• If you are having problems logging in please use the Contact Us in the lower right hand corner of the forum page for assistance.

C-Section and Abnormal Calf - WARNING Graphic

T

Triple_S

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Messages
46
Location
NC
Had to do a c-section on a cow yesterday. I've not got the pile of experience some of you have, so this was my first one. Vet and I both felt the calf and it was confusing to say the least. Besides the calf's intestines being outside its body, something didn't feel shaped right so we opted for a c-section. I'll try to keep the pics as clean as possible but the vet was all pumped up about this calf. He called it all kind of scientific names and said to take pictures cause we may not ever get to see another one like this again (I sure hope not)
DSC00068.jpg

Vet's tech doing the cutting
DSC00071.jpg

Vet up to his elbows
DSC00074.jpg

Four feet at once, this can't be good
DSC00092.jpg

Calf was completly deformed. His spine was short and did a 180 degree turn upwards, putting his rear right over his head. The odd part was it was all kinda fused together if that makes any sense.
DSC00085.jpg

uterus all sown (sewed?) back up
DSC00086.jpg

almost done
DSC00094.jpg

All finished up. Vet and his tech did an impressive job. He says there was no cause for it, just one of those things that happens.
 
If either parent is registered the calf needs to be reported to the appropiate breed association. Check on advantage.com about challenge calfs/defects discussions. Do you have more info on sire/dam or more pictures of calf?

http://www.advantagecattle.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=1
 
the cow is just a commercial cow. She ran with a few bulls during breeding season. 2 Balancers and 1 Angus. I have more pictures of the calf but thought them to be a little graphic for a forum. The vet knew what it was, I wish i could remember the scientic name he called it. Something Reflectus. Anyways, it wasn't a genetic problem or a nutritional problem (trust me I interrogated him on that) I'll let ya'll know if I hear anything else
 
schistosoma reflexus
http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/projects/repropath/Fetuses/calves/larger.htm#Shistosomus%20Reflexus1

Your vet did neat work.
 
If the vet diagnosed it then I will take her work for it. I am sorry for your loss. We did one c-section here and that will be the last one, cows will be beefed instead.
 
That is the most professional c-section I've ever seen done. Cow covered witha blue cloth, vet wearing a mask and the whole medical outfit. That cow got the 5 star hospital stay. She must be on the new Obama health care plan. lol
 
I remember we once had a calf something similar - two pairs of legs one behind the other right at the front, then the calf just kind of tailed off - there was very little behind the ribcage, a short length of spine and that was it. Our cow delivered it herself as it was probably premature. That was September 1986 I think - it was the year of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Russia anyway and we always suspected that might have been the cause. A large cloud of radiation passed across western Europe in April and contaminated a lot of land. The sheep on the hills that were predominantly granite had to be tested for radiation levels for a few years after that before sale as they were deemed dangerously high levels.
 
redrobin Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2010 7:20 am Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

schistosoma reflexus
Click to expand...

Thanks, thats a lot better than what I had.

brushpopper Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2010 10:31 am Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Who were the vets you used?
Click to expand...
I use Dr. "Skip" Severt. He brought his wife with him who is also a vet to assist him. I was amazed with their work. Both of them are relatively new vets having only been practicing for maybe 3 or 4 years since vet school. Looked like they had been doing it for 30 years. Extremely nice people and still have resonable rates. Thats hard to find around here since their are a lot of fancy horse people back towards Charlotte. Most of the vets cater to them and charge whatever they want to save the pet horse.
 
Yep-- back in the 70's/80's we had a couple of those like that...Called them inside out calves....I haven't seen another one til this one...
 
I had one a fews years back I was riding through the cows and i saw a red angusx coiw with a calf in front of her with a magpie on it. Wasn't too impressed with hermothrering ability till I saw what she'd had on her own. My vet said it about a one in 10,000 deal and not to worry much about it. They arepretty weird to look at.
 
Oldtimer said:
Yep-- back in the 70's/80's we had a couple of those like that...Called them inside out calves....I haven't seen another one til this one...
Click to expand...

I don't know the technical term for "inside out" calves but I think they are something different from the one pictured here. We had an inside out calf once and it was pretty gross - the whole body was there though not like in this case. Just it was zipped up the wrong way and had all the organs attached to the outside of the ribcage - and it was alive when we started to examine it :shock: It got a lethal injection then a C-Section.
 
if i posted picture from the other side you could see that the insides were outside. I lot of the intestines were pulled off during the c-section. from the other angle the calf had no skin and most of his digestive system was exposed. I'll post some more if you want but was being careful since I'm new to the site.
 
DSC00091.jpg

DSC00075.jpg

DSC00076.jpg


Most of that laying on the ground behind the calf is its own. The cow actually passed the placenta before the calf was removed. I didn't know that could even happen. I saw her pass the placenta but couldn't find a calf anywhere, thats why I went in to check her out in the first place.[/img]
 
OK, it still looks more like my calf with 4 legs at the front experience than the calf inside out experience. The inside out we had had 4 legs in the correct place and his body between was completely formed - just with the organs on the outside.
Looked like a tidy C-Section though and I hope the cow heals up good for you.
 
Oldtimer said:
Yep-- back in the 70's/80's we had a couple of those like that...Called them inside out calves....I haven't seen another one til this one...
Click to expand...

We have had two over the years 1 in the 1990's and 1 in 2003 and that's the same thing we called them "inside out calves". Both unassisted.
 
Dad had one a few years back. I think I remember at the time looking on the net and finding at least one cause for a SR calf is eating pig weed.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top