what causes prolapsed cervixs

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Well..... my vet says there was nothing I did that caused my cow's prolapse, but I can think of two mistakes I made at the first of the year that might have contributed to it: I overfed, and I shut them up in a pen (100x200), depriving her of exercise. Granted, I am just thinking I didn't help her, even if the vet said I didn't do anything to cause it. Now, I have fifty years of parental experience behind me, and the folks only had one cow that prolapsed and she only did it that one pregnancy.

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From what I've been able tofind on the subject and conventional wisdom, precalving prolapse is a heritable trait of a reproductive fault in the cow/bull. In other words, it's in the genes. Postcalving prolapse is generally caused by some type of stress/problem at calving, i.e. hard pull, excessively hard labor, etc. Vaginal prolapse in my observations doesn't fall as neatly into that type of deal. My wifes pet Pig Hereford started vaginal and swelling of the vulva about 3 months before calving as a heifer. She would swell up the size of a basketball at times, others only the size of a volleyball. She was a hard pull, only because she was so swelled that the calves head hung up in swelled tissue and I had to work the tissue over the calves head, a couple of hours later she prolapsed. Vety put it back and sewed her up. She raised the calf no problems, didn;t get infected or anything like that. Within days the swelling all went away, two weeks later we clipped and pulled the stitches. She was standing in the pasture feeding her calf, I just walked up behind her and clipped and pulled them. At that point in time she became my pet also. We bred her back, took first service and and had a calving interval of 371 days. Two weeks before calving, she prolapsed her vagina again, I put it back in several times till the vet got out to sew her back up. She had the same type of swelling as the first time. The day she calved happened to be a low swelling day (volleyball), she calved with no problems and didn't prolapse. She won;t be bred again, after breeding season, when Gomer goes into the fattening pen, "Ole Red" goes with him and will be fattened and turned into burger. She's a great mother, maternal, fertile, but we can't put her through it again, or ourselves for that matter. We're hoping that she doesn't pass it on since she has given us two gorgeous heifers sired by Red Angus bulls. Apparently, Herefords are noted for prolapsing, it's probably a family (blood line) characteristic like Limo disposition, Simmentals being jumpy, Jerseys being stubborn, etc. I think it is anyway, may be wrong, have been before.

dunmovin farms

> Well..... my vet says there was
> nothing I did that caused my cow's
> prolapse, but I can think of two
> mistakes I made at the first of
> the year that might have
> contributed to it: I overfed, and
> I shut them up in a pen (100x200),
> depriving her of exercise.
> Granted, I am just thinking I
> didn't help her, even if the vet
> said I didn't do anything to cause
> it. Now, I have fifty years of
> parental experience behind me, and
> the folks only had one cow that
> prolapsed and she only did it that
> one pregnancy.
 
Having had a bit of experience with this in several species, I can say for a fact that most but not all vaginal/cervical prolapses are genetically based. Generally, the vaginal wall is not well attached to the pelvic tissues and the suspension ligaments that support the uterus are weak. Mechanical stress from pregnancy further strain these weak tissues and cause them to become unattached. The severity of the prolapse is strictly a function of how much tissue damage has occurred. Straining to calve, pulling a big calf, straining after calving, coughing, all cause stress on these tissues. The most interesting part of this, I believe, is a strong correlation I have observed to the sex determining gene. I have seen prolapse occur with much greater frequency in daughters of a specific sire than others. It also seems to pass the tendency to daughters of sons of these sires. I now select along the male line against prolapses and have not had many problems in recent years.

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Fat cattle are more predisposed to a vaginal and or cervical prolapse.

Fat as well as an overfull reuman, displaces the Uterus (calf). I when the female is at rest and laying down and you see her vulva open and showing puffy pink tissue, the best remedy is to seperate her and reduce greatly the amount of feed she has access to, very small amounts, a flake or less 2-3 times a day until calving. This will reduce the volume in her gut and give the calf more room and rest her tissues in the birthing cannal, thus reducing the risk of prolapse. This is common in bred show heifers, or short dumpy fat cows, such as Herefords who are very efficient and fatten easily, but who are also little PIGS when it come to eating.

