Cow won't clear

Joe Schmo

Hi all,

A cow of mine calved about 6-7 days ago with twins. She hasn't cleared the afterbirth yet. There has been a bit of a smell from her as a result for the past 2 days.

How long should I give her before I call the vet?

Also, has anyone got any natural inducers to clear it? How long do these take to work?

Thanks a mill

Figerty

When should you call the vet? Around now would be about right. However, there is a good chance she has cleared and has eaten it, which wouldn't be too unusual.

One theory I heard is that cows do this instinctively to not leave a trace of a young calf to predators.. not a problem now, but instincts remain.

I have to laugh when I see the placenta munching brigade on television!! I don't know what kind of predators are around for babies these days!

Joe Schmo wrote: »

Hi all,

A cow of mine calved about 6-7 days ago with twins. She hasn't cleared the afterbirth yet. There has been a bit of a smell from her as a result for the past 2 days.

How long should I give her before I call the vet?

Also, has anyone got any natural inducers to clear it? How long do these take to work?

Thanks a mill

dar31

would want to be getting her looked at now, usually leave them no longer than a week before removing.
usually do ours myself, want a strong stomach for some.
vet charges a fortune for what is a very standard procedure

mossfort

Joe Schmo wrote: »

Hi all,

A cow of mine calved about 6-7 days ago with twins. She hasn't cleared the afterbirth yet. There has been a bit of a smell from her as a result for the past 2 days.

How long should I give her before I call the vet?

Also, has anyone got any natural inducers to clear it? How long do these take to work?

Thanks a mill

its time to call the vet now to get her washed out .
he will remove the afterbirth and wash her out using warm water. if she is left much longer she could get an infection. you should give her a shot of estrumate about 3 weeks after washing her out.

pajero12

dar31 wrote: »

would want to be getting her looked at now, usually leave them no longer than a week before removing.
usually do ours myself, want a strong stomach for some.
vet charges a fortune for what is a very standard procedure

How do you clear it?

mossfort

pajero12 wrote: »

How do you clear it?

put your hand in and pull it out and try not to get it all over your clothes, the smell sticks. advisable to wear oil skins.

pajero12

Did anyone ever lose a cow using this "method".The vet doesn't do that the put in a 50cc tube with a long pipe.The cleaning detaches on its own

mossfort

pajero12 wrote: »

Did anyone ever lose a cow using this "method".The vet doesn't do that the put in a 50cc tube with a long pipe.The cleaning detaches on its own

no the cleaning has to be removed by hand and the cow has to be washed out using the funnel and tube . you have to get your hand in there to remove the cleaning . there is a small chance of losing a cow but she might not come back in calf if she gets infected.

dar31

pajero12 wrote: »

How do you clear it?

as mossfort said get covered up, put on long gloves, and go in after it. it is very important that all the cleanings are removed. when pulling out the cleaning, pull it all in on go. DO NOT let it break, as there is a good chance it will go further back into the cow, past your reach, then your in trouble. if it all dose nt come in one pull we would loop a square baler twine on to it and give it a slight pull every milking. a day or two usually dose.
to wash out we have a very low pressure garden hose in the parlour that we insert after taking the cleanings, creating a channel with our hand, so as when the womb is full of water it can flow out along with all the gunk.
if the cow is sick or temp high we treat with antibiotics.
this is not for the weak stomacked. and definitly not for the inexperienced

Sam Kade

I used to tie a weight to the cleaning if it didn't come out after a few days. There would be less chance of the cleaning breaking as it is still fresh. Normally the cow would pass the cleaning 1-2 days after. It saves getting your hands dirty or calling the vet, it won't work every time though. Your cow is too far gone for that so you need to call the vet.

snowman707

I thought washing out cows with a funnell etc was finished for years, certainly I havnt done it in 12 years or more, thoery is that it make the cow too sore inside nad actually increases the chances of spreading infection, the womb needs to reduce as soon as possible, pumping water into it will not help this, any gunk will flow out naturally when the cow is lying down.

I usually check any retained cleaning after 5 to 6 days, put on 2 arm length gloves on your arm and use plenty of gel follow the cleaning as far as possible and grab it in your fist . it should come away easily . do not use any force if too intact try again two days later,

if the cow's temp is raised or she showing any signs of sickness she need to go on a course of pencillion

a shot of lutalyse 8 days after calving followed by another 21 to 24 days after calving only if the cow is passing any white discharge .

that's how we treat them and seems to work ok no doubt other will use waht works for them.

whelan1

i normally wait 5 days and then handle and put in a few pessaries if the cow handles very hot will also give a shot of pen/strep for a few days also if she hasnt dropped them the next day will give pessaries again.... and yes not for the weak stomached people

pajero12

mossfort wrote: »

no the cleaning has to be removed by hand and the cow has to be washed out using the funnel and tube . you have to get your hand in there to remove the cleaning . there is a small chance of losing a cow but she might not come back in calf if she gets infected.

