The cow ate the afterbirth: signs and treatment, possible consequences

Most species of domestic animals have an instinct to eat the placenta, which emerges from the birth canal after the birth of offspring. If after calving the farmer does not find the placenta, and the animal has signs of gastroenteritis, tympany, diarrhea with dark-colored feces, this allows us to conclude that the cow ate the afterbirth. If this does not pose a danger for dogs, cats, and rabbits, then in horses and cows, eating the placenta can provoke disturbances in the intestines and even lead to even more tragic consequences.

Cow with calf after calving

Signs of eating the placenta

What happens if a domestic cow eats its afterbirth after giving birth?
Normally, the placenta is expelled from the body 8 hours after the calves are born. If the farmer does not see the placenta, a delay occurs; such problems do not occur often. The first few hours after calving, it is impossible to determine the condition of the animal; veterinarians conduct an examination, palpate the vagina, and if found, the remains are removed. If you can't feel anything, the secretions have been eaten. If it is not possible to reach an agreement with veterinarians, you will have to monitor the heifer and her behavior for a long time.

Signs of detention:

• The horned one arches her back.
• The tail rises.
• Tries to strain and makes loud noises.

She tries to push unnecessary flesh out of herself.

Secondary symptoms:

• Gas formation increases.
• Diarrhea.
• Poor appetite.
• There are pieces of flesh in the stool.
• High fever in rare cases.

If more than 8-10 hours have passed after calving, and the placenta is not found near the cow, two scenarios are suggested:

1. The placenta did not come out.
2. Was eaten.

In the first hours after birth, it is impossible to know for sure whether the cow has eaten her afterbirth or whether it continues to be in the birth canal. A veterinarian will help you figure this out. He should be called in as soon as possible to examine the cow. During examination of the vagina and palpation of the uterus, he will make a conclusion whether the placenta is found inside. If yes, measures will be taken to remove it. If the placenta is not in the birth canal, it means the cow ate it.

Examination of a cow by a veterinarian

If it is not possible to invite a veterinary service worker in the near future, you should observe the cow. Conclusions can be drawn based on the behavior of the cow. The following signs will indicate the retention of the placenta:

1. The cow arches its back.
2. Raises his tail.
3. He pushes and groans.

Attention! When the placenta is inside, the cow tries to push it out. If there are no such symptoms, and the animal behaves adequately, there is a high probability that it was eaten

Secondary signs of eating the placenta include:

1. Increased gas production in an animal is called tympany.
2. Diarrhea.
3. Lack of appetite.
4. The feces become dark in color and fragments of the placenta are found in it.
5. Sometimes body temperature rises.

Reference. If during the first 2-3 days after eating the placenta the cow does not experience colic or swelling of the rumen, there is no cause for concern. Within a week, the afterbirth will be released with feces.

Causes

Eating baby's place by women in labor indicates metabolic disorders associated with poor nutrition. It does not harm carnivores or rabbits, but can cause illness in ruminants and mares. The phenomenon is observed in cows living in their own backyard, or on farms where housing and feeding parameters are violated. A woman in labor can swallow both a timely expelled placenta and one that is delayed for 12–15 hours.

The owner of a cow recognizes the eating of the placenta by its absence at the calving site, in the case of a normal separation. If the placenta is found in the birth canal on the second day, this indicates its retention, which is also regarded as a pathology.

Signs that should alert you

If you did not keep an eye on the animal and the cow ate her afterbirth after giving birth to her calf, you will quickly realize that complications have arisen.

Cows that eat the placenta may simply suffer from diarrhea for 7-10 days. Within 20-21 days, her milk is not suitable for food; it becomes bitter. This is the best case scenario. But what happens if it's bad?

A cow is a ruminant animal; its stomach consists of several sections. The microorganisms that inhabit them cannot cope with processing the placenta. The afterbirth eaten will cause rumen tympany (swelling), a general digestive disorder. The sick individual begins to breathe frequently, tachycardia occurs, and body temperature rises. The stool becomes dark and has a strong smell of rot. You can see particles of afterbirth in them. When such signs appear, treatment should be started.

