Content
- 1 Physiology and pathology of the cattle uterus
- 2 Uterine prolapse - causes and pathogenesis
- 3 Possible complications of uterine prolapse in a cow
- 4 How does pathology manifest itself during calving, before and after it?
- 5 What to do if a cow has a prolapsed uterus
- 6 Proper preparation for calving and prevention of uterine prolapse
- 7 Conclusion
Uterine prolapse 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 cattle uterus
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 during any pathology. It consists of several layers - internal, external and intermediate. The length of the cervix reaches 12 cm, the body of the uterus is half as long. 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 prepares for the full development of the calf. After birth, the uterus of a healthy animal quickly recovers and returns to normal. But with illiterate obstetric care, some errors in the diet, and 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 common.
Inflammatory processes are divided depending on the affected layer. Endometritis is more often observed, myometritis and perimeter are less common.
Pathology can occur in both chronic and acute forms. Infection during childbirth, a large fetus, delayed placenta, and organ prolapse contribute to the development of the inflammatory process. 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 during post-term pregnancy or after abortion. The cow's body is very susceptible to infections with reduced immunity. This happens when the farmer does not provide the animal with high-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 clear the placenta in a timely manner. Over time, this causes endometritis.
Violation of the position of the cattle uterus - twisting, bending, volvulus
Uterine torsion in cows is the rotation of the pregnant uterus or horn around its axis by 180 degrees or more. The main causes of the pathology are fast, sudden movements of the animal, grazing on steep slopes, and long journeys to pastures. With this pathology, the cow shows anxiety, often has no appetite, rapid breathing and heartbeat. A 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.
If there is slight twisting, the uterus can be easily adjusted. In the case of complete twisting, as a rule, the fetus dies and the cow’s condition deteriorates sharply.
The bending 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 a cow, it is first rolled onto its side and then onto its back. This position of the cow allows the fetus to take the correct position.
Uterine volvulus in a cow is eliminated by turning the animal around the axis of the body. For a right-hand turn - to the right, for a left-hand turn - to the left. Sometimes you can untwist the uterus along with the fetus by inserting it into the cervix with your hand. 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 all kinds of complications.
Prolapse is characterized by bleeding, swelling, and excessive looseness of the organ. The color of the prolapsed uterus gradually darkens, the surface becomes 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 cervix is open, and this makes it easier for the organ to get out. The main cause of hair loss is sagging muscle fibers, which occurs for a number of reasons:
- improper care of the cow during pregnancy;
- lack of daily exercise of the animal;
- inadequate assistance during calving (quick removal of the calf);
- rapid labor;
- tilting of the floor, in which the body of the animal takes an incorrect position.
Uterine prolapse 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, and multiple pregnancies. Often, uterine prolapse in a cow is caused by hydrops of the membranes.
During the dry period, when the cow is overfed with succulent feed, she loses belching and chewing cud. Accordingly, this leads to stagnation of food in the rumen, excessive accumulation of feed and gases occurs, under the pressure of which there is a risk of calving with complications.
Another disease that affects calving is hypocalcemia. If improper feeding occurs during the dry period, the level of calcium in the cow's body decreases. This also provokes hair loss, as calcium affects the condition of the muscular system.
With dropsy (polyhydramnios), too much fluid forms in the placenta. This happens during multiple pregnancies.
Vaginal prolapse
Often in the second half of pregnancy, closer to calving, prolapse of the vagina beyond the vulva occurs.
The main causes of the pathology are relaxation of the ligaments that secure the genitals, increased intra-abdominal pressure, poor quality nutrition, age of the cow, and multiple births. With incomplete prolapse, part of the vaginal wall protrudes. The mucous membrane is swollen, bright pink. Initially, this manifests itself only in a supine position, but then the mucous membrane no longer retracts even in a standing position.
With complete prolapse of the vagina, a red mucous mass appears. The neck is partially visible, venous congestion develops very quickly, in which the mucous membranes turn blue and swell. They are easily injured and wounds appear. Forecasts for complete prolapse are questionable.
In case of vaginal prolapse, a solution of novocaine is injected into the epidural area. Then the vulva, perineum, and the base of the tail are carefully treated. The vulva is sutured and the cow is positioned with the cow's head tilted to relieve pressure in the pelvic area. After reduction and strengthening of the vagina, anesthesia is performed. Sutures are removed before calving begins.
