Prolapse of the uterus in a cow before and after calving – prevention, treatment

Prolapse of the uterus in a cow is a complex pathology of the animal’s reproductive system. The causes of the disease are varied, as are the methods of treatment. What uterine prolapse looks like in cows after calving can be seen in the photo.

Physiology and pathology of the uterus of cattle

The uterus in cattle is a hollow organ that performs the function of protecting the developing fetus. It consists of 3 main sections – the body of the uterus with 2 horns and the cervix. The cervix is ​​closed in a healthy state. It opens during calving or with any pathology. It consists of several layers – inner, outer and intermediate. The length of the neck reaches 12 cm, the body of the uterus is twice as short. The horns are an extension of the uterus.

The uterus changes depending on the physiological state of the cow. For example, during pregnancy, it can increase up to 20 times. In the first half of pregnancy, the walls of the muscle fibers thicken significantly, and in the second half, the horns stretch due to the fetus. During this period, the uterus is preparing for the full development of the calf. After birth, the uterus of a healthy animal quickly recovers and returns to normal. But with illiterate obstetrics, some mistakes in the diet, a large calf, various pathologies can develop.

Diseases of the uterus of inflammatory etiology

The uterus is a very sensitive organ to various irritants, so inflammation after calving is a common occurrence.

Inflammatory processes are subdivided depending on the affected layer. Endometritis is more often observed, less often – myometritis and perimetritis.

Pathology can occur in both chronic and acute forms. Contributes to the development of the inflammatory process, infection during childbirth, a large fetus, retention of the placenta, as well as prolapse of the organ. Basically, the blame for a sick animal lies with the farmer, who often neglects sanitary standards and introduces pathogenic microflora with his hands and tools.

It happens that the infection occurs even before the birth of the calf when the fetus is overcarried, after abortions. The body of a cow is very susceptible to infections with reduced immunity. This happens when the farmer does not provide the animal with quality food and appropriate living conditions. In a cow with a weakened immune system, the uterus after calving is not able to actively contract and cannot be released from the placenta in a timely manner. Over time, this causes endometritis.

Violation of the position of the uterus of cattle – twisting, bending, twisting

Twisting of the uterus in cows is the rotation of the pregnant uterus or horn around the axis by 180 degrees or more. The main causes of pathology are fast, abrupt movements of the animal, grazing on steep slopes, and a long drive to pastures. With such a pathology, the cow shows anxiety, often she has no appetite, rapid breathing and heartbeat are observed. Rectal examination shows that one of the uterine ligaments is relaxed and the other is tense. During childbirth, the fetus does not come out, although there are attempts.

With slight twisting, the uterus can be easily corrected. In the case of complete twisting, as a rule, the fetus dies, the cow’s condition deteriorates sharply.

The bend of the uterus in a cow occurs due to its displacement under the pubic bones of the pelvis. This arrangement of the organ makes it difficult for the fetus to advance during childbirth. To help the cow, she is first laid on her side, and then on her back. This position of the cow allows the fetus to take the correct position.

Inversion of the uterus in a cow is eliminated by turning the animal around the axis of the body. With a right-sided inversion – to the right, left-sided to the left. Sometimes you can unwind the uterus along with the fetus by hand by inserting it into the cervix. If these manipulations are ineffective, then a caesarean section is indicated.

Uterine prolapse – causes and pathogenesis

Uterine prolapse in cows is a complex pathology. The disease is associated with the development of various complications.

Prolapse is characterized by bleeding, swelling, excessive friability of the organ. The color of the prolapsed uterus gradually darkens, the surface is covered with wounds and cracks. Often this pathology of the uterus is accompanied by prolapse of the bladder and rectum. More often, prolapse occurs after childbirth, since at this moment the neck is open, and this makes it easier for the organ to get out. The main cause of loss is the flabbiness of muscle fibers, which occurs for a number of reasons:

• improper care of a cow during pregnancy;
• lack of daily exercise of the animal;
• illiterate assistance during calving (quick removal of the calf);
• rapid childbirth;
• the slope of the floor, in which the body of the animal takes the wrong position.

