inyati13
Well-known member
On Thursday last week a cow delivered twin heifers. One was born dead and the other is doing fine. On Saturday, she was depressed. Saturday afternoon, I administered 5 mL of lutalyse. The cow became more depressed on Monday. On Tuesday, Dr. Darin Stansfield, full-time large animal veterinarian, treated the cow at 2 pm.
I briefed him on the cow’s history. When I informed him that I had administered lutalyse, he told me lutalyse has no effect on the treatment of retained placenta. He said oxytocin may help but neither lutalyse nor oxytocin offer any significant benefit.
First, he took the cow's temperature. Slightly elevated. Darin performed a rectal palpation to determine the presence of fetal material or a whole fetus and to determine the condition of the uterus. While inside the rectum, he used a backward motion of his hand to sweep out corrupt fluids and debris. He inserted a tube about the size of a paper towel core that was covered with a shiny surface into her vagina and used a light to observe the interior of the uterus. He said there were no pieces of retained placenta attached. He placed three proteolytic boluses into her uterus by pushing them through the orifice of the cervix. He finished by tubing 50 mL of oxytetracycline into her uterus.
In regard to the use of prostaglandins. He said numerous studies have been conducted using lutalyse and a placebo and there is no difference in results using lutalyse and the placebo. The articles I read on retained placenta supports his statement.
I had some misunderstanding about retained placenta. What I learned yesterday may be helpful to others. First, uterine corruption from a stretched uterus which is retaining blood, debris and tissue is what is causing the cow to be sick. It is not only associated with a sting of placenta hanging out. I had always associated it with a piece of the placenta not being detached. That is not always the case. In the case of twins, the uterus is stretched and not discharging. Bacteria grow in the corruption and produce the condition of “retained placenta”. Prostaglandins such as lutalyse do not offer any significant benefit. What the cow is more likely to respond to is sweeping out the corruption via a rectal palpation and the insertion of boluses to proteolyze the residual tissues and antibiotics to control the growth of microbes.
I briefed him on the cow’s history. When I informed him that I had administered lutalyse, he told me lutalyse has no effect on the treatment of retained placenta. He said oxytocin may help but neither lutalyse nor oxytocin offer any significant benefit.
First, he took the cow's temperature. Slightly elevated. Darin performed a rectal palpation to determine the presence of fetal material or a whole fetus and to determine the condition of the uterus. While inside the rectum, he used a backward motion of his hand to sweep out corrupt fluids and debris. He inserted a tube about the size of a paper towel core that was covered with a shiny surface into her vagina and used a light to observe the interior of the uterus. He said there were no pieces of retained placenta attached. He placed three proteolytic boluses into her uterus by pushing them through the orifice of the cervix. He finished by tubing 50 mL of oxytetracycline into her uterus.
In regard to the use of prostaglandins. He said numerous studies have been conducted using lutalyse and a placebo and there is no difference in results using lutalyse and the placebo. The articles I read on retained placenta supports his statement.
I had some misunderstanding about retained placenta. What I learned yesterday may be helpful to others. First, uterine corruption from a stretched uterus which is retaining blood, debris and tissue is what is causing the cow to be sick. It is not only associated with a sting of placenta hanging out. I had always associated it with a piece of the placenta not being detached. That is not always the case. In the case of twins, the uterus is stretched and not discharging. Bacteria grow in the corruption and produce the condition of “retained placenta”. Prostaglandins such as lutalyse do not offer any significant benefit. What the cow is more likely to respond to is sweeping out the corruption via a rectal palpation and the insertion of boluses to proteolyze the residual tissues and antibiotics to control the growth of microbes.