It is worth keeping in mind that the placenta does not always pass immediately after the calf is born. A delay of 10-12 hours is normal for cows. To prevent her from eating the placenta, you need to monitor the animal all this time.

Methods of inpatient treatment of cattle for poisoning

After the threat to life has been removed, the cow needs rehabilitation therapy. Having relieved the acute condition, the veterinarian prescribes treatment aimed at normalizing the functioning of the affected organs. A set of measures in each specific case is selected taking into account the exact cause of poisoning. However, a number of general recommendations have been developed in veterinary medicine:

1. The sick individual must be provided with complete rest.
2. The cow should not be fed for the first 2 days. You can only give plenty of water and mild laxatives, such as tannin, Glauber's salt or castor oil.
3. On day 3, the cow can be fed liquid food (mash made from flour or finely ground oatmeal). Food is given in small portions and the body’s reaction is monitored.
4. The return to a normal diet should occur gradually. You can introduce no more than one new product per day.
5. During the entire recovery period, the cow needs to be given sorbents that bind toxins and remove them from the body.
6. To normalize digestion, it is useful to include pre- and probiotics in the animal’s diet.

Why is eating afterbirth harmful?

Although many cattle have this instinct to eat the placenta (placentophagy), some farm animals should not be allowed to do this. So, problems can arise in such pets as:

• horse;
• sheep;
• goat;
• cow.

The fact is that they are herbivores; the digestive system of these animals is not designed for them to eat meat. Also, the desire to eat the afterbirth indicates a violation of vitamin and mineral metabolism in the cow’s body, and is not explained only by natural instinct.

There is an opinion: the placenta that leaves after calving contains a lot of nutrients and hormones. They help the uterus contract after childbirth to its normal size. However, the cow will return to normal without this, and good nutrition and good postpartum care will help the body recover. Good food will compensate for any lack of vitamins and microelements. Therefore, there is no need to risk the health of the animal.

If, after calving, the cow still eats the placenta, you need to carefully observe for 3-4 days. If suspicious symptoms appear, treatment cannot be avoided.

Preventive measures

To prevent cows from eating the placenta, it must be removed immediately after separation and pregnant animals must be properly fed for good metabolism.

Approximately 4 weeks before calving, a pregnant cow is switched to a low-nutrient menu of cereal hay. 3-1 week before calving, concentrates are added to the feed mixture, and the diet is adjusted daily. The veterinarian takes part in creating a menu for the animal, taking into account weight gain, age, and health status. Obesity is just as harmful as nutritional deficiencies.

Important! During calving, a constant vigil is usually organized to assist the animals. The cow should be given a bucket of salted water with 0.5 kg of bran.

After calving, the cow needs increased attention. If in the last weeks before the birth of the calf the animal’s nutrition was balanced and sufficient, then there will be no desire to eat the afterbirth. With good care, the health of pregnant cows is constantly monitored by a veterinarian. After calving, the cows, having received sufficient nutrition and rest, quickly recover. A good owner knows that placentophagy is easier to prevent than to treat.

Prevention of poisoning in cows

There are a number of preventative measures that should be followed to avoid cow toxicity. For example:

• Do not release them onto pastures after a drought due to the fact that harmful substances accumulate in some plants.
• After the cows return from the pasture, all the grass behind them is mowed. The fact is that they do not touch poisonous plants, so they must be removed immediately.
• Cows should not be released to graze when poisonous plants, such as buttercups, appear.
• Before feeding the animal, you must carefully inspect the hay for the presence of poisonous herbs and mold.
• You should not eat herbs that have been treated with various nitrates. The fact is that these substances accumulate in them and have a negative effect on all systems of cattle.

Cow poisoning is a very serious occurrence for any farmer or ordinary person keeping this animal. Therefore, you should definitely know what symptoms indicate intoxication and what needs to be done to help the injured animal. In addition, it is worth taking preventive measures.

