Prolapsed Heifer

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ksmit454

ksmit454

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Some back story - 8 year old Hereford heifer (yes she was never bred, she's a pet). She's not mine but a client of mine that I ranch sit for. She has had a continuing prolapse for over a year now. She has been to UC Davis 4 or 5 times and they have stitched up her vulva to a small opening. However, she still prolapses… prolapse gets pushed in morning and evening to allow her to urinate, and the cervix is put back into place as that prolapses as well. Again… not my heifer…. I know what I would do if it were mine… lol. Are there any real fixes for a prolapse like this? I can tell you one thing - I have learned a lot about the reproductive system from pushing in her prolapse when they need me to…
 
ksmit454 said:
Some back story - 8 year old Hereford heifer (yes she was never bred, she's a pet). She's not mine but a client of mine that I ranch sit for. She has had a continuing prolapse for over a year now. She has been to UC Davis 4 or 5 times and they have stitched up her vulva to a small opening. However, she still prolapses… prolapse gets pushed in morning and evening to allow her to urinate, and the cervix is put back into place as that prolapses as well. Again… not my heifer…. I know what I would do if it were mine… lol. Are there any real fixes for a prolapse like this? I can tell you one thing - I have learned a lot about the reproductive system from pushing in her prolapse when they need me to…
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Spay her...

Amazing she's survived this long.
 
ksmit454 said:
I know… and they have been pushing this prolapse in morning and night for the last year… how would spaying her help the prolapse?
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In a complete hysterectomy the cervix, uterus, and both ovaries are removed.

My father got interested in spaying heifers and had a friend that was a vet, who decided he was interested too. They spayed a bunch of heifers and it was interesting how those animals began to gain weight. Very much like steers.
 
Wo
Travlr said:
In a complete hysterectomy the cervix, uterus, and both ovaries are removed.

My father got interested in spaying heifers and had a friend that was a vet, who decided he was interested too. They spayed a bunch of heifers and it was interesting how those animals began to gain weight. Very much like steers.
Click to expand...
Wow that is interesting! Might be a bad case with this one as she's already very much overweight… but it sounds like total hysterectomy would be the best option.
 
ksmit454 said:
Wo

Wow that is interesting! Might be a bad case with this one as she's already very much overweight… but it sounds like total hysterectomy would be the best option.
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LOL... maybe while they're in there that can do a "lapband/gastric band"... Just kidding.

But seriously, the weight might even have something to do with the problem.
 
Travlr said:
LOL... maybe while they're in there that can do a "lapband/gastric band"... Just kidding.

But seriously, the weight might even have something to do with the problem.
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I wish they could do that!! I'm not too sure how to tell them not to feed their beef heifer (who is a pet) anymore grain. They give her sweet cob like it's going out of style. Would that be insulting to tell them it might be part of the problem? 🤣😬
 
ksmit454 said:
It is a cervical prolapse. Out of curiosity, what would a uterine prolapse look like? I know it's vertical because when I push her prolapse back in, I go in vaginally and I have to push her cervix back in place as well.
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Well, I didn't take pics, but I had a heifers uterus in my lap in the middle of the night, waiting for the vet. Think afterbirth, but significantly larger - and heavier - with the cotyledons still attached. It's a combo of eweeeee and fascinating. BTW my vet's a rock star and she made a full recovery.
 
TCRanch said:
Well, I didn't take pics, but I had a heifers uterus in my lap in the middle of the night, waiting for the vet. Think afterbirth, but significantly larger - and heavier - with the cotyledons still attached. It's a combo of eweeeee and fascinating. BTW my vet's a rock star and she made a full recovery.
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Ohhhh wow!! Ok yes hers is definitely a cervical. Looks like a big ball sized mass wanting to push through. Yes… she's overweight as you can imagine an 8 year old heifer would be given tons of grain…
 
How about those 'prolapse button' thingies? Never seen one in real, but the idea is that the vaginal canal (give me the right medical term) is stitched from the inside through the hide to the top/side of the cow in order to keep the cervix in place. It can't be pushed out and there are no stitches on the vulva.
Now I'm not sure if you can keep these buttons and the stitches in permanently. But that's something I would try out.
In regards to explaining 'putting the cow on a diet' to the owners. Be blatant honest, have an overweight animal causes health problems, just like in humans too. If it is a pet, they will listen.
Just my 5 cents.
 
sunnyblueskies said:
How about those 'prolapse button' thingies? Never seen one in real, but the idea is that the vaginal canal (give me the right medical term) is stitched from the inside through the hide to the top/side of the cow in order to keep the cervix in place. It can't be pushed out and there are no stitches on the vulva.
Now I'm not sure if you can keep these buttons and the stitches in permanently. But that's something I would try out.
In regards to explaining 'putting the cow on a diet' to the owners. Be blatant honest, have an overweight animal causes health problems, just like in humans too. If it is a pet, they will listen.
Just my 5 cents.
Click to expand...
Yes I have seen those also. I'm not sure why UC Davis wouldn't of tried this option. She's been down there 4 or 5 times and still has the prolapse.
 
ksmit454 said:
Yes I have seen those also. I'm not sure why UC Davis wouldn't of tried this option. She's been down there 4 or 5 times and still has the prolapse.
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Being a teaching university they may have some views against them but I would think that the long term use of the pin going through the vaginal wall, pelvic canal and muscles then exposed to the outside would be a consideration however if used for an extended period may produce some scarring and adhesions that may help.
Are they just putting in big sutures to temporary hold the lips together as in dealing with uterine or vaginal prolapse in a breeding animal or are they cutting the skin to get the lips to heal together as in a Caslicks operation in a mare?

Ken
 
I don't know what they're teaching veterinary students these days... those button/pin thingies were mentioned, when I was in vet school 40 years ago, but they never demonstrated putting one in, but it ain't rocket science.

But... I suspect that those are probably looked at as 'not up to the currently accepted standard of practice' in the ivory towers, and thus there's no way that they'd use them, discuss them - other than as a medieval form of quackery - or allow students to see such a thing.
Granted, as a vet student, you're somewhat limited by what comes in to the university teaching hospital - I only saw one vaginal prolapse while I was in vet school - and never saw a uterine prolapse until after I graduated and was in practice - but I did know what to do with 'em.
 
I've been practicing for a few years, and never heard of those button/pin thingies until I saw one on this site. Even now, I can't imagine ever having a use for one. Some things are best left in the past.
 

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