Ruptured Belly

[bward]

Ohhh My. This is a first for me. I have a 5 year old pregnant cow that is HUGE. So much so that we figured she was having triplets. We are 3 weeks away from calving and I was worried that she might not make it that far. This morning I was driving to town and noticed she was away from the herd so I drove in the field to have a talk with her and she seemed a bit uncomfortable. She wasn't bagging up at all but I noticed that the opposite side of her udder looked odd as though it was hanging lower. I drove around to her other side and discovered to my horror that her whole side had dropped down to her hocks!
These picture were taken about 10 days ago and as you can see she is fairly even on both sides.

Here is the side view.

I am waiting for the vet to call and I have a feeling we will be loading her up to drive 45 miles to the vet for a c-section. Not much chance of getting live calves at this early date but stranger things have happened.
To be continued.........
I'll try to remember to take my camera to take some surgery pics.

 

[bigbull338]

that cow is very heavy bred.an she is as big as dallas to boot.from what i can see i dont see a rupture on her navel at all.whast id do is have the vet palphate her.an see how far along she is.an see if he can feel 2 calves in her.he can tell you his thoughts.i dont think id induce labor unless she is real close.because you might lose her along with the calf/calves.

 

[bward]

Big Bull, these are pics of her BEFORE the rupture! I didn't have my camera with me when I found her this morning.... still waiting for the Vet to call back.

 

[rockridgecattle]

Three weeks can still have a healthy calf. Best if she could go a bit longer even a few days.
Rule of thumb from our vet
if there are teeth, less than three weeks.
no teeth more than 3 weeks
a three week premmie will require extra work, heat, close monitoring.
Pic please.

 

[bigbull338]

oh ok well is her navel swelled up.or is it draining or both.with a rupture you should see some drainage or fluid dripping from the stomach area.

 

[milkmaid]

So is it like a hernia of sorts? intestines, uterus, etc through the abdominal wall?

Please take some pics prior to surgery... more for the "cow problems" folder!

 

[Green Creek]

Two years ago we had a cow deliver her calf with no problems but the next day while we were checking on her, she made a really strange noise and her belly dropped just like you are describing. She didn't seem to be in pain and the vet said leave her alone and let her raise the calf if she could. She was clumsy, of course, but managed to get her calf raised before being culled. Strange things happen, seems like almost every day.

 

[bward]

We are back from the Vet. He examined her and determined that the cervix was soft but not opening and as a result she was too far from calving to risk doing any c-sections due to the risk of losing the immature calf, calves, or the horrible monster she has growing inside.
He said that she ruptured her abdominal wall about half way up her belly and there is no way of repairing it. If she is successful in surviving the birth whether it be c-section or natural birth she is basically a done cow and is even valueless as a cull. He says there is even a good chance that she may be successful giving birth. I was concerned she would not be able to push without intact abdominal muscles but he says there should be no problem with that.

So the plan is to keep her penned and watched. If by chance she drops so much that her belly is dragging on the ground OR she cannot get up from laying down then he will come out and c-section her.

I took a couple pics before loading her in the trailer.

Thanks for your comments everyone. I'll update when something happens.

 

[sidney411]

Wow - The vet wasn't able to tell if she has twins in there or if it's just a monster of a calf?

 

[bigbull338]

if thats a monster of a calf.a C-section or natural birth will kill that cow.hope she is able to calve on her own.did he say how far bred she is.

 

[milkmaid]

Intriguing. Please keep us updated!

Any chance you could get a photo or two from the other side?

 

[hrbelgians]

I hate to discourage you, however I saw this same thing in a horse once.......bad news???
I wish you the best of luck because you might need it.

 

[fourstates]

Really tragic, poor cow, she looks like a good one. Maybe you will be lucky and get a healthy calf.

 

[gerardplauche]

You have our attention now. :shock: Please keep us updated.

 

[bward]

Milkmaid she looks much like the early second photo on the left side. That side of the belly is still holding (for now) Its just her left side thats dropped.

Sidney, the vet wasn't able to reach down far enough to feel the calf. ... calves.... or horribly deformed monster. Just too far out of reach. As far as when she is due.? According to when the bulls were put out, first calf could be due March 20th. When she was bred? who knows.

Fourstates, It is tragic. She is only coming 5 years old and has been a heck of a good mama.

For those of you interested, this is a pic of her as a 2 year old. She is nursing a calf but he is out of the picture.

And for those following the story, she was alive and well this morning. Laying down with her head up looking comfortable. This afternoon she was standing wondering why she was in jail.

As she gets closer to calving or if something tragic happens, I'll update.

 

[never2old2learn-ron]

I just don't see how she will ever get that calf or calves into the birth canal. Looks like a c-section to me. I wish you luck and by all means, let us know how it plays out.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

bward, please do keep us updated. Very interesting. Best of luck to you and the cow.

Katherine

 

[Victoria]

She was a really nice looking cow. Sorry it happened to her. Hope the baby is normal (or babies are normal).

 

[vquinn2]

Is there an updated report on the cow?

 

[bward]

Good grief no. She is getting bigger on a daily basis and no sign of an udder yet. She is moving pretty slow in her pen, but is still able to get up and down. She is eating and drinking and is as 'comfortable' as she can be. Thanks for asking.