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Any answers to this calving question

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Juan said:
Vet may have known the calf was dead and the cow infected.Would risk killing the cow to operate/pills may have been to help clear up infection in the uterus.
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Not doubting your positive outlook Juan but, I've never seen the uterine boluses put in before the calf was born.

After something like that...vet killing the calf in utero and letting it deteriorate...would that cow be worth anything later? Hamburg OR breeding stock.

I don't have a vet that will come out here. And even if I did convince the closest vet to come out, all would be over before he got here from his hour trip. Between me and hubby, if we can't fix it the .243 can.
 
Vets don't mind doing C- sections up here at $250-325 . But if it means a live calf and a cow that is not crippled its probibly worth it :!: We are very lucky to have several good vets in our area . Don't think the one you folks are talking about would get any bussiness around here.
 
A vet up here was having a tough calving-she told the rancher the calf was dead so she cut a leg off it to get it out-still couldn't so she did a c section and cut out a live calf minus one leg-then she gave it a shot to kill it and it came too on the way home. She had the audacity to bill him for the whole screw up.
 
If the calf stunk that bad I think it had been dead a while- more than 18 hours!!!

But still usually they will try to get them out- to give the cow a chance--if nothing else use an obstetrical wire and cut the head or leg or whatever is holding it up off and dig it out piece by piece......
 
I have never heard of killing the calf. Our vet would have done a c-section to save the calf or at least get it out of the cow even in the event he thought it was dead to try and save the cow so infection didn't kill her.





:???: Ok if the cow was smelling the calf was dead but in most cases the vets around here use the wire and cut it up and pull out pieces. I would think the pills put in cow were to fight infection.
 
Northern Rancher said:
A vet up here was having a tough calving-she told the rancher the calf was dead so she cut a leg off it to get it out-still couldn't so she did a c section and cut out a live calf minus one leg-then she gave it a shot to kill it and it came too on the way home. She had the audacity to bill him for the whole screw up.
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That's a sad story. :? :???:
 
Sounds to me like a couple of vets need their licences pulled. :x :x

If there is any chance at all, that the calf is alive, it needs a c-section. If the vet won't do it, send him down the road, load up the cow, and haul her to another vet if necessary.

If the calf is so obviously dead it stinks, then it needs to come out in pieces. It can be done, but it's a dirty job. To leave it in there is inexcusable. That just puts the cow at risk.

If you don't like what the vet is planning to do, and you think they are making a mistake, STOP THEM. It's your cow, it's your money, and you don't have to accept nonsense like this.
 
As a side note, the College Of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon takes it very seriously when a complaint is lodged. I didn't even file an official complaint, just made an offhand comment (while calling about something unrelated) that our local vet was terrible, and they called him to let him know that someone had lodged a complaint, and that any further complaints would warrant investigation. I was really surprised.

Rod
 
Oldtimer said:
If the calf stunk that bad I think it had been dead a while- more than 18 hours!!!

But still usually they will try to get them out- to give the cow a chance--if nothing else use an obstetrical wire and cut the head or leg or whatever is holding it up off and dig it out piece by piece......
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That's precisely what I was thinking--Why didn't they cut him up and clean her out?

Or-- has anyone seen the goo?

When we were still in SD, the lesser half got a call from the guy that ran the other end of the ranch to come help with the hard pull. '

By the time we got over there, he'd decided this was going to be a C-section because the calf was hiplocked and had called the vet.
The vet said he liked to try this goo first, before cutting her open.
It was basically a big tube of KY jelly that he stuck in her uterus, pumped her full and the calf literally slid out.
Leighten is an experienced cattleman and had been working on that pull for over an hour, so we were all amazed at how easily that calf just squirted out. lol
 
Oldtimer said:
If the calf stunk that bad I think it had been dead a while- more than 18 hours!!!

But still usually they will try to get them out- to give the cow a chance--if nothing else use an obstetrical wire and cut the head or leg or whatever is holding it up off and dig it out piece by piece......
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The obstertrical wire should only be used if the calf is dead. Otherwise in my book you are no different than the vet.
 
Oldtimer said:
If the calf stunk that bad I think it had been dead a while- more than 18 hours!!!

But still usually they will try to get them out- to give the cow a chance--if nothing else use an obstetrical wire and cut the head or leg or whatever is holding it up off and dig it out piece by piece......
Click to expand...

I'm only passing along what was told to me. The vet said the calf was still alive when she gave him those pills to kill it and begin a fast deterioration the calf so it would come out -- one way or the other. I intend to find out the name of those pills and look it up. My curiousity has been peaked since he told me this and my disrespect for this vet has been refueled. :mad:
 
About 15 years ago a couple of neighbors decided to create a new breed "Simbras" - - - One of the two was a great person and knew his stuff but it seems they were doing C sections on about 30% of the cows - - - I got several calls to help and did not mind but I felt if they were having this much trouble the breed could not survive.

I have not heard of them for quite a while and the team broke up - - - one of them did several years in jail - - - in raising money to develop the breed he created fictious cattle. On the books he showed 3,500 cows but there were really about 300. If memory serves me right one of the investors was the Govenor of Colorado and when he was doing an inspection he was wise enough to see he was being shown the same cattle several times.
 

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