The prolapse of the uterus in a cow can be seen in the video:

Diseases that lead to pathology

Diseases that can cause hair loss are varied. These are infections that occur during pregnancy, complications of the postpartum period, multiple pregnancy. Often, uterine prolapse in a cow provokes dropsy of the membranes.

During the dry period, when the cow is overfed with succulent feed, she loses belching and chewing gum. Accordingly, this leads to stagnation of food in the rumen, excessive accumulation of food and gases, under the pressure of which there is a risk of calving with complications.

Another disease affecting calving is hypocalcemia. With improper feeding during the dry period, the level of calcium in the cow’s body decreases. It also provokes prolapse, as calcium affects the state of the muscular system.

With dropsy (polyhydramnios), too much fluid is produced in the placenta. This happens with multiple pregnancies.

Vaginal prolapse

Often in the second half of pregnancy, closer to calving, there is a prolapse of the vagina outside the vulva.

The main causes of the pathology are relaxation of the ligaments that fix the genitals, increased intra-abdominal pressure, poor nutrition, the age of the cow, and multiple pregnancies. With incomplete prolapse, part of the vaginal wall protrudes. The mucous membrane is swollen, bright pink. Initially, this manifests itself only in the supine position, but then the mucous membrane is no longer retracted in the standing position.

With complete prolapse of the vagina, a mucous mass of red color protrudes. The neck is partially visible, venous congestion develops very quickly, in which the mucous membranes turn blue and swell. They are easy to injure, wounds appear. Predictions for full fallout are uncertain.

When the vagina prolapses, a solution of novocaine is injected into the epidural region. Then carefully process the vulva, perineum, the place of the base of the tail. The vulva is sutured, and the cow is tilted toward the head to relieve pressure in the pelvis. After reduction and strengthening of the vagina, anesthesia is performed. The stitches are removed before calving.

Possible complications of uterine prolapse in a cow

If for some reason it is not possible to set the prolapsed uterus, it should be amputated. More often indications for amputation may be gangrene, ruptures, wounds.

Before the operation, anesthesia is performed, the uterus is treated with a disinfectant solution. It is better to bandage it tightly to avoid unnecessary pollution. Next, you need to apply a ligature. Swelling of the pathological uterus will not allow you to do it quickly, so you need to tighten it in several steps, with breaks of 5 minutes. As the liquid is drawn out of the edematous tissues, the wall thickness of the organ decreases significantly. After the final fixation of the ligature at some distance from it, the uterus is cut off, the stump is cauterized and processed, and sutures are applied. The stump is then pushed into the vagina.

In the postoperative period, it is necessary to douche with a disinfectant solution that flushes out the exudate. In the first days after the operation, the cow is given wet feed mixtures with the addition of laxative salts. After removal of the uterus, the cow may develop endometritis, metritis, parametritis, complicated by sepsis.

After the cow is restored, it is fattened and sent for slaughter.

How pathology manifests itself during calving, before and after it

Prolapse of the uterus during calving is characterized by a sharp increase in intra-abdominal pressure. Attempts become strong, along with the calf, the uterus falls out.

It happens that this pathology occurs after calving, but no later than 12 hours. The reasons for late loss are the same: infections, improper walking or its complete absence, gross violations of feeding and care, lack of succulent feed, vitamin and mineral supplements in feed rations, unqualified help at the hotel. It happens that the loss occurs 2 days after calving. This is facilitated by an incompletely closed neck.

Loss before calving is rare. Possible causes are weakening of muscle tissue, too young or old age of the cow, infectious diseases, multiple pregnancies, early contractions.

In all cases, the pathology manifests itself in the same way: the uterus protrudes and turns outwards.

What to do if a cow has a uterus

Regarding this pathology, there are clear instructions. First of all, after calving, it is not necessary to leave the animal, since loss is possible even after a successful process.

Treatment methods are divided into first aid to the cow and the subsequent reduction procedure.

