Calving tips - Totally Vets

Calving tips
Greta Baynes
Totally Vets
August 2010
Calving basics
• 1st Stage labour:
• calf positions itself for birth
• cervix dilates (relaxes)
• cow restless, uncomfortable, separates
from mob
• tail in air
• lasts 2-6 hrs; longer in heifers
2nd Stage labour:
• cow gets down (usually), pushes & delivers
calf
• passing & rupture of waterbag (placenta)
• should last NO longer than 2 hrs from when
waters break
• Entire stage lasts from 30min – 4hr ave 70min
3rd Stage labour:
• passing of placenta (30 mins to 6-8 hrs)
When to intervene
• 1st stage >6 hrs – cow continues to look
uncomfortable w/o presenting;
• 2nd stage >2 hrs – forceful pushing but
making minimal/no progress
•
Calving Emergencies
• Calf or cow valuable?
– Yes: best to CALL THE VET
– No: continue the examination
• Bucket of clean water with
disinfectant
– Clean the vulva
– Clean arms (and wear gloves)
– Clean your chains (or ropes)
• Use plenty of lubricant
Calving Emergencies
• Step One: examine the vagina
– normal
•smooth walled, wide diameter
– abnormal
•rips and tears
•twisted uterus
•CALL VET
Calving Emergencies
• Step Two: examine the cervix
– Unable to detect cervix
•fully open
– Fold with frilled edge
•partially open recheck in 2 hours
– Uncertain of normal/abnormal
•CALL VET for diagnosis
•could be too early or twisted uterus
Calving Emergencies
• Step Three: is the calf alive?
• Finger in mouth
• Pinch between the toes
• Gentle pressure on eye
– Dead Calf
• is the cow healthy?
– Healthy: continue to calve her
– sick cow: CALL THE VET
• bad smell CALL THE VET
• Calf swollen & unlikely to fit CALL THE VET
– Alive
• continue to calve the cow
Calving Emergencies
• Step Four: How is the calf
presented?
– Head first presentation
–
–
–
–
head and two legs
ideal presentation
OK to apply traction
LUBE
Ropes/chains
• Points of traction
• How much traction
–
–
–
–
NOT THE TRACTOR
NOT THE BIKE
NOT THE FENCING STRAINERS
Man strength; calving jack; pulley – use
with care can still cause damage
Chain placement
Chain placement
Head chain placement
Position of head relative to legs
Calving Emergencies
• Step Four: How is the calf
presented?
– Head first presentations - abnormal:
• leg back
• head back
• head and 2 legs but no response to
traction
TEN MINUTE RULE – If you make no
progress in ten minutes, stop and call
the vet
Determine what’s what
Determine what’s what
Normal vs abnormal
• Tail & 2 back legs
Normal vs abnormal
• Breech
Abnormal
• Head back
• Dog sitting
• leg back
Normal vs abnormal
• Twins
• Dead & swollen/rotten
• Abnormal
– Twisted uterus
– Deformed calves
– No idea?
• Size – will calf fit through?
Prolapsed uterus
– immediate vet
attention
– until vet arrives
•keep cow quiet,
not moving
•sit cow upright if
cow is ‘down’
•keep uterus
clean
•give Ca under
the skin
Retained membranes
• Retained if not passed in 24hr
• Difficult calving/assisted/twins
• Milk fever
• Low Se
• If cow well, leave for a week. May
resolve by itself
• If cow unwell, needs treatment as can
become toxic
Down cows
1.
2.
3.
4.
Calving (twins!)
Mastitis
Calving paralysis
Infected uterus (often from retained
placenta)
5. Metabolic disease
1.
2.
3.
Milk fever = low calcium
Grass staggers = low magnesium
Ketosis = energy deficiency
6. Dislocated hips
Caring for downer cows
• DO NOT LEAVE ON SIDE!
– Cannot burp, rumen fills with gas, pushes
against lungs, cannot breathe effectively,
can die
– Sit upright (prop up with haybale/bike)
• Shelter, cow cover
• Fresh water
• Food
• Roll from side to side
• Hip clamps (do not leave on >10min)
• Slings (we have some to lend out)
Milk fever = low Ca
• Calving - + 10d
• Older cows
• Often due to low mag
• Dopey, weak, wobbly, down, reduced
responsiveness
• treat slowly and carefully with:
Grass staggers = low Mg
• Calving - +4-6 wk
• Lush spring grass low in Mg
• Mg required for Ca regulation
• Nervous, twitchy, stagger, down,
thrashing
Treatment
• Products containing Ca & Mg available
– Under skin or into vein – take care if into
vein, can cause heart attacks if given too
fast or too much
– Oral products + energy
• reassess/retreat/call vet if cow NOT up
within 3 – 4 hours.
Prevention
• Mag supplementation for several
weeks prior to calving and through
calving
• Feed well
Mastitis
• Swollen, hot quarter
• May appear lame
• Can become unwell if bugs spread
through bloode
• Injectable treatments available
• Early detection and treatment -> best
outcome