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retained placenta

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Hayguy

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had a cow give birth to twin's on Sat. evening,everything is fine other than she still hasn't cleaned, how are you all treating these situation's.
 
You can infuse her with oxytetracycline powder mixed with warm water . I use an old calf drenching bag and make sure you go under the retained placenta ,through the cervix. Give her a shot of antibiotics and a shot of prostaglandin . I think they make boluses as well that you can insert into the open cervix . Sorry it has been a really long time since I have had a retained placenta, but was fairly common to have at least 3 or 4 a year when we dairy farmed even though we had a very good mineral program. Some practice benign neglect as well, and have success with them cleaning on their own schedule and breeding back on time. I guess it is up to what you think is best for her . If it is rotting and she is stinky I would infuse her, but that is just me. Good luck :)
http://www.partners-in-reproduction.com/reproduction-cattle/therapy-retained-placenta.asp

I just had a Holstein have twins on Thurs. the bull was a breech (tail first) and the heifer was upside down. Thankfully I intervened early enough and both were saved and doing really well. Fortunately Apple Blossom cleaned up right away and had no complications .

Edit : here is another good link http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/forglvst/Dairy/dirm21.pdf
 
A shot of oxytet to prevent infection, and let nature do the rest usually works.
 
hayguy said:
had a cow give birth to twin's on Sat. evening,everything is fine other than she still hasn't cleaned, how are you all treating these situation's.

Just do what we do. Boil the bark of a roble tree for 20 minutes, let cool, and then provide that as the only water available after she's had a good salt lick. Two hours later she'll be clean as a whistle. :D
 
There is a product called Estrus that we get from Stockyards Veterinary Services in Edmonton.

5 cc at 72 hrs and most clean within a few hours. Those that don't recieve a second 5 cc 24 hrs later. We sometimes still infuse them with a light tea of Bridine solution and water with 20 cc of LA mixed in. Only inject them with antibiotics if the cow is a little dowly.

Estrumate at about 4 weeks will flush out anything left in there and get them cycling earlier.
 
thank-you all for your replies and advice. Whitewing,not sure where to find a roble tree on the bald a$$ed prairie but thanx anyway :wink: used 1ml of oxytocin an hour apart for 4hours at the vets instructionstill hasn'tcleaned so tommorow will try something different. Thank-you all again.
 
hayguy said:
thank-you all for your replies and advice. Whitewing,not sure where to find a roble tree on the bald not niceed prairie but thanx anyway :wink: used 1ml of oxytocin an hour apart for 4hours at the vets instructionstill hasn'tcleaned so tommorow will try something different. Thank-you all again.

It has been our experience that Oxytocin is not much use past 4 to 6 hours after calving. Any that we assist get 5cc immediately and all at once.
 
gcreekrch said:
hayguy said:
thank-you all for your replies and advice. Whitewing,not sure where to find a roble tree on the bald not niceed prairie but thanx anyway :wink: used 1ml of oxytocin an hour apart for 4hours at the vets instructionstill hasn'tcleaned so tommorow will try something different. Thank-you all again.

It has been our experience that Oxytocin is not much use past 4 to 6 hours after calving. Any that we assist get 5cc immediately and all at once.

I like the Oxytocin too. It has the added benefit of causing them to let their milk down right away as well.
 
Get two sticks about an inch in diameter and a couple feet in length. Cake your cows, and when the guilty girl is jammed between two other cows snarfing up cake, come in directly behind her. Put one stick between the placenta and her butt, and the other between the placenta and her tail. Squeeze the sticks together and twist, pulling out whatever part of the placenta that comes. You need to work fast before she is on to you. Usually you only get one chance to pull this off, so make the first attempt count. If you can't get the cow done in the cake row, you might have to take her to the corral and do it in a chute, but the same method works well. If you do have her captured, a shot of LA200 can't hurt.

This might sound a bit crude, but a veterinarian told me that it works as well if not better than any other method. It has the added benefit of not introducing germs from the outside going in, as can easily happen if you put a glove on and stick your arm in the cow.

Retained placentas are a prime example of "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." With proper nutrition and a good mineral program, retained placentas usually aren't a problem.
 
We have found on our ranch if the Selenium level in the mineral isn't high enough we will have trouble. Within days after providing a higher level the problem goes away. Going from 24 ppm to 60 ppm solved the problem.
 

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