Bovine Wellness
Cow-Calf Management
Providing Calving Assistance
- Productive unit of cow-calf enterprise is a healthy cow, healthy calf and the strong bond between them.
- Responsible calving management will enhance the success of your operation.
Difficult Calving (dystocia) defined as:
- Straining for 40 min. without progress
- 90 min. since water bag appeared
- Legs emerge with hooves pointing up
- Head or tail emerges first
- Un-calved cow mothering another calf
- Greater than 5-6 hours of anxiety (walking about, tail extended, looking for something)
Action indicated:
- Restrain cow and wash vulva
- Wash hands and lubricate arms with soap or wear OB gloves
- Investigate problem
Calves should be pulled if:
- Both front legs and nose OR both hind legs and tail can be guided into vagina
- Cover teeth and feet when manipulating them to prevent damage to uterus
- Gently push calf back to get room to work
- Do not push against contractions – work with cow, not against her.
Pulling a calf:
- Attach loops of soft nylon rope or chains around legs (hitch above and below fetlock joint)
- NEVER attach a loop to the lower jaw
- Pull back and down for a head-first calf
- Pull straight back for a tail-first calf
- Two strong people should be able to pull calf
- Calf jack must be used with caution
- Never use a vehicle to pull calf
- If you cannot position calf in 20 minutes or two people cannot pull calf then call veterinarian ASAP
Prolapsed uterus
Definition: uterus inside-out with “buttons” on surface
- Restrain cow
- Cover uterus with wet towel and place in plastic bag
- Tie-up dogs and pigs
- Call veterinarian ASAP
Retained placenta
Definition: fetal membranes not expelled after 24 hours
- Cow not sick (bright and eating/drinking) – monitor
- Cow is sick (depressed, not eating/drinking, +/- fever (>39.5°C)) – oxytetracycline LA 5cc/100 lbs. Repeat in 3 days
- Call veterinarian if no improvement in 24 hours
Colostrum (first milk)
- Necessary for calf’s survival
- 2 litres in first 6 hours of life; 4 litres in first 12 hours of life
- After 12 hours – too late!
- Diarrhea (scours), navel ill, joint ill, pneumonia, and septicemia usually associated with colostrum intake (too little, too late!)
- Milk cow and stomach tube calf if necessary (dystocia and/or weak calves within 6 hours)
Hypothermia protocol
- >37.8°C – normal
- 35°C – hypothermic; stomach tube warm colostrum and move cow-calf pair to warmer area (barn)
- <35°C – stomach tube warm colostrum and move to “hot box”
- <35°C – cold limbs and mouth, no suck reflex, unable to move limbs
Weak (“dummy”) calves (1-2 hours post calving)
- Usually due to difficult or prolonged calving resulting in lack of oxygen and acidosis
- >15 min. to get into sternal recumbency following birth; +/- yellow stained (meconium)
- Milk cow and stomach tube calf with 1-2 litres of colostrum
- If no improvement after 6 hours, may need fluid therapy to correct acid/base status – call veterinarian ASAP
Calf scours (diarrhea)
- Did calf get colostrum?!
- Diarrhea but bright, feeding and not depressed – monitor
- Diarrhea and slightly depressed – allow calf to nurse cow; stomach tube with 2 litres electrolytes (Calf-Lyte HE) 2X daily
- Diarrhea, dehydrated, and depressed – needs IV fluids; Trivetrin 3cc/100 lbs. IM (in neck) once daily for 3 days – call veterinarian
Navel infection
- Spray with tincture of iodine at birth
- Firm, swollen, and painful, +/- pus = navel ill
- Trivetrin 3cc/100 lbs. IM (neck) once daily for 3 days OR oxytetracycline LA 5cc/100 lbs. IM (neck) repeated in 3 days
- If calf depressed (sick) and hesitant to walk – Nuflor 3cc/100 lbs. IM (neck) repeated in 48 hours; supportive care (fluids)
- +/- surgery to remove infection
- May lead to joint ill – euthanasia if crippled