To prevent intoxication of the body, you must adhere to several rules:

1. Make sure that no poisonous herbs or acorns get into the pasture or the cattle feeder. Herbs that are dangerous for cows include: alfalfa, lupine, hemlock, fern, sudanese, ragwort, buttercup, henbane, horsetail, etc. The ingestion of ragwort is especially dangerous - in 100% of cases it causes the death of the animal.
2. Make sure that the food does not include potatoes with green colored skins and sprouts - this indicates that they have been in the sun for a long time and already contain solanine.
3. Make sure that the animal’s food includes grasses that have been cut in environmentally friendly areas, for the treatment of which no chemicals are used.
4. Before taking livestock to graze on a meadow, it is necessary to inspect it for the growth of poisonous herbs. If there are any, mow them, plow and lime the soil, and then plant good herbs on it.
5. Carefully inspect the hay before placing it in the feeder. Avoid feeding cattle with hay that has not been stored properly - in conditions of high humidity and poor air ventilation.
6. Do not give animals more than 10–12 kg of beets per day.
7. Do not feed animals more than 100 g of salt per day.

Thus, cows that eat pasture are often diagnosed with poisoning with various herbs and root crops, as well as chemicals.

Did you know? The record live weight of a bull was recorded in 1847 in France. It amounted to 1934 kg.

To prevent them, it is necessary to strictly monitor the quality of the feed that ends up in the animal’s feeder, as well as the condition of the area where the animals graze.

Cow eats soil

It all depends on the amount of soil eaten and the drinking regime. Right now I have a cow that regularly eats little by little soil, regardless of physiological stages, throughout her life.

It was not possible to establish a relationship between the cow's needs and her consumption of soil. Monitoring her condition did not reveal any negative impact on her well-being. Eating is uniform throughout the entire time and moderate in quantity.

There are no other symptoms of perverted appetite, so I don’t take any measures to wean or prohibit it. The cows have water all the time.

Important(!): It is always necessary to check the cleanliness of succulent feed so that there is no dirt, soil or sand. The cow already takes over some amount of land in the pasture; there is no need to further increase the load on the gastrointestinal tract.

What is afterbirth and what does it look like?

When a cow gives birth to a calf, calving ends with the process of separating the membranes that contained the fetus in the mother's womb. These membranes are called the afterbirth, or placenta, an organ that develops during the cow's pregnancy. It is through the placenta that the organisms of mother and fetus are connected. The membrane also protects and nourishes the baby growing and developing in the mother's belly.

If calving proceeds without disturbances, the cow’s uterus gets rid of the “baby place” within a short period of time after birth. The afterbirth separates from the uterine walls and comes out.

The afterbirth has the appearance of a dense sac, dotted with a blood vascular system. The color of the placenta is gray with uneven contours, since there are venous nodes on the membrane.

If the placental tissue does not separate from the uterus at the right time, retention occurs and the cow may suffer greatly. Pathogenic microflora can develop in the uterus. A cow can get sick with endometriosis and be intoxicated. In severe cases, sepsis develops; with complications and untimely measures, death is possible.

Layover after calving

If the rules for keeping a pregnant cow during the dry period are not followed, stagnation often occurs. Normally, the animal should stand up after calving within 2 hours. The first milking and feeding of the calf are carried out. There are situations when a cow cannot stand on her feet immediately or a few days after calving. The reasons are the same as for pathologies that develop during the dry period:

1. paresis due to lack of calcium or sugar; with an excess of protein feed;
2. excess of mineral salts, trophic changes in nerve fibers;
3. lack of exercise, weakness of the muscles of the limbs.

During difficult calvings, if the fetus exits the birth canal incorrectly and the calf is overweight, injuries can occur. There is a stretch of the gluteal or hip muscles, a dislocation or fracture of the pelvic joint.

After therapy, the cow’s condition returns to normal within 2-4 hours. Air blowing into the udder is effective: it is injected into all 4 lobes of the mammary gland. The air is released to a certain state of the mammary gland; When tapping on the udder, a dull sound should be noted. The nipple is lightly tied with a bandage to prevent air from escaping; wait 30 minutes, perform a light massage. After half an hour, the bandage is untied. The procedure can be repeated up to 3 times.

If after calving the animal felt well, the deterioration of the condition began 4-7 days after the birth of the calf, then this may be due to improper nutrition, both during the dry period and immediately after calving. A cow that has fallen is given the same treatment as for complications in other cases. Treatment is complex: air injection, massage, medications.

