Post by sarawill on Sept 10, 2019 15:36:22 GMT -5
My rescued orphan calf,DD, now 3 years, was supposed to calve on Aug 15. She was straining right around that time but not producing a calf. My knowledgable cow neighbours kept saying to wait and finally I did an internal and she was only 1 cm dilated. I have a great knowledgable neighbour and she checked as well a few days later with the same result as well maybe feeling a hoof from the outside of the uterus. Finally I called my vet to get him to look at her but he had had a sudden heart attack and died. It was many more days before I could find a vet to come to the farm and in the meantime her vagina was filled with fluid and blood and she seemed to be ill. When the vet finally came she had no experience with overdue cows and referred me to a clinic in another town. With the urgency of a dead calf and sepsis looming, a vet, not practicing, kindly came to help my cow and did a C-section and removed the dead calf. The uterus was twisted(1 in about 2000 births and the calf was breech(1 in 200).The calf was only dead for a few days and I started giving the cow antibiotics and attending to her suture and full udder. Fast forward 12 days and my poor cow is trying to rally but seems to still have infection somewhere as the fever is still there. Her uterus seems to have cleaned out and I am working on 1 quarter to get it loosened up a bit more but I am concerned that an area on her sutures is not knitting together. It is white and a bit puffy for about 6 inches. I have talked to the vet and he says there is not much else I can do. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with suture care and healing. Any ideas would be appreciated. Feeling very sad for my cow. I lost a beautiful ½ jersey heifer and won't be able to breed the cow again I am told. She was so good and stood for the surgery and didn't move a muscle though she was just under local anesthetic. It is almost unbearable right now to think of slaughtering her. I know many here will understand. Thanks ahead of time for your compassion.