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Now, I have a question for you... The cow I had that had this problem this year, was a five year old cow... all we could see when she laid down was that vaginal prolapse... she birthed by herself, and fortunately for us, she did not prolapse, but I figured if she did it once, she would be at greater risk the next time. The biggest factor in our decision to NOT breed her again is that she is STILL not convinced that I am the boss, and just has a nasty attitude in relation to me and the boy... coming across the field to stand at the fence and watch him if he walks from the house to the bunkhouse...and vocally warning him that she is there.. but... if she weren't destined for the steak platter, would you think that she would be a prolapse problem on the next calf if she never actually prolapsed during this birth? about as clear as mud, eh? lol

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I guess I was lucky, because she never actually prolapsed, just that swelling you were talking about. After two weeks of looking at her rear end (really! I am NOT fixated, just observing... lol) I called the vet and begged beginner's status, asking how long can this go on? It was only the size of a soft ball, but when I started to see TWO forming, I was really getting nervous. The vet explained that worst case scenario, she would prolapse totally if the birth was especially rapid... didn't happen... thank GOD! Anyway, as I wrote before, she started developing some really nasty attitude actions, including dragging me into a fence and charging and butting a couple of us... so I figured, okay... you are dead meat REALLY! I, like you, hope that it isn't hereditary, because the calf is a beautiful heifer who KNOWS she is beautiful... she could show in a ring all by herself... anyway.... you pretty much verified what I thought... it will only get worst... thanks for your input.... hey! guess what! Last night I AI-ed one of my cows without the chute... she let me do it while standing at the manger... good Limousin, eh??? lol

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With the disposition thing you've made the right choice. If she didn't have the attitude, I would have rebred her.

dunmovin farms

> Now, I have a question for you...
> The cow I had that had this
> problem this year, was a five year
> old cow... all we could see when
> she laid down was that vaginal
> prolapse... she birthed by
> herself, and fortunately for us,
> she did not prolapse, but I
> figured if she did it once, she
> would be at greater risk the next
> time. The biggest factor in our
> decision to NOT breed her again is
> that she is STILL not convinced
> that I am the boss, and just has a
> nasty attitude in relation to me
> and the boy... coming across the
> field to stand at the fence and
> watch him if he walks from the
> house to the bunkhouse...and
> vocally warning him that she is
> there.. but... if she weren't
> destined for the steak platter,
> would you think that she would be
> a prolapse problem on the next
> calf if she never actually
> prolapsed during this birth? about
> as clear as mud, eh? lol
 
She must think she's a Hereford. There are too many good dispositioned cows that will give yoiu great calves that it is(being blunt) stupid to put up with one that is dangerous or down right evil.

dunmovin farms

> I guess I was lucky, because she
> never actually prolapsed, just
> that swelling you were talking
> about. After two weeks of looking
> at her rear end (really! I am NOT
> fixated, just observing... lol) I
> called the vet and begged
> beginner's status, asking how long
> can this go on? It was only the
> size of a soft ball, but when I
> started to see TWO forming, I was
> really getting nervous. The vet
> explained that worst case
> scenario, she would prolapse
> totally if the birth was
> especially rapid... didn't
> happen... thank GOD! Anyway, as I
> wrote before, she started
> developing some really nasty
> attitude actions, including
> dragging me into a fence and
> charging and butting a couple of
> us... so I figured, okay... you
> are dead meat REALLY! I, like you,
> hope that it isn't hereditary,
> because the calf is a beautiful
> heifer who KNOWS she is
> beautiful... she could show in a
> ring all by herself... anyway....
> you pretty much verified what I
> thought... it will only get
> worst... thanks for your input....
> hey! guess what! Last night I
> AI-ed one of my cows without the
> chute... she let me do it while
> standing at the manger... good
> Limousin, eh??? lol
 
Hey there,

OK first I think ( could be wrong) that your cow was fat or over conditioned. Thus I would not worry about it unless she just always stays that way, the way I deal with really easy keepers like that, leave the calf on them and let the calf suck it off, obesity is an illness that leads to early death and arthritis and other physical problems such as prolapsed uterus, rectum, etc.

