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Any answers to this calving question

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mtn_90

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Neighbors cow having a hard time calving. He tries to pull it, can't get it. Calls the vet, vet comes out, tries to pull the calf for a bit. Then the vet says, can't get the calf out this way, so put these pills up into her uterus to kill the calf and help it deteriorate faster so you can get the calf pulled out. Put pills in for 2 days.

This is a new one for me. Any here been advised by a vet to do this and if so, what was the reason for it? Seems to me if the calf was live (which neighbor says it was according to the vet), why not a c-section?
 
????? Is he a real vet????? I would think, also, a C-section would be in order to save the calf. Never heard of those pills, though.
 
That's why I thought it was strange...I know the vet and don't really think a lot of her "talents". She may be good at something, but I haven't seen it with cattle or horses, maybe mice and chickens? Sorry to be sarcastic.

But when the neighbor said that's what he was doing, I asked why he didn't call another vet and get another opinion...he didn't have an answer as to why, the moment I guess.

Well, he's minus a calf now and don't know how the momma will fair. I just thought the advise to kill the calf, rather than do the c-section, didn't ring quite true. Maybe the weather was too cold or she was missin her bed.... :?
 
We've got a vet thats lazy like this too. I spose its possible to have a calf that needs to be destroyed versus retrieved by C-section, but I sure haven't seen it in 25 years. Theres at least one good vet on the list here, and he may be able to reveal more.

Rod
 
I have never heard of anything like that, pulling dead rotten chunks of a calf out of a cow is a hell of a lot more work than a c section on a live calf.

We had one last year that we missed or she never showed any sign of calving, after awhile she fevered up and I checked her and couldn't pull the calf. So we hauled her to the vet and he couldn't pull it either, except for chunks. (we were all pukeing)
he said the best thing to do would be to haul her to the bone pile and put a bullet in her cause she was so infected that she wasn't gonna make it anyway.
 
Talked to him a bit ago, and he pulled the calf outta the momma and said he wanted to lose it all, smell and just a sick sick thing. He's going to have the cow tested to see if he can butcher her with those pills he had to use on her and if not, he'll send her down the road as soon as the vet clears it I guess.

I just think it was laziness on the vet's part, but then again, I wasn't there and am not a vet, but just seems like, as a vet, you'd try the c-section, especially when the guy suggests it, versus the kill and deteriorate thing with the pills that she had him do. At the time all this was happening, the calf was still alive according to the vet. :x
 
mnt 90: What are the name of the pills, never heard of such a thing. Just wondering if they got pills now that are suppose to help Vets pull calves that they can't get out. Why don't they invent a pill that helps cows calve with ever having to pull one or do a C- Section then I could get more sleep at night when calving . Maybe thats asking for to much. :roll:
 
MR: I agree with you on that. My other post gives me sentiments on this particular vet.

I don't know the name of the pills. I asked him what they were and he didn't know and he didn't remember what was marked on them. The vet got them outta the back of her truck, gave him however many he'd need for two doses, told him what to do, when to do it, then got in her truck and left. I'm sure when he gets the bill for them, he'll sure enough remember the name of them. If I find out, I'll let you know.
 
mtn_90 said:
Talked to him a bit ago, and he pulled the calf outta the momma and said he wanted to lose it all, smell and just a sick sick thing. He's going to have the cow tested to see if he can butcher her with those pills he had to use on her and if not, he'll send her down the road as soon as the vet clears it I guess.

I just think it was laziness on the vet's part, but then again, I wasn't there and am not a vet, but just seems like, as a vet, you'd try the c-section, especially when the guy suggests it, versus the kill and deteriorate thing with the pills that she had him do. At the time all this was happening, the calf was still alive according to the vet. :x

???Aren't veterinarians supposed to save lives???
 
Brush Popper said:
What are the name of the pills, never heard of such a thing.

Hell with the name of the pills. What's the name of that vet so nobody else gets stuck with her shoddy work? It might be good to post on here b/c it sounds like her practice probably won't survive very long wherever she is & it wouldn't be neighborly to not warn other folks in any territory that she might move to. :wink:
Phil
 
You guys went and reminded me of one of the worst things I have ever seen, smelled, yukkk. This cow was walking around, not really pushing or trying to have her calf, but she was up to something and in some pain. I got out of the truck and started walking her towards the calving barn to get her in and see what was wrong with her. Soon as I started walking behind her, you could smell this terrrrrrrrible smell, she would walk aways then push like she was having contractions, and out would come this smelly gas. Made you sick just walking behind her. Got her into the barn, put on sleeves, held my breath and stuck an arm in. What I felt was a calf, but it was huge and the head was so big that it would not fit into the birth canal so I knew there was no way that calf was coming out that hole. Thought to save the cow better get the vet out and bring it out the side. The vet was a younger woman with not alot of cow experience. When she got there, we were all feeling about half sick cause of the smell coming from that cow. She opened her up and we got this calf out that looked like a pot bellied pig, it was all full of gas, the skin was crinkling from the gas in it and it stunk so bad you had to run outside and get fresh air in between heaves. This is making me sick again and this was 15 years ago. when we started sewing up the cow, her uterine wall was so rotten from that dead calf that it would not hold a stitch, so we put her out of her misery, went home and tried to wash that smell off. let me write that again, TRIED to wash that smell off. Next day we drew straws to see who had to load up that pig calf and haul it away, I'll bet that cow still stinks. scuse me, I need some fresh air :!:
 
The vet was just being lazy is both mine and gregs opinion,Greg thinks the pills might have been an antibiotic,so when calf died cow wouldn't get infection??
 
Mrs.Greg:

I asked him when he first told me what the pills were for...he said "They're gonna kill the calf fast and then start the calf deteriorating fast so I can pull it out, in pieces or however it comes within the next few days."

So that's what he told me and I asked him twice. I also told him that didn't sound right to me. By the time we talked, he had already given the first dose of these pills to the cow so it was too late for another opinion and the calf was probably dead to boot.

Maybe he got it mixed up, I don't know. But after talking with him today, sounds like he won't be eating anything until he can get that smell off...he said he wanted to do nothing but heave when he started bringin that calf out. Mind you, this is only about 15 to 18 hours after the first dose of pills and after the vet said the calf was still alive.

Guess that's the reason for the question, I just don't know what these pills are and I'm not about to call this vet and ask...just don't think the conversation would go real well. I'm thinkin when he gets the bill, the name of these pills will be on it and then I'll have an answer for you. But for now, it sure doesn't sound like antibiotic pills to me??? :???:
 
No your prob right,Greg was talking as I was writing,he said he had been given an antibiotic to be inserted into uterus,but that was after the vet had pulled a calf.
 
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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