Cow twisted uterus- what causes it in your opinions ?

sonnybill

Never had one before .. No water bag came obviously ,cow went down , vet called, Did his best - c section - but revealed that calf had no chance of coming out and had put foot through uterus - calf was dead, cow euthanised .

Any experiences as to why uterus became twisted , 4th calver, never had a hand left to her before at calving? Or her mother or 3 sisters they just pop them out .

kevthegaff

Wildsurfer wrote:

After 8 weeks? Surely you would expect 100% in calf in 8 weeks. No reason not to have them all calved in 4/5 weeks if everything is done right.

Had bales in calving shed and cow near was sitting on one of the big squares, anyway she rolled off it and must of twisted it then. Sis untwisted it and calf made it. Moved bales following day

sonnybill

kevthegaff wrote: »

Had bales in calving shed and cow near was sitting on one of the big squares, anyway she rolled off it and must of twisted it then. Sis untwisted it and calf made it. Moved bales following day

Hi Kev, so you handled her and she rectified it herself or how did you know it was a twist

patsy_mccabe

Vet at The calving demo in Ennis recently said nobody really knows what causes it.

sonnybill

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Vet at The calving demo in Ennis recently said nobody really knows what causes it.

Hi patsy, I watched that. Never had it before, just wondering how kev or how I would know in future if I had a case again . I also torturing myself if I had moo call on her would it have picked up her signals and prompted c section sooner

cute geoge

It happened here last year ,the vet said the cow went into labour at some stage .he explained it was like the womb twisted and it needs to be spoted quickly or twist only gets worse

sonnybill

cute geoge wrote: »

It happened here last year ,the vet said the cow went into labour at some stage .he explained it was like the womb twisted and it needs to be spoted quickly or twist only gets worse

Did you lose both?

cute geoge

sonnybill wrote: »

Did you lose both?

Indeed after i getting up in the middle of the night two nights in a row ,i ended up calling vet as i knew something was a miss .

kevthegaff

sonnybill wrote:

Hi Kev, so you handled her and she rectified it herself or how did you know it was a twist

No sis is a vet, has a contraption for untwisted the calf which in turns the uterus

sonnybill

cute geoge wrote: »

Indeed after i getting up in the middle of the night two nights in a row ,i ended up calling vet as i knew something was a miss .

Sorry lad. Awful loss. I was away also but my family / friends / neighbours/ vet once called did their absolute best. Hard one to detect

sonnybill

kevthegaff wrote: »

No sis is a vet, has a contraption for untwisted the calf which in turns the uterus

Patent it! So she was unsettled / forcing and you handled her and couldn't get hand into her and called sister?

tismesoitis

Had 2 here last year only ever remember 1 before. We were lucky both cows and calves survived but 2 sections was the price we paid. Neither went back in calf either.

6480

tismesoitis wrote: »

Had 2 here last year only ever remember 1 before. We were lucky both cows and calves survived but 2 sections was the price we paid. Neither went back in calf either.

Had one here a few weeks ago on a Friday night, called vet ,he said it's a kinda of a premature labour he puts it all down to ( about 2-3 days early) he gave her 2 injection s to relax her ,he said she was OK as she hadn't started contractions and that she would be OK , I didn't have much belief in what he said any how kept a good eye on her and she calved on a Tuesday night by herself all OK

The man in red and black

sonnybill wrote: »

Patent it! So she was unsettled / forcing and you handled her and couldn't get hand into her and called sister?

Already patented:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gzxWdVe0I8


As for the cause. I have never had a twisted uterus that was not a bull calf. Almost exclusively very large bull calves. Size surely plays a role. Perhaps calf moving at the wrong moment at the cow lies down and he swings over. Same logic as rolling the cow to correct. Similar to the story above of the cow falling off of the bale!

oneten

kevthegaff wrote: »

No sis is a vet, has a contraption for untwisted the calf which in turns the uterus

How can she get to the calf through a twisted cervix ?

sonnybill

tismesoitis wrote: »

Had 2 here last year only ever remember 1 before. We were lucky both cows and calves survived but 2 sections was the price we paid. Neither went back in calf either.

I have them all out on mountain still and wondering may the steep inclines / rough terrain be a factor that's all.

patsy_mccabe

I wonder does the movement of the calf twist the womb and then the uterus.

Parishlad

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I wonder does the movement of the calf twist the womb and then the uterus.

Forgive me for asking maybe a stupid question...but what's the difference between the womb and uterus?

Had a cow last year with a twisted womb. I noticed that she looked to be trying to calve and getting absolutely nowhere so handled her and could not get anywhere. Called vet and between the two of us we managed to right the calf inside and managed to get calf out. Big bull calf....had to be jacked out but all was ok thankfully.

patsy_mccabe

Parishlad wrote: »

Forgive me for asking maybe a stupid question...but what's the difference between the womb and uterus?

.....

Same thing. Having one of those days. Just ignore me.:rolleyes:

Parishlad

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Same thing. Having one of those days. Just ignore me.:rolleyes:

Ah no worries Patsy....

greysides

Some of the ways a Twisted Uterus can present itself are:

1. A prolonged first stage of calving. Things aren't progressing in a proper time frame. The cow may be doing very little forcing as the calf isn't getting into the canal to stimulate it.

2. The cow seems to be going to calve, bagging up and pins down, then she stops, udder gets slack. Maybe a few days later some discharge, smell or cleanings showing prompt a check. Cow by now is sick, probably not eating.

3. Cow down, before calving, looks like a Milk Fever. Can't get up, cold, dull.


Number one is the most frequent. then number two, then number three, just going by my experience.

2 and 3 are generally euthanasia jobs.

