what do I give to make a cow give birth ?

[ddd75]

seems like these herefords are going atleast a week or even 2 longer then they should. Springing and full milk and still going 1.5 weeks until birth. one just had one in the night and died. insides are on the ground but these lesion type things are all over the insides.. what could this be? I took some pics I''ll have to post.

anyway.. I heard some on here talking about a shot I can give to make them calve. What is it?

 

[Nesikep]

Sounds like a uterine prolapse...
Dexamethasone is often used to induce, but I'd be careful with it.
If you can make them walk a little I find that helps

 

[Bright Raven]

Those are not lesions. The placenta attaches to the uterine wall by cotyledons. They give the appearance of a lesion. You are simply seeing the expelled placenta with the several cotyledons on it. I will try to find a stock picture and post it for you.

Which is a far cry better than it being a prolapsed uterus as Nesi suggested. My vet is adamant not to give drugs to induce partum unless it is an emergency.

Note reddish cotyledons.

 

[ddd75]

yep thats what it looked like.

they are walking everyday.. so big.. I just am not having good luck.. had to pull everyone and still have around 8 to go. calves are way too big.

She managed to get the calf out and she was out walking around alive. I was pretty surprised. I milked all the colostrum out of her and fed the baby. hopefully she'll make it through.

 

[angus9259]

Dex to induce. Lute to help them clean.

 

[angus9259]

My vet is adamant not to give drugs to induce partum unless it is an emergency.

I'm not a fan and only do it when I know I know when they are due. That said, always worked like a champ and never had a single ill effect. I use it when I need it and won't hesitate in the future.

 

[ddd75]

what could go wrong using it? how much do you give them.

 

[ohiosteve]

It's been many years, but I think Oxytocin is pretty safe and can help speed things up in your situation. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong but it is cheap and might be worth a try.

 

[ddd75]

Oxytocin Injection may be recommended for obstetrical use in cows, horses, ewes, and sows, and to induce milk let-down in cows and sows. Because of the specific action of Oxytocin upon the uterine musculature, it is recommended as an aid to precipitate labor, accelerate normal parturition, for evacuation of postpartum uterine debris, or for postoperative contraction of the uterus. Oxytocin will contract the smooth muscle cells of the mammary gland to induce milk let-down if the udder is in a proper physiological state. Each ml of Oxytocin Injection contains 20 USP units oxytocin. Administer by SQ, IM, or IV route. The recommended dosage of Oxytocin for obstetrical use is 5 ml in cows and horses; 1.5-2.5 ml in ewes and sows. The recommended dosage for milk let-down is 0.5-1 ml in cows; 0.25-1 ml in sows. Oxytocin.


looks like that would work pretty well.


thanks everyone.

 

[Dempster]

It's pretty standard to include Lutylse with dexamethasone when inducing calving. Your biggest risk is inducing too early and having the cow deliver a pre-term calf. Dilation and milk let down are not perfect markers for determing when a calf is due. Dates determined by vets at a preg check should also not be relied on to be accurate down to a couple days if the preg check was done after about 4-5 months of pregnancy.

The other significant risk you run is retained placenta, you will see a much higher rate of these in induced cows. I think you need to ride it our with the remaining cows and go the c-section route if you get one that is too big. However, if these are all mature cows, it is pretty rare to need a c-section due just to calf size.

 

[MRRherefords]

We always include some lute in with the Dex.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

I prefer oxytocin, because it will also make milking easier.

You can also squirt it up their nose to help with bonding.
Now you know...

 

[Nesikep]

You can also squirt it up their nose to help with bonding.
Now you know...

never heard of that!


Problem is I don't think Oxytocin does much for dilation, so it can cause contractions without the calf having any place to go.. That's what I was told anyhow.. It seems that Dex or Dex/Lute is the more common, and there must be a reason for it.

 

[Nesikep]

Those are not lesions. The placenta attaches to the uterine wall by cotyledons. They give the appearance of a lesion. You are simply seeing the expelled placenta with the several cotyledons on it. I will try to find a stock picture and post it for you.

My bad, I thought the "insides were out".. didn't quite get the "on the ground" part of it

 

[sim.-ang.king]

You can also squirt it up their nose to help with bonding.
Now you know...

never heard of that!


Problem is I don't think Oxytocin does much for dilation, so it can cause contractions without the calf having any place to go.. That's what I was told anyhow.. It seems that Dex or Dex/Lute is the more common, and there must be a reason for it.

Yep, oxytocin is the hormone that causes bonding, and by going through the nose you get through the blood brain barrier quicker.
I'll see if I can find the article from Angus, that talked about it.

 

[Angus Rocks]

Went to a meeting last night that Jamie Lynn Farnie from K State gave a presentation last night and she said that people have been seeing bigger calves born this year and she claimed it was because of having colder winter in this area

 

[Farm Fence Solutions]

After you use the needle is a he?? of a time to find out that you have a breech presentation, and mom was just working the calf around before she jumped the gun. I've induced dozens of mares, but only if they were pre approved. Full term, waxed, and foal position checked with ultrasound....or it was a no go. I've been in on my fair share of fetotomys after someone got impatient and thought they knew better than mother nature.

 

[Son of Butch]

Sorry, but I would not recommend do-it-yourself labor induction using drugs to anyone that has to ask what 'after-birth'
laying on the ground is.

 

[Bright Raven]

Sorry, but I would not recommend do-it-yourself labor induction using drugs to anyone that has to ask what 'after-birth'
laying on the ground is.

There is a management issue if someone has to use drugs to induce labor in more than an isolated case. I would suggest that ddd75, look for the reason so many of his cows are having issues delivering unassisted.

 

[ddd75]

Sorry, but I would not recommend do-it-yourself labor induction using drugs to anyone that has to ask what 'after-birth'
laying on the ground is.

I'll have to post the picture.. this isn't just normal afterbirth.




Raven -- I'd say its more the cattle then the operator. My reseasoning behind that would be that I bought these heifers (herefords) from another guy. I've never had a hereford cow before. They are all around 22-24 months old and now giving calves.

My black angus heifers have given me several nice 65 lb calves with no assistance. Now with the same bull, all on the same feed, all in the same area, these herefords are giving me trouble. I've had to pull everyone. I even had to pull this one.. I know she is 1400 lbs.. she is 2 1/2 years old, and gave around a 70 lb calf and I still had to pull it.