Rectal Prolapse

[Kenz]

I went out to feed last night and saw my 4-H steer had a rectal prolapse. I went over and pulled him up and after a few seconds it went back in. He's probably about 900 lbs. and it was out no more than 1/2 inch. He gets 25 lbs. (split into morning and afternoon) of creep pellets, sweet tex16, and flaked corn. ALso, hay in the morning and bloat/mineral block whenever.

What causes it in cattle?

What can I do about it?
Should I reduce his feed and give him that stuff that makes their stools runny and easier to pass (can't remember what it's called)
He's on the light side for our show&sale so i need to push him to make weight

What really stinks is that for the past 3 years (and more) one of my 4-H market projects has had one. Last year, one of my pigs died from it. And now my steer...its really frustrating :cry2: :cry2: :cry2:

Anyhow, any suggestions would be appreciated

 

[angus9259]

Had a 5 year old cow get one this year. Only I had about a basketball size hunk of colon sticking out. Took the vet and I both with and epideral to get it pushed back in.

In her case I found she was getting constipated on just hay. Given your feed scenario I doubt that's it.

I talked to two vets on the phone . . . here are the first questions they aske me when I brought the problem to them.

1. Is she fat?
2. Does she have diarrhea?
3. Is she a Hereford (seriously - Hereford people please don't bombard me - only reporting - don't know if it's true)?
4. Is she coughing?

Perhaps your answer is in those questions.

 

[bandit80]

We generally background our calves every year for about 90 days prior to selling. We will see 1 or 2 prolapses every year. Our vet said that it is a low enough percentage, that it is "normal". Had a cow have one last year. Basically it happens, and generally they don't die from them.

Don't get too distraught. If it happens again, call your vet, and he can come close up the hole a little bit, and it won't happen again.

 

[dun]

Although pigs and calves are different, I'ld be looking at my overall feed plan. Doesn;t seem right that you would have that many.

 

[Kenz]

No, he's not fat.

Yes, he's purebred Hereford.

He coughs occasionally, but not enough that it would cause the prolapse.

He has occasional diarrhea, but nothing at all serious.

About the overall feed plan, it's not really the feed. The pig that died last year was raised in a very sheltered and heated piggery (???) and when he got outside, he got to coughing and that's what caused it. We did take him to the vet, but with pigs its really hard. Also, we found out it was heredetory (sp?). The year's before that have been caused by lamb's tails being docked too short (we bought them like that) I do check for that when I buy, but its hard to tell when counting the vertebrae. Sometimes even if they do have enough, it still happens.

 

[angie1]

OK, I had a steer calf do this at about 500 lbs, maybe 600. Vet guessed wrong the first time about what was causing it. He pushed tissue back in and sewed it up so it would not prolapse again. I had to give calf mineral oil so that he would not have to strain to poop and make it worse.

Next day, I call the vet and he comes back out (maybe 2 days later, I can;t remember). Anyhow, the calf's belly had swollen up. Vet said when he came back out that what had happened was calf developed a blockage in his eurethra (SP?!). He said this can SOMETIMES happen when bulls calves are steered too young, and the eurethra does not develope enough. What was causing the swelling in his belly (Down low by the sheath, looked like water in a bag in there) is that his bladder had ruptured and urine had leaked into abdominal cavity. The prolapse was caused by his straining to urinate. Vet said if he had caught it sooner, he would have done a procedure that reroutes the eurethra, would have made a new "exit" under the tail so steer would urinate like a heifer. Make sense? This would have gotten him to finish.

The vet said at this point he could do a procedure that was very temporary, allowing urine to drain from where it had gathered just so that we could get him past the drug withdrawl period, and get some meat from him. He said calf will develope an infection from site being exposed to urine all the time, but that we could give no more antibiotics if we did that. Calf was suffering bad so I said "Just give him a shot to make it all stop." Was way too bad to get him that far and lose him, but that is as it is.

Anyhow ~ just one more theory.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I went out to feed last night and saw my 4-H steer had a rectal prolapse. I went over and pulled him up and after a few seconds it went back in. He's probably about 900 lbs. and it was out no more than 1/2 inch. He gets 25 lbs. (split into morning and afternoon) of creep pellets, sweet tex16, and flaked corn. ALso, hay in the morning and bloat/mineral block whenever.

What causes it in cattle?

What can I do about it?
Should I reduce his feed and give him that stuff that makes their stools runny and easier to pass (can't remember what it's called)
He's on the light side for our show&sale so i need to push him to make weight

What really stinks is that for the past 3 years (and more) one of my 4-H market projects has had one. Last year, one of my pigs died from it. And now my steer...its really frustrating :cry2: :cry2: :cry2:

Anyhow, any suggestions would be appreciated

Its easy to fix pm Dee as I gave her the instuctions over a year ago how to fix it.