We have a first-time heifer with a nice healthy calf but it's been 3 days and she has not dropped her placenta. It's starting to get an odor (of course it's 90 degrees outside) I'm reading that you shouldn't clean it out? It will take care of itself - just get what you can and clean the area? What is the general consensus here. We have her in the corral and can get her in the chute. LA200 for preventive maintenance?
Retained placenta
- Thread starter JenLamb35
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Nesikep
Well-known member
I have found they usually will clean out, HOWEVER, keep a close eye on her, if she's eating and drinking fine, she's OK, if she gets feverish, sluggish, stops eating, or drinking, Then I'd give LA200. I also usually give uterine boluses if they haven't lost it after a day.
You may want to check your mineral mix too, retained placenta is a symptom of selenium deficiency, though a difficult calving can cause it too.
Anyone else have something I'm missing?
You may want to check your mineral mix too, retained placenta is a symptom of selenium deficiency, though a difficult calving can cause it too.
Anyone else have something I'm missing?
Lucky_P
Well-known member
You can give it a GENTLE tug - sometimes it's detached and just needs a little impetus to get it over the pelvic rim and it'll fall out - but if you feel resistance, STOP.
LA-200 is OK for retained placenta/metritis, but unless she's off-feed, running a fever, or otherwise appears sick, it's probably not indicated.
She'd get a dose of Lutalyse or Estrumate here - and no antibiotics, unless she was showing signs of being 'off'.
Yeah, they stink, but if the cow is otherwise normal, I don't do much with them.
LA-200 is OK for retained placenta/metritis, but unless she's off-feed, running a fever, or otherwise appears sick, it's probably not indicated.
She'd get a dose of Lutalyse or Estrumate here - and no antibiotics, unless she was showing signs of being 'off'.
Yeah, they stink, but if the cow is otherwise normal, I don't do much with them.
TexasBred
Well-known member
I remove all of it I can without doing much pulling and infuse with Nolvasan Cap Tabs along with a dose of Lutalyse...about 5 or 6 of the cap tabs then check again the next day. Long term bad affects can be a cow breeding as much as 6 months late if infection sets in.
jerry27150
Well-known member
universities told dairymen, years ago, to cut off what hangs out with shears
I was able to pull out quite a bit of it last night (it was pretty ripe!) but I don't know that I got all of it - but quite a bit. I got to a thin spot and with the weight, it tore off. So I didn't want to start pulling blindly. Should she expel anything else that might be in there or will her body absorb it? We checked her a couple hours later and she looked like she was straining a couple of times but calf was nursing and she was eating. At least she is closed up now so that bacteria cannot get in there. We weren't able to get the uterine boluses so I cleaned her on the outside with antiseptic I had. She wasn't as perky as I figured she would be going through this so we gave her a shot of LA200. I didn't have a thermometer to check temp. So now we just watch her I guess?
TexasBred
Well-known member
Yep...college professors. The part hanging out hurts nothing "as is". It's the part inside that can cause the harm. As long as you don't get reckless and start new bleeding you don't do any harm. Certainly better than a uterine infection which doesn't take long to happen in the Texas heat. My way...no necessarily recommending that anyone else do it at all. ;-)jerry27150":ya10cywp said:
TexasBred
Well-known member
I've heard dun say he would sometimes attach something weighty to the exposed part of the placenta to add a bit of pressure adn gradually allow it to turn loose and slip on out.JenLamb35":sp2q43gq said:So do you think she'll go ahead and expel whatever is left inside? I'm still concerned about that. It's 96 here today and all week. I sure don't want her getting an infection.
No, what I would do is tie it back to itself so the weight of the AB would help plus keep it from dragging and getting snagged.TexasBred":1eoq0cxb said:I've heard dun say he would sometimes attach something weighty to the exposed part of the placenta to add a bit of pressure adn gradually allow it to turn loose and slip on out.JenLamb35":1eoq0cxb said:So do you think she'll go ahead and expel whatever is left inside? I'm still concerned about that. It's 96 here today and all week. I sure don't want her getting an infection.
TexasBred
Well-known member
Gotcha. :nod:dun":4hb5zoke said:No, what I would do is tie it back to itself so the weight of the AB would help plus keep it from dragging and getting snagged.TexasBred":4hb5zoke said:I've heard dun say he would sometimes attach something weighty to the exposed part of the placenta to add a bit of pressure adn gradually allow it to turn loose and slip on out.JenLamb35":4hb5zoke said:So do you think she'll go ahead and expel whatever is left inside? I'm still concerned about that. It's 96 here today and all week. I sure don't want her getting an infection.
Lucky_P
Well-known member
I'm in dun's camp - if it doesn't come with a gentle tug, and there's enough hanging out to knot it on itself, I'll do it. Often the weight will assist in detachment and removal.
The can get pretty dang funky - sometimes you can smell 'em from yards away. But, so long as the cow is eating and seems to be feeling fine, there's not much need to do much. It'll eventually release, or just degenerate. They don't 'absorb/resorb' it - but as the uterus involutes, it'll be discharged.
Similarly, cows that abort or lose the conceptus early on, don't re-absorb the fetus - it's just so small that most folks never see it when it's passed.
The can get pretty dang funky - sometimes you can smell 'em from yards away. But, so long as the cow is eating and seems to be feeling fine, there's not much need to do much. It'll eventually release, or just degenerate. They don't 'absorb/resorb' it - but as the uterus involutes, it'll be discharged.
Similarly, cows that abort or lose the conceptus early on, don't re-absorb the fetus - it's just so small that most folks never see it when it's passed.
TN Cattle Man
Well-known member
+1dun":1w9s5ymi said:No, what I would do is tie it back to itself so the weight of the AB would help plus keep it from dragging and getting snagged.TexasBred":1w9s5ymi said:I've heard dun say he would sometimes attach something weighty to the exposed part of the placenta to add a bit of pressure adn gradually allow it to turn loose and slip on out.JenLamb35":1w9s5ymi said:So do you think she'll go ahead and expel whatever is left inside? I'm still concerned about that. It's 96 here today and all week. I sure don't want her getting an infection.
This is what we do in cases like this.
Aaron
Well-known member
Having had two retained placentas this spring that were rotten already with dead calves and then turned into toxic metritis, I will vouch for Metricure - vet recommended it. You inseminate the product and within a day or two the uterus will flush the entire remaining placenta and fluids out. I was quite impressed with it. Cost $22 a single dose here. It's now my go to product, along with LA Oxytet, for metritis.
TexasBred
Well-known member
Sounds like a good product to have around during calving season.Aaron":2e5lln4x said:
branguscowgirl
Well-known member
X 2TexasBred":3o0nvm02 said:
