Calving

Central

Calving
Facilties Dealing with
Prolapses
Pre-Weaning
Vaccination
Strategy

Cold Stress
in Calves
by Heather Smith Thomas

Dealing with

P
Prolapses rolapses pose major health and economic concerns to beef cross stitches to keep the vulva closed safely so the inner
cattle producers. Treating a prolapse in a timely manner is tissue cannot prolapse if the cow strains. She can still urinate
critical to the overall health and reproductive soundness of through the stitches, but the vulva will not open enough for
a cow. Cows can suffer from vaginal, uterine and rectal prolapses, another prolapse.
with the two former being most common.
Remove the stiches. If she is stitched, she must be watched
closely for calving. The stitches must be removed when she
Vaginal prolapses
starts to calve or she will tear them out or have difficulty
Vaginal prolapses generally occur before calving. Some cows have
calving. When she goes into labor, stitches can be cut with
a structural weakness which causes part of the vagina to prolapse
surgical scissors, tin snips, a sharp knife, etc. and pulled
during late pregnancy. Most cases occur a few weeks prior to
out gently.
calving, when the increased size of the uterus puts pressure in
the abdomen and the ligaments in the pelvic region begin to Monitor. After the calf is born, the vagina rarely prolapses
relax. When the cow is lying down (especially if her hind end again until the next year, when the cow gets closer to calving
is downhill), this pressure may cause vaginal tissue to prolapse. again. There is no need to put a stitch back in after she calves,
Mild prolapses, signified by a pink bulge the size of an orange or as all of the pressure against the tissue has been relieved.
grapefruit, will usually go back in when the cow gets up. However, Once a cow prolapses, she almost always does it again — often
if she starts to prolapse each time she lies down, the tissues may be worse the next time — or starts earlier during late gestation.
forced out to the point where they cannot go back in. Sometimes Most ranchers cull a cow once she has prolapsed.
the presence of a mild prolapse will stimulate the cow to strain,
making the prolapse worse and putting the tissue at risk of The real challenges are the rare few that prolapse sometime
becoming damaged and dirty. after calving, a situation usually associated with riding during
Of utmost concern when tissues turn inside out is that blood estrus. If cattle are out in large pastures at breeding time, the
supply is restricted, causing the tissue to swell. Swelling will vagina may be prolapsed for several days before someone notices,
continue to occur while the tissue is left outside the body, making and it will become dry, dirty and damaged.
it harder to replace. If the cow is near calving, this swelling may Robert Callan, Ph.D., Colorado State University, says vaginal
make the birth difficult. For these reasons, vaginal prolapses prolapses are a nuisance but not life-threatening. “The main thing
should be dealt with as soon as possible and can be managed using to realize about a vaginal prolapse is that once an animal does
these guidelines: this, she will likely repeat the problem the next year, and that there
may be a genetic basis.”
Clean. The prolapsed tissue must be cleaned and replaced
and then kept in place. Restrain the cow and wash the
Uterine prolapses
prolapse gently with warm water and mild disinfectant
While vaginal prolapses tend to occur right before calving, uterine
before pushing it back in. Note that if a vaginal prolapse
prolapses occur right after calving and are difficult to predict.
has been out for several days, the tissues may be dry and
They are normally a onetime occurrence, and it is generally safe to
damaged and harder to clean and push back in.
keep a cow suffering from a uterine prolapse in the breeding herd
Stitch. Take several stitches across the vulva to hold it shut if she rebreeds on schedule.
and to prevent future prolapses. Umbilical tape is less apt “Sometimes there may be an underlying cause such as a
to pull out than suture thread. A large, curved surgical mineral imbalance like low calcium,” Callan says.
needle is best for making the stitches. The stitches should be The cow may prolapse immediately after calving or a short
anchored in the haired skin at the sides of the vulva. This time later, while the cervix is still dilated. If the cow keeps
skin is thick and tough and will not tear out as easily as the straining because of continued contractions and after pains, she
skin of the vulva. As it is less sensitive, it is also less painful may push the uterus on out. This situation can happen whether
for the cow when stitching. It usually takes at least three the birth was easy or difficult.

Vaginal prolapses will appear as a pink bulge the It is very important to clean and disinfect the area The umbilical tape stitches should be anchored Three cross stitches will suffice to keep the vulva
size of an orange or a grapefruit. to avoid infection and tissue damage. in the haired skin at the side of the vulva because safely closed.
the skin is thicker, tougher and less sensitive.

