After insemination, a cow has white discharge: causes and treatment

In a cow after a bull, white discharge occurs in two cases: flowing semen or vaginitis. There may also be bloody (brown) mucus if endometritis is developing. Often, “white” refers to the usual transparent physiological expiration during and after the hunt. In fact, they are yellowish in color. Such liberties in terminology introduce significant confusion in understanding whether the discharge in a cow is normal or if this is a disease.

Why does a cow have white discharge after coating

Normal physiological discharge from the cow’s vulva is clear and yellowish. The appearance of a different color and cloudiness of the mucus indicates the presence of inflammatory processes in the reproductive system of the animal. Usually such diseases develop after calving. After mating with a bull, inflammation can only begin if the uterine mucosa has been damaged and an infection has entered the body.

In natural mating with a bull, cervicitis may develop due to damage to the muscular or mucous membranes of the cervical canal. In this case, the appearance of purulent outflows from the vulva is not excluded. In this case, the appearance of the external genital organs will be far from the norm. In particular, the mucosa will be swollen.

Colpit

It is believed that white discharge appears with vaginitis. This is not entirely true. Colpitis, which is the “classic” vaginitis, is characterized by blisters on the mucous membrane of the genital organs. This is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the vagina. It is often the result of other problems in the reproductive system:

• cervititis;
• endometritis;
• trichomoniasis;
• campylobacteriosis;
• birth canal injury.

In all cases, vesicles filled with one or another type of exudate form on the vaginal mucosa. The latter depends on the cause that caused vaginitis.

Another picture is observed with vestibulovaginitis. The nature of the mucous secretions here is very diverse.

Similar white mucus is possible with purulent vestibulovaginitis

Vestibulovaginitis

Similar white mucus is possible with purulent vestibulovaginitis

The difference from vaginitis is that in this case, the mucous membrane of the vestibule of the vagina becomes inflamed. However, later the inflammation passes to the vagina itself. Vestibulovaginitis is divided according to three criteria: course, nature and origin.

The course of the disease is divided into acute and chronic. By the nature of the process, they are:

• purulent;
• serous;
• catarrhal;
• phlegmonous;
• diphtheritic;
• mixed.

By origin, three groups are distinguished: non-contagious, infectious and invasive.

The causes of the disease can be:

• traumatic, for example, when mating with a bull;
• infectious when infected with pathogenic microflora, sexually transmitted;
• complication after infectious diseases.

Allocations will be with any vestibulovaginitis, but they will not always be white or yellow. In the acute serous form, the exudate will be almost transparent. In acute catarrh, the mucus is cloudy and viscous. For acute purulent expiration of white, yellow and yellow-brown color is characteristic. Possibly greenish. For pus, a sharp unpleasant odor is characteristic.

With an acute phlegmonous form of pus, there is little, it dries up at the base of the tail. Putrid brown liquid is secreted in acute diphtheritic vestibulovaginitis.

In terms of volume, exudate is most similar to normal physiological mucus in purulent-catarrhal and chronic catarrhal vestibulovaginitis. The difference is in the admixture of pus. The secretions themselves can be both liquid and thick.

Why does a cow have yellow discharge after insemination

With a high degree of probability, yellow discharge appears with endometritis. This is an inflammation of the lining of the uterus, usually occurring as a complication of difficult calving. As a result, by the time of mating with a bull, the disease manages to go far enough for the exudate to become yellow, or even brown due to blood impurities.

Discharge from endometritis can also be mucous. The nature of the outflow depends on the form of the disease: catarrhal, purulent or fibrinous. At the first, mucus is released, at the second, pus, at the third, fibrin films are present in the mucus.

In all cases, the most dangerous is pus mixed with clotted blood. Such outflows will look dark yellow or brownish. This color means that the inflammation has reached the blood vessels and damaged them.

With fibrinous endometritis, the discharge can be not only brown, but also clearly bloody, with purulent white opaque mucus flowing from the uterus

What to do if a cow has a discharge after a bull

In this case, the actions directly depend on the appearance and time of the selections. If a cow immediately after a natural mating with a bull began to leak a thick white liquid from the vulva, most likely, you should not worry. No infection develops so quickly. Provided that the animal was healthy before insemination. But in the first 15 minutes, bull sperm can flow from the uterine vagina.

In the presence of diseases of the reproductive organs, the discharge will be “colored”.

Nature is a great reinsurer. The portion of ejaculate that the bull throws out during mating would be enough to inseminate hundreds of queens. Excess sperm is either gradually absorbed by the body of the female, or flows out.

The second option: a transparent thick and sticky mucus that appears 2-3 days after mating with a bull or insemination. The duration of such allocations is from a month to two. They indicate that the cow has fertilized.

These discharges stop after 1-2 months. But to be sure that the cow is pregnant, it must be examined rectally a month after mating.

The appearance of cloudy discharge after 1 or more days after mating indicates the development of an inflammatory process. In this case, it is necessary to start treating the cow. But usually all diseases of the uterus and vagina develop after calving as a complication. White, yellow and brown discharge before mating with a bull can be in a cow only if the owner of the animal did not pay attention to the onset and development of the disease.

But this happens already 9 months after the fertilization of the animal by the bull. And the mucus is not white, but yellowish. May be slightly cloudy. It begins to stand out about 2 weeks before calving.

Such abundant turbid discharge is not the norm under any circumstances and most likely indicates advanced endometritis

Treatment

With colpitis, the cow’s vagina is irrigated with disinfectant solutions:

• soda;
• hydrogen peroxide;
• furacillin;
• rivanol.

In case of severe damage, tampons with disinfectant ointments are introduced into the vagina: streptocidal, Vishnevsky, ichthyol and others like them.

With cervicitis, the cow’s vagina is irrigated with Lugol’s solution or potassium permanganate, after which the exudate is removed and the cervical canal is lubricated with ichthyol or iodoform-tar ointment with a swab.

Treatment of vestibulovaginitis depends on their type. With serous, catarrhal and purulent inflammation, the cow’s vagina is douched with a solution of furacilin, ethacridine lactate or a 2% solution of baking soda. Next, antiseptic liniments are applied to the mucous membranes: synthomycin, streptocid, Vishnevsky. With phlegmonous and diphtheria, washing is similar, but 1% novocaine in powder is added to the liniments.

With endometritis, the animal is placed in improved conditions. 50 ml of a 2% cold solution of vagotil or 500 ml of Lugol’s solution are injected into the cow’s uterus. After that, the contents of the uterus are pumped out with a vacuum pump and antimicrobial boluses are placed inside the cow. Neurotropic drugs, vitamin A and ergot derivatives are injected subcutaneously. Mosin blockade is also used. The means of general therapy are shown.

Preventive measures

Normal physiological secretions, indicating the likelihood of fertilization, often stick to the cow’s tail and attract flies. To avoid infection of the genital organs after mating with a bull, it is necessary to observe the hygiene of the external genital organs: the vulva and tail are washed daily with warm water and wiped dry. At the same time, the owner can make sure that there are no problems or notice the disease in time.

To prevent gynecological problems in a cow, it is necessary to observe the conditions of keeping and feeding. The predisposition to endometritis is often increased by a lack of vitamins and lack of exercise, which reduce the immunity of the animal.

Conclusion

In a cow after a bull, white discharge should ideally be absent altogether, if these are not the very first minutes after mating. In a healthy uterus, the mucus should be transparent both after mating and before calving.