Laying down can happen if the cow survives 8-9 calvings. This is due to laxity of the muscles of the pelvis and hind limbs.

Lack of minerals most often affects animals with high milk production, which was recorded before the dry period. Experts warn that feeding pregnant cows must be balanced in terms of protein, sugar and microelements.

Signs of retained placenta

The retention of the placenta can be complete or partial. With complete retention, a cord hangs from the vagina, in the form of a bloody sac, which can reach the hock joint. It is lumpy and riddled with blood vessels. The visible part of the afterbirth is red-gray. With an incomplete delay, not the entire placenta is visible, but part of it, with tissue remnants. Most of it is in the birth canal. The placenta has not fully come out. There are no blood vessels in it. It is grey-white in color. In this case, the farmsteaders say that the cow did not cleanse itself after calving.

The animal's condition changes:

• if the retention of the placenta in cows is short, up to 6 hours, then the body temperature of the animals is normal; inflammatory processes do not develop; there are no symptoms of the disease;
• the cow is straining, hunching her back;
• behaves restlessly;
• there is a lack of appetite;
• the animal tries to lie down more.

If the cow is not cleansed after calving and treatment does not bring results, then inflammatory processes begin to develop in the genitals, uterus, and vagina. The placenta must be removed in time. Otherwise, the process of rotting will begin, which is accompanied by the production of toxins. Sepsis may develop.

• On day 4, the cow experiences copious vaginal discharge with blood, pus, and grains of tissue.
• The discharge has a putrid odor. The animal's condition changes.
• Body temperature rises.
• Appetite decreases sharply.
• The heart rate increases and shortness of breath occurs.
• The cow cannot get to her feet and tries to lie down more; muscle tone decreases.

If a cow’s placenta does not come off completely, then inflammatory processes develop faster, especially in the summer. The hanging placenta attracts flies, which lay larvae on it. The cow lies down, dirt, hay, and particles of manure are deposited on the placenta.

These factors provoke inflammatory processes in the uterus and vagina. In some cases, the cow can cleanse itself; after prolonged pushing, the placenta comes off. Most often they resort to the help of a veterinarian who prescribes treatment.

Postpartum care

Proper care of a cow after calving:

• immediately after birth, her bedding is changed;
• wash the birth canal with warm soapy water;
• 40 minutes after calving, the animal is given lightly salted water to drink to quench its thirst.

If an animal begins to bleed, it is necessary to provide prompt assistance. To induce uterine contractions, the back of the body is rubbed with a bunch of hay. This will stop the bleeding and facilitate the rapid release of the placenta. Cleaning the birth canal after calving is carried out using warm water.

Proper care of an animal after the birth of a calf involves providing good living conditions - the animal needs a warm room where there are no drafts. In the morning and evening, the procedure of washing the vulva is carried out. For washing, use a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Wash until bleeding stops.

After the first and second milking, the udder is thoroughly washed with warm water and soap, then wiped dry with a towel. To restore all body functions, the animal is given a special drink, Energetik, which contains prebiotics, probiotics, vitamins, minerals and polysaccharides. If the animal is not taken care of, there is a risk of developing many diseases.

Treatment of the consequences of placentophagy

The day after calving, high-quality hay is consumed; veterinarians advise organizing a starvation diet for 1 day. They are injected with anti-fermentation substances; in the absence of chewing gum, ruminators or hellebore decoction are administered. Laxatives are given on the recommendation of specialists to free the gastrointestinal tract from pathogenic substances. Antibiotics are used if the condition does not improve after 3 days.

Calving in a cow is a normal and at the same time complex physiological process. It occurs inside the body under the influence of a large number of reasons and includes the expulsion of the fetus, placenta and amniotic fluid. Many farmers are concerned about the fact that often after calving the animal can eat its own placenta. Today we will tell you what to do if a cow ate the afterbirth after the calf was born.

Can other animals besides the cow eat the afterbirth? All domestic and farm animals received this instinct from nature. But if this phenomenon in dogs, pigs, rabbits is not dangerous to health, then for cows, goats, mares, sheep it can be fraught with the development of severe gastrointestinal diseases. This phenomenon is called placentophagy; it is based on a violation of the metabolism of vitamins and minerals.