Number one may be resolved manually (most cases), caesarian or rolling. With the first and last methods the cervix may be still partially closed and so it will take time to get it open. The calf has already been waiting to come out too long and if it's not already dead (placenta has disengaged from uterus- once the uterine contractions start it will only stay on for a finite amount of time) then once the twist is resolved and the fluid gushes from the uterus then the cleanings may fall off so the calf that's alive to start with is very likely (roughly 2 out of 3) to be born dead. A live calf is to be treasured with this problem.


If you put your arm into the sleeve of your coat you expect it to open in front of you like a smooth tube. Same as handling a normal cow. Now, if your sleeve is twisted, it's going to be tighter going in and you're going to feel folds corkscrewing away ahead of you. The sleeve itself may not be straight. This is what you find when you go to handle a cow with a twist. You may be able to get your fingers through the partially open cervix and feel the calf but your arm will most likely have to be contorted to do so. Time then to make a phone call.

sonnybill

greysides wrote: »

Some of the ways a Twisted Uterus can present itself are:

1. A prolonged first stage of calving. Things aren't progressing in a proper time frame. The cow may be doing very little forcing as the calf isn't getting into the canal to stimulate it.

2. The cow seems to be going to calve, bagging up and pins down, then she stops, udder gets slack. Maybe a few days later some discharge, smell or cleanings showing prompt a check. Cow by now is sick, probably not eating.

3. Cow down, before calving, looks like a Milk Fever. Can't get up, cold, dull.


Number one is the most frequent. then number two, then number three, just going by my experience.

2 and 3 are generally euthanasia jobs.

Number one may be resolved manually (most cases), caesarian or rolling. With the first and last methods the cervix may be still partially closed and so it will take time to get it open. The calf has already been waiting to come out too long and if it's not already dead (placenta has disengaged from uterus- once the uterine contractions start it will only stay on for a finite amount of time) then once the twist is resolved and the fluid gushes from the uterus then the cleanings may fall off so the calf that's alive to start with is very likely (roughly 2 out of 3) to be born dead. A live calf is to be treasured with this problem.


If you put your arm into the sleeve of your coat you expect it to open in front of you like a smooth tube. Same as handling a normal cow. Now, if your sleeve is twisted, it's going to be tighter going in and you're going to feel folds corkscrewing away ahead of you. The sleeve itself may not be straight. This is what you find when you go to handle a cow with a twist. You may be able to get your fingers through the partially open cervix and feel the calf but your arm will most likely have to be contorted to do so. Time then to make a phone call.

Tip top post , very informative

patsy_mccabe

Neighbour had a cow with a twisted uterus the other day. Cow was calving all day but no sign of water bag coming. I handled the cow but legs were way down and upside down. Could only feel head sometimes and it was off to the right. Managed to get ropes on 2 legs but after a small pull on ropes only, decided to get vet. Old enough cow with big hips and calf didnt seem that big.
Straight away vet said it was a twisted uterus. He then let cow out of gate with rope halter, straps on legs. We rolled the cow while he handled the calf. Never seen anything like it. Neither did any of the 5 lads there.
Calf turned out to be huge. Took a fierce jacking to get out. Got caught at the hips for a while but came eventually. Calf grand and cow up straight away. I thought the poor vet was going to faint. Fairly wrecked afterwards. Amazing to see.

K.G.

Would have one every year,you d nearly know by how shes acting before you d ever stick your hand in.had one this year and the calf jumped when the vet stuck his hand in and it just untwisted pure luck

orm0nd

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Neighbour had a cow with a twisted uterus the other day. Cow was calving all day but no sign of water bag coming. I handled the cow but legs were way down and upside down. Could only feel head sometimes and it was off to the right. Managed to get ropes on 2 legs but after a small pull on ropes only, decided to get vet. Old enough cow with big hips and calf didnt seem that big.
Straight away vet said it was a twisted uterus. He then let cow out of gate with rope halter, straps on legs. We rolled the cow while he handled the calf. Never seen anything like it. Neither did any of the 5 lads there.
Calf turned out to be huge. Took a fierce jacking to get out. Got caught at the hips for a while but came eventually. Calf grand and cow up straight away. I thought the poor vet was going to faint. Fairly wrecked afterwards. Amazing to see.

had 1 during year, vet had a device used for foaling mares, managed to get it untwisted & calf lined up , was a bit iffy if calf would come without tearing the uterus, vet left the call to me & I decided section

cow and calf all ok,

Injuryprone

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Neighbour had a cow with a twisted uterus the other day. Cow was calving all day but no sign of water bag coming. I handled the cow but legs were way down and upside down. Could only feel head sometimes and it was off to the right. Managed to get ropes on 2 legs but after a small pull on ropes only, decided to get vet. Old enough cow with big hips and calf didnt seem that big.
Straight away vet said it was a twisted uterus. He then let cow out of gate with rope halter, straps on legs. We rolled the cow while he handled the calf. Never seen anything like it. Neither did any of the 5 lads there.
Calf turned out to be huge. Took a fierce jacking to get out. Got caught at the hips for a while but came eventually. Calf grand and cow up straight away. I thought the poor vet was going to faint. Fairly wrecked afterwards. Amazing to see.

Did he not knock her out? Have had 2 in the past 3 weeks. Was put right both times with just 1 roll over by just myself and the vet. First one had twin poly bulls both the size of a normal single bull, both dead. Second one was an old, lame cow, normal sized poly heifer. Calf just about survived

patsy_mccabe

Injuryprone wrote: »

Did he not knock her out?.......

No. Maybe because cow was very quiet and plenty of help around.

annubis

unfortunately had my first one last week, vet got calf out ok with a bit of manipulation without having to roll her, thought it had worked out great but cow stopped eating afterwards and went downhill as week went on, they reckoned her guts were twisted as well and she died after unsuccessful surgery ..shame she was a great old cow