First Aid

As soon as the cow has a prolapse, the animal needs to be given first aid. This is a rather unpleasant sight, but it is important not to panic and tune in to help.

You must immediately call a veterinarian, and before he arrives, you need to help the cow yourself. It is advisable to remove everything superfluous around, try to place the animal with its head below the croup. It is important to disinfect the floors in the room, prepare antiseptics, warm water with a solution of potassium permanganate, disposable syringes and droppers, clean towels and sterile tissues.

The uterus is washed with a solution of manganese, freeing it from the placenta. If there are wounds on the surface, you need to burn them with hydrogen peroxide to avoid infection. A cleanly washed uterus is placed on a sterile tissue. Then you can proceed to the reduction of the body.

Reduction of the uterus – the order and nuances of the procedure

After removal of the placenta, you need to wash the cow’s uterus with a 40% glucose solution to relieve swelling. Then, a hand folded into a fist is inserted into the middle of the inverted part, and the organ is set back into the body. This process is laborious, often a prolapsed uterus can weigh more than 15 kg. The procedure must be carried out by 2-3 specialists. After the organ is set inward, the mucosa is leveled so that it takes its place, smoothed with a hand. Often you have to keep it inside for about 40 minutes.

To prevent the uterus from falling out again, it must be fixed. Usually, special devices are used for fixation – pessaries. A pessary is an invention from the field of obstetrics made of silicone or plastic. This method prevents recurrence. Various modifications are known, but all have a serious drawback: a foreign body strongly irritates the vaginal mucosa. This contributes to increased attempts, sometimes this leads to a rupture of the vagina. Many farmers use a soccer ball tube inserted into the animal’s vagina and inflated with air, but this method significantly impairs the urethra. It happens that it is enough to suture the vulva, this gives the best result. To increase the tone, a little cold disinfectant is poured into the cavity.

If foci of necrosis are noticed, then the cow’s organ should be amputated.

How to treat uterine prolapse in a cow before calving

If the cow’s uterus crawled out before calving, then you can try to save the calf if by this moment it has already formed. Otherwise, they act according to the same scheme as in case of prolapse during calving – by reduction or amputation.

Proper preparation for calving and prevention of uterine prolapse

Before calving, it is necessary to stop lactation in a cow. To do this, each time she is a little under-milked, leaving milk in the udder. Thus, they gradually switch to milking once a day, then every other day. So lactation stops, the animal’s body is rebuilt to prepare for calving.

During this period, the diet of the cow should be reviewed. She is transferred to hay, the amount of water drunk is reduced, and a week before calving she is transferred to fodder. Stop grazing the animal and transfer the cow to a separate stall, prepared and disinfected in advance.

The first signs of calving include:

• sagging abdomen a few weeks before calving;
• ligaments weaken from the sides of the tail;
• immediately before calving, the pelvic bones diverge;
• the udder swells, the genital gap;
• a sulfur plug is released from the vagina.

During contractions, the cow is very nervous, especially if this is the first calving. She often gets up and lies down again, constantly looking back. With uncomplicated pregnancy and childbirth, as a rule, the animal does not need human help, but during the first calving, the presence of a veterinarian is mandatory.

To prevent lunge after calving, it is extremely important to provide the animal with high-quality feed, vitamins and mineral supplements. Prevention of diseases during pregnancy should be carried out in time, regular walking of the animal should be ensured.

During calving, you need to conduct competent obstetric care. If a possible prolapse is suspected, a bag of warm sand is applied to the lumbosacral region to reduce attempts, the walls of the vagina are treated with a solution of novocaine. Antibiotics are used to prevent the onset of endometritis and sepsis.

During pregnancy in the stall, the cow should be positioned so that the back is slightly raised. The passage in the stall should be narrow so that she cannot change position.

Conclusion

Prolapse of the uterus in a cow is a complex pathology during calving. As a rule, the prognosis is rather sad. This pathology is much easier to prevent than to cure. A healthy cow is the merit of a farmer.