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 The far end of one uterine horn may begin to turn inside itself,
which allows the cow to push against it. To lessen the likelihood
of a uterine prolapse, get the cow up as soon as possible after
pulling a calf. Getting her up and moving around will usually help
the uterus drop back down into the abdominal cavity and will
straighten the uterine horns. Without a partially inverted horn
against which to strain, the cow generally will not prolapse.
If she does prolapse, the earlier the problem is detected, the
better; the prolapsed organ is still clean and easier to put back in
compared to trying to deal with it hours or days later. It is also
easier on the cow if the organ is replaced quickly rather than after
it has gotten dirty, damaged or, possibly, bruised.
“The keys to successful management of uterine prolapse are
early recognition, moving the cow to a sheltered environment,
minimizing damage and contamination of the exposed uterus,
and prompt replacement,” Callan says. Below are some areas of
concern when dealing with a uterine prolapse.
Cow position. “Very few producers try to replace the
uterus themselves; it is challenging without the benefit
of an epidural injection to diminish the cow’s straining,”
Callan says. “Positioning the cow correctly is also helpful
for replacing a prolapsed uterus. If her front end is pointed While culling animals with vaginal prolapses is highly encouraged, females with a
downhill [and not fighting gravity], this will help. We like to uterine prolapse can be retained.
lay the cow down so that she is lying on her breastbone and
clean wine bottle to extend your reach. Some veterinarians
belly, and pull her hind legs back behind her so she is ‘frog-
instill an antibiotic into the uterus, but many don’t. If there’s
legged’ to tilt the pelvis up. At that angle she is not as able
a chance that the cow is hypocalcemic, the veterinarian
to keep pushing the uterus back out again as you work on it,
will also treat her with calcium,” he says. This treatment
with gravity in your favor.”
increases uterine tone and helps minimize the chance of her
Clean facilities. “If I am heading out to help a rancher with prolapsing again. Oxytocin can also be administered to help
a uterine prolapse, I would hope the cow is moved into a improve uterine tone once the uterus is replaced.
sheltered area with dry ground and good bedding if at all The next step is to keep the cow from pushing it right
possible. You want the area clean, with good footing. You back out again. The vet may give the cow another injection
also want ropes, hobbles and a halter to restrain the cow. I of local anesthetic afterward to keep her from straining or
will give her an epidural, and usually an anti-inflammatory may put a few sutures across the vaginal opening to keep
drug such as flunixin meglumine [Banamine]. Many the organ from being pushed out again until the cervix has
veterinarians choose to give an antibiotic as well, since the contracted and there is no danger of recurrence. The stitches
uterus is likely to be contaminated.” can be removed in a few days.
Also, good supplies to have on hand for cleaning are
Uterine damage. Whenever a uterus prolapses, there is
plenty of warm water, mild soap or a disinfectant, and a
always risk of damage to the uterine arteries. If a uterine
large plastic garbage bag to place underneath the uterus to
artery ruptures or tears, the cow bleeds into the abdominal
keep contaminants away. Callan drapes the uterus in the
cavity. Sometimes the artery is stretched and starts bleeding
garbage bag.
again once the uterus has been replaced. “The cow could
Edema. The longer the uterus is out, the more edema bleed out at that point. Many of the deaths that occur after
(swelling) builds up in the tissues. It takes a lot of work to replacing the uterus are due to a ruptured uterine artery,
squeeze edema out of tissues and to push the uterus back and there’s really nothing you can do for this,” Callan says.
through the pelvic canal. “Something that works to reduce In some instances, it is not practical or feasible to replace
edema is to apply sugar to the surface. This works as an the uterus, particularly if it is severely damaged. “In these
osmotic agent to pull fluid out of the tissues and help shrink cases, the best option might be to amputate the uterus to
them as you are pushing the uterus back in. The high save the cow. There are surgical methods, and also some
concentration of sugar on the tissue surfaces also has some banding methods, similar to banding for castration. Both
antibacterial properties,” Callan explains. methods work. The banding method tends to be easier and
quicker, with similar results to surgical amputation,” he says.
Staying in place. “One of the most crucial factors to ensure
If the uterus is not out very long and is kept clean and
that the uterus stays in is to extend both horns fully to their
undamaged until it can be replaced, the cow generally
proper position,” he says. If there is even a small tip of horn
recovers. If the uterus is replaced promptly, most cows that
that is still inside out, it gives the cow something to push
prolapse will rebreed and have no problems with the next
against, and she may push the uterus right back out again if
calving. Repetition is rare.
she strains.
“Sometimes it can be difficult to reach that far, with
a long uterine horn. One thing that can help is to use a

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