Next if this was a cow in my herd, I would cut her head OFF! I raise Limousin and practice 0 tollerance for pissy tempers or attitudes. I castrate and cull everything with bad attitudes, I don't care how wonderful they are! The lack of this practice is what got the breed the rep for mean, goofey cattle. I am offten asked "are these bottle raised", they are not and the biggest problem with gentle cattle is you can't get them to get out of their own way, they are almost a pain being so docile. But they are safe and easy to work, and I don't have help so it makes things easier for me. As you have a young child, I would put that sow in the freezer ASAP, nothing is worth hurting a child!

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Hi there,

Are you a Limi Breeder?

I am, I also have one really quite cow who has several years in a row let us breed her out in the pasture with a halter and someone holding her, to tied to a fence post, she doesn't like to get too far from the grass, and I think feels it is a waste of energy to have to walk all the way to the catch pen. Glad to hear there are more like her out there.

Michelle

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I sort of breed Limousin... I got the starters from my dad, but the attitudes on most of them, plus the black he insisted on going to has started me looking for something else to breed with. Last year, I used a red Limousin and got two blacks, one red... out of one black and one red cow, of course. One of the black calves has turned a nice dun color...which seems strange... so anyway, this year, I chose a red angus bull... even though I was well-satisfied with the get from the Limousin bull... maybe I am messing with a good thing.... Like you, I have to be able to handle my cattle on foot. I thought about bringing a horse on board, but decided I didn't want to have to spend the time dealing with a horse that one has to invest, let alone the feed. Most of my cattle are calm... or at least calmer than the ranch they came from. My neighbor told me that we didn't make enough noise to properly run cattle, but I can't yell like I used to and hardly have the energy to be chasing cattle around with a 2x4 as I could a few years ago... lol... at any rate, I have one of the few herds in the world that know what "Come, Babe" means when hollered, and they come! and they know, "Go, go, go"... but not well enough to be herded anywhere...but they can follow really good.... sorry for the bragging jag..... lol... the best thing I EVER taught them was BACK! that was an accident, but they will back away whenever we say that word, and man, has that ever saved us in a bad situation. The lesson I learned was to not buy an old cow... they can't be taught new tricks!

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Because I am letting her raise her calf, she won't be gone until this fall, but darn... just about the time I fall in love with her all over again, she will pull some stupid trick and I have to remind myself that all the good looks in the world can't replace that challenging beller that she emits from time to time. It is more like a rumble, but I know it means that I had best be moving along. I can't really even blame the cow, because I know the tempers that run the ranch she came from, but she hasn't responded to my gentling in the least... and to observe a whole herd of these girls is disheartening to say the least. One of the reasons I decided to breed to something else for a bit. Don't most bad attitudes come from mismanagement? I love my father, and haven't met but one man that could hold a candle to him, but he even managed to ruin a Labrador retriever... WITHOUT a college education, no less! By the same token, this same cow allowed my AI tech to walk right up and nudge her calf and never said a word... could be she likes men better than women? Of course, this is all academic since she is destined for the dinner table.

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Hi there,

Great to learn about how Limis move around in families. I was wondering if you would ever consider using another Limousin Bull? You might take apeek at 548J on our Web site, he is the first bull up on the web page, and there are pictures of two of his daughters. He is house dog gentle, and out of one of our Donor cows. Just currious, but I think you will like the small frame and efficiency of the red Angus sired calves, he's probably a great heifer bull, plus you get a high degree a marbling in the meat and no hornes to deal with. <A HREF="http://www.kemilimousin.com" TARGET="_blank">www.kemilimousin.com</A>

Thanks for responding to my curriosity!

Michelle

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Old cows can learn just as fast if not fastewr then young ones, you just have to make it worth their while. Any place I want the cows to go I just stand there and wave a white stick in the air, the will follow me through belly high grass to get to where I want them. The leader of the pack is a cow that 4 years ago was aged at 7 based on her teeth.

