Twisted Uterus

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Now that was a first for us.

Had a 3 year old cow just a bit off last night, she was bagged up so we put her in the barn.
Looked like the water bag was coming out this morning so she was left in there today.
Checked her around noon. Nothing. Checked again around 2pm. Still nothing. It just seemed off so got the glove and went in rectally to check.
It felt weird so called the vet.

He checked and said the uterus was twisted. Got her caught in the head catch and he went in through the side. Plan was to untwist it and deliver the calf normally.
Found something else was going on. He touched the uterus and it split open.
That was an Oh Crap moment. Grabbed the chains and handles and the 2 of us got the calf out. Nice little heifer and she was alive.

Just hoping the cow survives too. She has been drinking water.
Got a bag of frozen colostrum thawing out right now. Going to take the calf a bottle.
 
Experienced 2 or 3 of those, back in the day, when I was in practice. They're unmistakable when you run your arm in the cow. That's an 'Oh Crap' moment in and of itself.
Corrected 'em all by rolling the cow - but it takes at least 2 or 3 folks(more is better) to do it. First, you gotta figure out which direction the uterus is twisted, then you've gotta cast the cow. Then, while you 'hold' the calf and uterus in position, you've gotta have a couple of people, holding her legs, flip the cow to untorse it. Seems like we'd 'rock' her about half-way over 2 or 3 times, then GO ALL THE WAY OVER!!!
It was amazing to feel that thing 'flip over', and the 'twist' in the vagina/cervix straighten right out.
Believe (it's been 20 years, so my recollection may be more favorable than it really was) that every cow and calf survived - but they all were in dairy cows that were watched really closely, so I'm presuming that the uterus had not lost any integrity, as your cow's appears to have, ILH.

Hope yours continue to do well.
 
we had one and we weren't so lucky, by the time we saw what was going on the calf was dead.. cow survived but ended up going in the freezer as she rebred that year, but not the following
 
Got 2 pints of colostrum I had milked out of my Jersey down the calf. Took her a little while to figure out how to nurse, but once she did she took off.
Took another bag out of the freezer to give her some more later on tonight.

Cow is not doing real well. She is just laying there. She did drink some more water. Just don't want to get my hopes up to just have them dashed.
 
get the needles ready, perhaps dex would be in order, but I'm not the expert on it's usage (Dun?) and antibiotics...

the heifer we had that had the giant calf we gave her barley malt (or mollasses would work), grain and carrots.. she loved it... she didn't get up for 36 hours after the calf and was really wobbly for 4 or 5 days... 2 weeks later she's running and playing with her calf... Still on oxytetracycline though
 
Vet gave her dex, oxytosin and LA200 yesterday.

She ate a few handfuls of hay last night. Showed an interest in the calf when it got up last night. Got 2 more pints of colostrum in the calf around 2am. Gave it some fresh milk from the milk bucket this morning. She drank over 2 pints. Hungry calf.

Made the cow get up this morning. She did pee.

She doesn't stand long enough for the calf to nurse.
 
Cow is standing for longer time periods, calf is nursing her. She has claimed the calf. The O-NO-MO we put on it after birth was gone today.
She was eating more this evening. She was dropping some of the grass hay into her water tub and then licking it out.
Must have wanted it washed first. :lol2:
Is liking the grass hay more then the barley hay and alfafa.
 
Good to hear... I had the calf nurse the cow while it was laying down for the first day or 2, then for the next couple I had to steady the cow in case the calf would bunt the udder since the cow was too unsteady to hold herself... Its good that she's getting up though and has accepted the calf

What's O-NO-MO?

If you have extra eggs or milk, the cow will love you forever if you beat some eggs, milk and molasses together and give it to her to drink... good source of energy for her. The cow we had *really* doesn't like me anymore, she knows I'm the one who holes the LA200 needle, the last trip down the chute really did it for her... I can't blame her, she's been poked with it in 9 places now, excluding the Dex and Oxytocin shots and has lumps all over her neck
 
O-NO-MO is Ophan No More. You sprinkle it on the calf to get the cow to claim it. Some guys use it on a calf they are trying to graft to another cow.
I use it when a cow shows no interest in her calf especially after a hard delivery.

Cow is standing for longer time periods. She is not putting out enough milk for the calf at this time. So I have given the calf a bottle with raw milk. She gets 3 pints at a time, twice a day. She is still nursing the cow, but this will give the calf a full belly and take some of the stress off of the cow.
Put my milk cow in with them in the barn and boy did that cow perk up more.
Milk cow is willing to let this calf nurse if it would just latch on. :roll:

I just wish she was eating and drinking more. Is peeing and pooping though.
You know I do IV's on people not livestock, guess it's time to learn. :nod:
 
well, in 20 years I've never needed to do an IV on a cow, though I guess there may have been times when it would have been appropriate..
 
Started back sliding the other day. Cow was no longer eating and looking sicker. Gave her 60cc's of Dura Pen. Called the vet and did a vaginal flush with warm water and LA200.

She was looking a lot better last night. Was eating a lot more and drinking more water.

I'm still giving the calf a couple of bottles a day.
 

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