Post by tassie on Mar 12, 2010 22:00:06 GMT -5
I've been meaning to post about this for a couple of weeks but didn't get around to it, but it's just happened again and I'm just completely stumped as to why.
OK, to start at the beginning.....just under 3 weeks ago I noticed that Giselle was in standing heat. This was disappointing because I thought she'd settled in November, and that was after missing settling to Kimpton last March/April. So she should have calved around Christmas but either lost the calf over winter or wasn't pregnant at all.
So I put her in with Dick Long and he immediately serviced her and I left them for a couple of hours then went to check on them. She was standing with her tail up, as if she was in labour and was obviously in pain. It looked like she was having contractions and she lay down every now and then, then got up and sniffed the ground and did the new-mother-moo. At this stage I thought she might be aborting and that her hormones were going a bit haywire so that she'd allowed the bull to mount her. But I couldn't find any evidence of miscarriage (there was no bloody discharge or even much mucus). She allowed the bull to mount her again a few hours later when the episode seemed to have settled down, and showed more signs of discomfort so I turned her out again to keep her away from him.
I noticed some blobs of discharge (very small) that might have been pus, but there was no odour at all. I thought she might have a uterine infection that caused her to have painful sex so I made an apponitment for the vet to look at her. He did an ultrasound and said everything looked OK and that there was no sign of infection. This was 2 days after she had the pain and she was back to her normal self. We decided to just keep an eye on her and see what happened when she was due for another heat.
Well, today I went outside to talk to the milkers and noticed that Marieke (who seemed to be coming into heat yesterday, according to the bull ) was doing EXACTLY the same thing that Giselle had done. She's walking around with her tail up, slightly hunched and at once stage gave out a long I'm-in-pain moo. She lies down with her head curled to her stomach and then gets up again. The bull is actively trying to mount her so I'm assuming that he has. When Marieke was in heat 3 weeks ago, she led him a merry dance and I NEVER EVER saw him actually mount her, so I don't think she let him.
Giselle and Marieke are almost full sisters, but Marieke has a 3 month-old calf and is a good weight, whilst Giselle is dry and fat (but she has been fat all her life, she's got the weirdest shape - like a fridge - and has had 4 calves).
I've seen the bull service 3 or 4 other cows and heifers and never seen this response. He's not called Dick Long for nothing - it seems to be always hanging out and I've never seen that before (although my experience is limited to about 6 bulls). It did cross my mind that he might be hurting them, but it's only these 2 cows that have suffered.
Could this be an anatomical thing? Does this bull just lack finesse (he's only 18 months old)? The vet did say that Giselle's uterus was quite low but he made no connection between that and the pain she had.
I hate seeing the girls in pain , even if it's only temporarily, and I'm sure this isn't normal.
Any ideas what's happening?? Anyone seen this before? I have some photos of Marieke but wanted to get this out before you all go to bed....might add them later.
Perplexed, Trina
OK, to start at the beginning.....just under 3 weeks ago I noticed that Giselle was in standing heat. This was disappointing because I thought she'd settled in November, and that was after missing settling to Kimpton last March/April. So she should have calved around Christmas but either lost the calf over winter or wasn't pregnant at all.
So I put her in with Dick Long and he immediately serviced her and I left them for a couple of hours then went to check on them. She was standing with her tail up, as if she was in labour and was obviously in pain. It looked like she was having contractions and she lay down every now and then, then got up and sniffed the ground and did the new-mother-moo. At this stage I thought she might be aborting and that her hormones were going a bit haywire so that she'd allowed the bull to mount her. But I couldn't find any evidence of miscarriage (there was no bloody discharge or even much mucus). She allowed the bull to mount her again a few hours later when the episode seemed to have settled down, and showed more signs of discomfort so I turned her out again to keep her away from him.
I noticed some blobs of discharge (very small) that might have been pus, but there was no odour at all. I thought she might have a uterine infection that caused her to have painful sex so I made an apponitment for the vet to look at her. He did an ultrasound and said everything looked OK and that there was no sign of infection. This was 2 days after she had the pain and she was back to her normal self. We decided to just keep an eye on her and see what happened when she was due for another heat.
Well, today I went outside to talk to the milkers and noticed that Marieke (who seemed to be coming into heat yesterday, according to the bull ) was doing EXACTLY the same thing that Giselle had done. She's walking around with her tail up, slightly hunched and at once stage gave out a long I'm-in-pain moo. She lies down with her head curled to her stomach and then gets up again. The bull is actively trying to mount her so I'm assuming that he has. When Marieke was in heat 3 weeks ago, she led him a merry dance and I NEVER EVER saw him actually mount her, so I don't think she let him.
Giselle and Marieke are almost full sisters, but Marieke has a 3 month-old calf and is a good weight, whilst Giselle is dry and fat (but she has been fat all her life, she's got the weirdest shape - like a fridge - and has had 4 calves).
I've seen the bull service 3 or 4 other cows and heifers and never seen this response. He's not called Dick Long for nothing - it seems to be always hanging out and I've never seen that before (although my experience is limited to about 6 bulls). It did cross my mind that he might be hurting them, but it's only these 2 cows that have suffered.
Could this be an anatomical thing? Does this bull just lack finesse (he's only 18 months old)? The vet did say that Giselle's uterus was quite low but he made no connection between that and the pain she had.
I hate seeing the girls in pain , even if it's only temporarily, and I'm sure this isn't normal.
Any ideas what's happening?? Anyone seen this before? I have some photos of Marieke but wanted to get this out before you all go to bed....might add them later.
Perplexed, Trina