dunmovin farms

> I sort of breed Limousin... I got
> the starters from my dad, but the
> attitudes on most of them, plus
> the black he insisted on going to
> has started me looking for
> something else to breed with. Last
> year, I used a red Limousin and
> got two blacks, one red... out of
> one black and one red cow, of
> course. One of the black calves
> has turned a nice dun
> color...which seems strange... so
> anyway, this year, I chose a red
> angus bull... even though I was
> well-satisfied with the get from
> the Limousin bull... maybe I am
> messing with a good thing.... Like
> you, I have to be able to handle
> my cattle on foot. I thought about
> bringing a horse on board, but
> decided I didn't want to have to
> spend the time dealing with a
> horse that one has to invest, let
> alone the feed. Most of my cattle
> are calm... or at least calmer
> than the ranch they came from. My
> neighbor told me that we didn't
> make enough noise to properly run
> cattle, but I can't yell like I
> used to and hardly have the energy
> to be chasing cattle around with a
> 2x4 as I could a few years ago...
> lol... at any rate, I have one of
> the few herds in the world that
> know what "Come, Babe"
> means when hollered, and they
> come! and they know, "Go, go,
> go"... but not well enough to
> be herded anywhere...but they can
> follow really good.... sorry for
> the bragging jag..... lol... the
> best thing I EVER taught them was
> BACK! that was an accident, but
> they will back away whenever we
> say that word, and man, has that
> ever saved us in a bad situation.
> The lesson I learned was to not
> buy an old cow... they can't be
> taught new tricks!
 
Mismanagment can do it, but there are cws that are just surly beasts. We had a heifer last year that was high headed from the beginning, all the other calves from the same bulls are damn near pets. Other calves from the same cow are gentle and calm, she must have inherited a "Pecan" gene from somewhere, cause she is real piece of work. We bred her and sold her to a guy that hardly ever sees his cows and she fits right in.

dunmovin farms

> Because I am letting her raise her
> calf, she won't be gone until this
> fall, but darn... just about the
> time I fall in love with her all
> over again, she will pull some
> stupid trick and I have to remind
> myself that all the good looks in
> the world can't replace that
> challenging beller that she emits
> from time to time. It is more like
> a rumble, but I know it means that
> I had best be moving along. I
> can't really even blame the cow,
> because I know the tempers that
> run the ranch she came from, but
> she hasn't responded to my
> gentling in the least... and to
> observe a whole herd of these
> girls is disheartening to say the
> least. One of the reasons I
> decided to breed to something else
> for a bit. Don't most bad
> attitudes come from mismanagement?
> I love my father, and haven't met
> but one man that could hold a
> candle to him, but he even managed
> to ruin a Labrador retriever...
> WITHOUT a college education, no
> less! By the same token, this same
> cow allowed my AI tech to walk
> right up and nudge her calf and
> never said a word... could be she
> likes men better than women? Of
> course, this is all academic since
> she is destined for the dinner
> table.
 
Will check out the website. How would I get the straws? I guess I'd best check out the site before I start asking dumb questions.... lol... just call me the kid that always gets the cart before the horse, eh?

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sort of like trying to explain that renegade kid that the church family sometimes turns out, eh? Point taken... just take each animal as it presents itself and respond accordingly. I have found that if you "make it worth their while" at the exact correct time, the lesson learned will last a lifetime... but, uh... I am not going to look for anything else to try to make it worth Sneaky Pete's while to want to get along with me.

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Interesting that you feel it's all mismanagement, especially when Limos are the only breed I know of with a temperment EPD, at least here in Canada! Unless things have changed since I owned one, it's right there on the pedigree. Someone obviously believes that it's hereditary.
 
Hi Luc,

Well I wont defend the number crunchers who try to ensure job security by finding new things to add to a performance sheet. I raise cattle in real time in the pasture, no matter what they cost or how good their EPD's are if they don't work for me up to my standards they are TOAST, they all bring the same on the kill floor. To comment on your mention of poor tempered cattle the meanest most dangerous group of cattle I ever saw were a herd of Simentals in Canada, we were on a field trip with the Canadian International Breeder's School, and these were down right dangerous, something you might see on Safari, or in a wildlife park, on exhibit as an example of what to avoid. They were fenced with what we call Wild Game Fence, and these things charged the fence. There are also people in Texas who tell me Brahman Cattle are dangerous, when it has been my experience that they are highly inteligent & trainable and are very dog gentle. Everybody is entitled to their opinion, they are like a-- holes, everybody has one.

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