Most cows and heifers near calving progress normally through the three stages of labour: early labour, active labour with abdominal straining, and expulsion of the placenta after delivery of the calf.
Uterine contractions in early labour get the calf aimed toward the birth canal, the cervix dilates, and the calf starts through. The water sac and then the calf entering the birth canal stimulate abdominal straining and second-stage labour begins to push the calf out.
However, sometimes the calf does not start into the birth canal and the cow does not begin hard straining. You may think she is still in first-stage labour. If you don’t check her and intervene, there is a chance you’ll lose the calf (and perhaps even the cow, if the dead calf inside her is not removed). Knowing when to check a cow is crucial, but you have to be watching her to know how long she’s been in early labour.
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Bethany J. Funnell, a veterinarian and associate professor specializing in bovine reproduction at Purdue University, says it’s important to make sure the cow or heifer is actually in labour. She’s had clients who thought the cow was in labour because she was uncomfortable, had her tail up, and was kicking her belly. However, abdominal discomfort can be due to other things, or simply the fetus shifting position.
“The producer thinks the cow is in labour, gets her in and checks her, and she’s not dilated, and panics,” says Funnell. “So it’s important to make sure the cow is in labour and the signs you are seeing are not from some other cause of discomfort.”
Signs of progress
Funnell says if a mature cow is acting like she’s in labour, she should make progress every 15 minutes. A heifer should make progress every 30 minutes. Progress can be defined as starting to dilate or starting to move the fetus into the birth canal. These changes can be difficult to assess externally.
“You have to clean the cow, put on a sleeve and reach in to assess the situation, and repeat the procedure 30 minutes later. Then you have a better handle on whether progress is being made.”
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Funnell says another fairly clear indicator is observing the cow or heifer acting uncomfortable, seeing fluid expelled, or membranes hanging out.
“Within an hour of these signs, there should be feet showing. And in another hour the calf should be born. If the cow is not making that kind of progress, you need to intervene and assist,”
Seeing the calf’s feet appear makes it easier to determine progress, but when everything is still internal it can be difficult. You don’t know if the calf is presented correctly or might be breech, or some other problem with nothing entering the birth canal. The cow is restless and uncomfortable, but you are not sure she’s in labour. Yet these situations require early intervention, or you may lose the calf.
“The earlier you identify the problem and start to correct it, the more likely you will deliver a live calf,” Funnell says. “The longer you wait, the more fetal fluids are expelled. The uterus is contracting down and there is less room to work around the calf. Having a relaxed uterus that you can work in is helpful when correcting an abnormal situation.”
Call vet as needed
If a producer is experienced and feels comfortable correcting a malpresentation, this is the time to do it, says Funnell. For those who aren’t comfortable with intervening, an early call to the veterinarian is the best thing to maximize the chance for a live calf, and be able to assist the cow before things get really difficult.
Vets may use several tools in assisting a cow with a birth. “One is to give the cow an epidural injection to stop her from straining so she’s not pushing against you,” says Funnell. “We can also administer epinephrine to the cow to make the uterus relax. This makes it easier to correct a problem.
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“Always have obstetrical chains and handles available. An extra person also makes it easier to have an extra set of hands, to hold things and also give additional traction when you need it.”
If the cow or heifer is taking too long, and the calf’s feet are showing at the vulva, reach in to determine if all is normal. Is the head in proper position, for example. Don’t get in a hurry.
“I don’t start pulling on the feet right away because there is a lot of tissue that needs to dilate,” says Funnell. “Heifers, especially, have to dilate a lot, and if you start pulling too hard, too soon, you can cause significant damage.
“If everything is in position and feels normal, I spend time manually dilating her vulva and vagina. I put both arms into the vagina and keep pushing them apart to stretch the tissues. I use enough pressure that I can see the tissues are stretched, but not starting to tear.” Stretching these tissues will require quite a bit of force, but not excessive force.
While some veterinarians recommend a couple of minutes’ dilation, Funnell spends more time than that. “I don’t stop until I feel sure we can get the head through. It might take five or 10 minutes, but if I don’t work up a sweat I know I’m not working hard enough. It’s not so much the amount of force, but the duration.”
Manual dilation
Manual dilation involves stretching the tissues, holding that position for 20 seconds, then relaxing for a few seconds, and then stretching and holding again. “I change my arm positions so that I am getting maximum dilation every time I do this,” says Funnell. “In cases where the fetus is malpresented, by the time the position is corrected, the cow is sufficiently dilated because you’ve had your arms in there.”
Checking and helping the cow is an exercise in patience.
“Dilation is especially crucial with posterior presentation, with hind feet coming first. I spend time dilating, but as soon as I get the hocks through the vulva, it’s time to speed it up.”
Funnell says if the calf is in breech position, first bring the hind feet into the birth canal. With any of the manipulation procedures it is important to be very clean and careful to avoid injury to the cow.
“The cervix is fairly tough, and so is the vagina, but the uterus is not. You can put a calf’s foot through the uterus fairly easily.”
When bringing a foot around to get the leg into proper position, you have to be careful to not tear the uterus.
An important rule of thumb: If you get into the cow and find there’s a problem, set a timer. If you can’t get the problem corrected in 30 minutes, call your veterinarian. When you are concentrating on something like a calving problem, it’s easy to lose track of time and not realize how long you’ve been at it.
“When dealing with a malpresentation or a dystocia in general, every minute that the calf is stuck is more chance that it will be stillborn or die shortly after birth,” Funnell says. “Calves that undergo the stress of dystocia are four times more likely to die later.” You want intervention to place minimal amount of stress on the calf and the cow.
You don’t want to take too long trying to manipulate a malpresentation, and you also don’t want the calf too long in the birth canal. “Yet at the same time, don’t rush. Some producers get so excited and in a hurry that they end up causing more harm.”
Timing is important — not letting them go too long, but also understanding that progress should be made, and what that progress should be.