Oh right.....Learn something new every day:o

whelan1

i wouldnt tie a weight on them or pull them too hard as you could damage the cow

bbam

We had a first time heifer who aborted at about 6-7 months. SHe was slow to clean but did in about 7 days, she then had a brownish discharge for a few days and I presumed she had a uterine infection, got a course of pen from the vet and she came clear about a week later.
Vet reckoned she may miss a cycle or two but would go in calf no bother otherwise..

We've administered minerals through the drinking water selenium, cobalt, copper and a bunch of others..
Cows are looking the better of it already and we're hoping for less problems from the remaining four we're watching to calve.

pakalasa

I wonder do pre-calving minerals have a lot to do with cows not cleaning right.
I've been feeding minerals sprinkled onto silage for the last few years. Cows have always cleaned within 2 hours or so. This year I started feeding barley/pulp nuts to stretch out the silage and I fed the minerals with this. One cow was too timid to fight her way at the troughs and I noticed that she was very slow to clean, took the most of 4 days or so.
Could be something in it!

whelan1

had a new lad start working for me before christmas and when the cows started keeping their cleanings and a few calved early i knew there was something wrong he swore they had been getting their minerals but not one bag had moved off the pile of bags as soon as they where back on minerals problem solved:rolleyes:

kfk

Low levels of iodine, selenium or vitamin E can cause retained placenta. Cattle supplemented with minerals during housing will have far fewer health problems.. Years ago, blood tests showed cows lacking in idione and selenium so these are added to the drinking water during the summer months now.

tismesoitis

tell us more about d selinium. we started calvin last august no bother all went greatbut the last 6 or 8 cows have been slow to clean. all calved easy and nothing has changed on the management end either. always put iodine in the water of the dry cows both winter and summer after we lost calves cos of iodine defeciency a few years back. thinking of getting bloods done to get to the bottom of it. only 5 left to calve now maybe mineral is,nt up to scratch what mineral do posters recomend. we use glanbias best

Sam Kade

whelan1 wrote: »

i wouldnt tie a weight on them or pull them too hard as you could damage the cow

I used to put a light weight that would slowly help the cow clear not a 6" concrete block. The cows always went back in calf after.

dar31

all cows get a top notch hi phos mineral with collated minerals.
as well as this all springers 2weeks pre calving get 5ml of 10% iodine on the flank ever week and a 6ml shot of vitesse selenium as well as a couple of high mag buckets in the feed through. unfortunall we are in a high molybdenum area which causes havoc with our minerals.
only started using the selenium shot last year, so far so good though

EAFC_rdfl

Sam Kade wrote: »

I used to put a light weight that would slowly help the cow clear not a 6" concrete block. The cows always went back in calf after.

we used to use a horse shoe

Melodeon

An oul' lad hereabouts used to talk about hanging an old boot on it to add a bit of weight.

At a week + by this stage, I'd be calling the vet.

pakalasa

I like the way some of ye say "Clear" and others, like myself down Clare way, say "Clean".

If she cleans ok, she should "come on the hunt" or "bulling" to ye Easteners.

jm99

Melodeon wrote: »

An oul' lad hereabouts used to talk about hanging an old boot on it to add a bit of weight.

At a week + by this stage, I'd be calling the vet.

Yep, herd the old man say that before

John_F

pakalasa wrote: »

I like the way some of ye say "Clear" and others, like myself down Clare way, say "Clean".

If she cleans ok, she should "come on the hunt" or "bulling" to ye Easteners.

or going to dairy in cork :pac:

Sam Kade

pakalasa wrote: »

I like the way some of ye say "Clear" and others, like myself down Clare way, say "Clean".

If she cleans ok, she should "come on the hunt" or "bulling" to ye Easteners.

We also say clear in Cork.
When I went to Athenry ag college I met a fella from the midlands that worked on the same farm that I worked on in Cork. He said the first day he was there the farmer told him to go down the yard and bring up the four prong pike, he had to ask the farmer what he meant as he never heard it called a four prong pike before.

Melodeon

Sam Kade wrote: »

We also say clear in Cork.
When I went to Athenry ag college I met a fella from the midlands that worked on the same farm that I worked on in Cork. He said the first day he was there the farmer told him to go down the yard and bring up the four prong pike, he had to ask the farmer what he meant as he never heard it called a four prong pike before.

Sprang.

whelan1

grape/gripe

dar31

sprong

dar31

clean/dirty