Possible complications of uterine prolapse in a cow
If it is not possible to reset the prolapsed uterus for any reason, it should be amputated. More often, indications for amputation may be gangrene, ruptures, or 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 contamination. Next you need to apply a ligature. Swelling of the pathological uterus will not allow this to be done quickly, so you need to tighten it in several stages, with breaks of 5 minutes.As the fluid tightens, the fluid leaves the edematous tissues, and the thickness of the organ wall decreases significantly. After the ligature is finally secured at some distance from it, the uterus is cut off, the stump is cauterized and processed, and sutures are applied. The stump is then set into the vagina.
In the postoperative period, it is necessary to douche with a disinfectant solution that washes away the exudate. In the first days after surgery, the cow is given wet feed mixtures with the addition of laxative salts. After removal of the uterus, a cow may develop endometritis, metritis, parametritis, complicated by sepsis.
After the cow is restored, it is fattened and sent to slaughter.
How does pathology manifest itself during calving, before and after it?
Uterine prolapse during calving is characterized by a sharp increase in intra-abdominal pressure. The efforts become strong, and the uterus falls out along with the calf.
It happens that this pathology occurs after calving, but no later than 12 hours. The reasons for late shedding are the same: infections, improper walking or its complete absence, gross violations of feeding and care, lack of succulent feed in the feed rations, vitamin and mineral supplements, unqualified assistance at calving. It happens that loss occurs 2 days after calving. This is facilitated by an incompletely closed cervix.
Loss before calving is rare. Possible reasons are weakening of muscle tissue, too young or old age of the cow, infectious diseases, multiple births, early contractions.
In all cases, the pathology manifests itself in the same way: the uterus protrudes and turns outward.
What to do if a cow has a prolapsed uterus
There are clear instructions regarding this pathology.First of all, there is no need to leave the animal after calving, as 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 a cow has prolapsed, 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 his arrival you need to help the cow yourself. It is advisable to remove everything unnecessary around and try to place the animal’s 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 cauterize them with hydrogen peroxide to avoid infection. The cleanly washed uterus is placed on a sterile cloth. Then you can begin to realign the organ.
Reduction of the uterus - order and nuances of the procedure
After removing the placenta, you need to wash the cow's uterus with a 40% glucose solution to relieve swelling. Then a hand curled into a fist is inserted into the middle of the inverted part and the organ is pushed back into the body. This process is labor-intensive, and often the prolapsed uterus can weigh more than 15 kg. The procedure must be carried out by 2-3 specialists. After repositioning the organ inward, the mucous membrane is leveled so that it takes its place and smoothed by hand. Often you have to keep it inside for about 40 minutes.
To prevent the uterus from falling out again, it needs to 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 re-loss. Various modifications are known, but all have a serious drawback: the foreign body greatly irritates the vaginal mucosa. This increases the effort, sometimes leading to vaginal rupture. Many farmers use a football bladder inserted into the animal's vagina and inflated with air, but this method significantly impinges on the urethra. It happens that it is enough to suture the vulva, this gives the best result. To increase tone, a little cold disinfectant is poured into the cavity.
If foci of necrosis are noticed, the cow's organ should be amputated.
How to treat uterine prolapse in a cow before calving
If a cow's uterus comes out before calving, then you can try to save the calf if it has already formed by that moment. 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 the cow's lactation. To do this, each time she is undermilked a little, leaving the milk in the udder. Thus, they gradually move on to milking once a day, then every other day. So lactation stops, the animal’s body adjusts to prepare for calving.
During this period, the cow's diet should be reviewed. She is switched to hay, the amount of water she drinks is reduced, and a week before calving she is switched to forage.Stop grazing the animal and transfer the cow to a separate stall, prepared and disinfected in advance.
The first signs of calving include:
- sagging belly a few weeks before calving;
- the ligaments weaken on the sides of the tail;
- just before calving, the pelvic bones separate;
- the udder and genital slit swell;
- sulfur plug is released from the vagina.
During contractions, the cow becomes very nervous, especially if it is her first calving. She often gets up and lies down again, constantly looking back. During 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 lung loss after calving, it is extremely important to provide the animal with high-quality feed, vitamins and mineral supplements. It is necessary to carry out timely prevention of diseases during pregnancy and ensure regular walking of the animal.
During calving, proper obstetric care must be provided. If a possible prolapse is suspected, a bag of warm sand is placed on the lumbosacral region to reduce efforts, and the vaginal walls are treated with a solution of novocaine. Antibiotics are used to prevent the onset of endometritis and sepsis.
During pregnancy, the cow should be positioned in the stall with her hindquarters slightly elevated. The passage in the stall should be narrow so that she cannot change position.
Conclusion
Uterine prolapse 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 the farmer.
