

[Bigfoot]

Lady here in town, gets goats and sheep ALL THE TIME from a slaughter house. They are ones that were cut out after slaughter.

 

[dun]

I asked the vet today about it. He says probably around 2-3 minuts to get the calfs head out. But it depends on why the cow died. He says if it suffocated the calf probably died at the same instant the cow did. The calf would already be oxygen deprived from the suffocating process.

 

[greybeard]

That makes sense--as pdfangus said--the calf gets it's oxygen from the cow's bloodstream.

 

[jilleroo]

We've done it a few times over the years. Son did it last year with an old cow who got bogged during the wet season.
Shot the cow and cut the calf out, no problems. We work on 20 minutes to get the calf out, not sure where we heard that, but it seems about right. However its something we don't hope to be doing on a regular basis.

 

[Bigfoot]

I was loading a really wild calf to carry to my weaning pen. He jumped off back of the trailer right in the center of a cows back and broke it. I know my bad luck. I shot her, calf was no where full term. He kicked for about a minute monte and a half. Very hard to watch.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Back to the original cow in chute - that is a prime example of why NOT to put a calving cow in the chute. You are best to halter her, back her up & tie her where you can open up the area so she can lay down.

 

[Keren]

I was always told three minutes by my vet.

I havent attempted a cow, but done several sheep and goats. I've had 100% success when the animal was already in labour, and we just couldnt get the kid/lamb out.

On the other hand I've had 0% success when the animal was full term but NOT in labour.

 

[bward]

I did it one time on my cow that had hydrops. She was down and not ever going to get up again. She had no udder but I had nothing to lose by trying. The calf was a bit premature... teeth non erupted, and was badly knuckled over, his coat was a little short but I grafted him onto a heifer that lost her calf, and he thrived.
By the way, I just bought an S curved chute and all the sides can be popped off should a cow go down. Handy to have in case that ever happens.

 

[Lucky_P]

20 years ago, when we were still using 110 volt electrocution as a euthanasia method for downer cows, I did two 'post-mortem' caesarians and got live calves from two that were at term. First one, I noticed the calf kicking around after I'd shackled and hoisted her to bring her in for necropsy and did a quick cut to get the calf out. Second one, I told the owner that we might be able to save the calf, so we had everything in place to get her in and on the table within a couple of minutes after electrocuting her.
We switched over to a 220 volt unit sometime after that, for a few years, and I never saw another viable calf - guess the voltage/amperage is just too high.
Have a classmate, over in eastern KY who has done a number of 'em on old weak downer cows, after dispatching the cow with a well-placed pistol shot.

In most cases, if the calf is not within 2 weeks or so of its due date, it won't be survivable.