The animal exhibits signs of gastroenteritis, disruption of the digestive organs, increased breathing and heart rate in ruminants, and colic in mares. Some individuals have dark stool with an unpleasant odor, while others have a rise in body temperature.

How quickly does a negative consequence occur after eating, and why is it dangerous for cows? If colic or tympany does not occur within a few days, then over the course of 8–10 days the placenta will begin to come out in parts during bowel movements. Sometimes when cows inhale forcefully, they pull it into the trachea. Then death as a result of asphyxia is inevitable.

Plancetophagy

Plancetophagy is the eating of the placenta by animals. This is considered normal in some animal species. A dog, cat, or pig eating the placenta does not experience any health problems. Rather, on the contrary, their body is replenished with minerals, vitamins and protein. Hormones found in the placenta help increase lactation. If a cow eats the afterbirth, what will happen to it?

Horses, goats and cows eating afterbirth can have serious consequences. Their stomach is not suitable for food that is of animal origin. The cow's rumen microflora may not be able to cope with its breakdown. The connective tissue remains in the scar for a long time, after which it begins to rot. Keepers should be concerned if they don't find the placenta in the stall. How does the animal's health change?

• Cows develop tympany.
• Breathing and pulse quicken, body temperature rises.
• Pieces of the eaten placenta are excreted in the stool. The feces have a putrid odor and are black in color.
• The consistency of stool changes. Eating the placenta often causes profuse diarrhea, which does not stop if the animal is not helped. Diarrhea is accompanied by the release of large amounts of water and foam.

An exacerbation occurs in the first 2-3 days after the cow has eaten its afterbirth. If no changes in the animal’s health occur, this means that the body is gradually coping with the breakdown of the connective tissue of the placenta. Small particles of it will be observed in the feces. It completely leaves the animal’s body after 2 weeks.

After calving, it is better to immediately remove the placenta from the stall. If the placenta is retained, the cow's health must be constantly monitored. She can pull it out of her vagina with her teeth and eat it. The danger is that when chewing, connective tissue may accidentally enter the trachea. The cow will begin to choke.

If a cow ate the afterbirth, this means that her body lacks minerals. The feeding regime during the dry period was not maintained. During calving, the animal loses a lot of energy, which must be replenished. Placentophagy may mean that the cow is hungry. Immediately after the calf is born, after she has licked it, she is given warm salted water and soft hay.

In a private farmstead with a small herd of cattle, you can easily identify cows that have eaten the placenta by their symptoms. In large livestock farms it is impossible to keep track of all the animals. If complications arise with calving cows, they are most often culled. If they are not of particular value.

Diagnostics

During this procedure, the specialist puts on a special long sterile glove and inserts his hand through the vagina into the uterus. Next, internal palpation is carried out to determine the degree of attachment of the placenta and the possibility of its removal. The procedure is performed under anesthesia with novocaine, which is administered epidurally.

If there is a partial retention of the placenta, then the separated part is examined and it is used to determine how much of it remains in the animal’s body. For such an examination, the placenta is laid out on plywood or a table and its vascular network is examined. If it is circular and closed, and where the rupture through which the calf came out, all the edges match, there is no need to worry, since this means that all the membranes have come off and will not decompose in the uterus.

The effect of this treatment can be observed within 10 minutes after subcutaneous administration. The duration of action of the medicine is up to 6 hours. Under its influence, the contractile activity of the uterus is activated in the direction from the horns to the vagina, which is why the expulsion of the placenta in the cow is most easy. If the animal is not very sensitive to the drug, its dosage is either increased or its administration is repeated after 6 hours. This gives a second impetus to the muscle contractions of the uterus.

Estradiol dipropionate is also used in treatment, a drug that is administered intramuscularly to directly stimulate the separation of the placenta. It goes well with the first drug that activates the contractile activity of the uterus.

Intravenous infusions of glucose with calcium chloride help cleanse the uterus. 300 ml of glucose and 100 ml of calcium chloride are administered at a time. If proper stimulation does not occur, repeated infusion is indicated. In parallel with this, to prevent blood poisoning, antibacterial drugs are introduced into the uterine cavity, which will slow down the process of rotting and decomposition of the placenta.

When there is fusion of the placenta with the uterine wall, to quickly eliminate the problem, inject a solution prepared from 20 g of pepsin and 15 ml of hydrochloric acid, diluted in 300 ml of water for injection or distilled water.

If the umbilical cord is not completely separated, you can try to speed up the process by injecting 2 liters of hypertonic sodium chloride solution, previously well cooled, into the umbilical vein on the umbilical cord. Once the product is injected, the umbilical cord is tied to prevent it from leaking out.

The remaining placental villi are removed by infusing 4 liters of a 10% solution of table salt or 25% magnesium sulfate into the uterus.

What veterinarians usually use to start the forestomach

The treatment below is not a call to action, but serves only as a rough guide for cattle owners. After all, each situation is unique and only your doctor can make a prescription.

If there is no veterinarian nearby and you have nowhere to get help, you can start treatment yourself with the help of intravenous infusion into the milk vein and a subcutaneous injection.

For a dairy cow weighing 500 kg, pregnant, the following drugs can be used to start the gastrointestinal tract:

1. Intravenous administration of saline solution (sodium chloride 10%) 300-400 ml;
2. Intravenous 40% glucose solution 200-300 ml;
3. Caffeine 20% subcutaneously (!) in a dose of 20 ml;

Usually, within an hour after the system the cow feels better. Systemic infusions for proventriculus dystonia are usually used for three days, depending on the severity of the cow’s condition.

Prevention

According to statistics, on large farms almost 40% of cattle suffer from traumatic reticulitis. This is due to inattention to the living conditions of animals.

Hay in tricks should be without wire

Preventive measures will help prevent the disease. What they include:

1. Regular inspection and cleaning of pastures.
2. Feed quality control.
3. A thorough check of the feed before dispensing is done manually or using a magnet.
4. Providing livestock with a nutritious diet.

Traumatic reticulitis is a fairly common disease in cattle. It is most often caused by a farmer who does not monitor the quality of feed and the cleanliness of the pasture where his animals graze. As a result of this disease, cattle owners often suffer large losses. If a foreign body accidentally enters the stomach of a livestock, the veterinarian’s main task is to remove it. If this is impossible or the animal begins to undergo irreversible processes - peritonitis, sepsis, it is sent for slaughter. If the prognosis is favorable, they try to remove the object in various ways, including surgery.

Hello everyone.. I’ll tell you how everything is.. I went to the newspaper advertisement and there was an advertisement (I’ll give a cow for free, it requires surgical treatment) it was 22-30 I can’t sleep I think what’s wrong with the cow that they’re giving it away in the morning I ran out and cleaned up.. I’m calling another at the end, the cheerful voice of an elderly man... I ask him what’s wrong with the cow, that they’re giving it away: he says the cow calved in June, began to lose weight, lose weight, he says 50 years, I’ve been keeping this for a long time, he’s 80 years old, he says there’s a foreign object inside her.. I’m telling him. as he found out, treasure hunters were walking past his house and he asked them to use a metal detector to look at the cow, but they didn’t refuse his grandfather and the device showed that she had a 15-centimeter blunt wire there on all sides - this is from his words.. my grandfather said I couldn’t slaughter her, she’s my friend = (I’ll give it to the one who pulls it out.. I don’t need anything to feel sorry for the cow and the owner called the whole region to find an ultrasound.. but the most interesting thing is she eats, runs, poops, sleeps, lies down without worries, covered herself.. I called the veterinarian, she said that it’s nonsense to drive away a cow with some kind of metal detector, she’s losing weight probably because the food is like this and there are not enough vitamins.. EUGENIYA WAITING FOR YOU... YOUR ADVICE.. I really feel sorry for the grandfather and his cow.. HELP WITH ADVICE, is it possible to get a foreign body out of the cow?

Traumatic reticulitis occurs frequently in animals, especially in cattle. Along with food (most often hay and grass), foreign bodies enter the animal’s stomach: pebbles, metal and other inedible objects.

Why does this happen and how to deal with it? In our case, it was already pointless to fight - but still, knowing about the nature of the disease will not hurt every livestock breeder.

Features of feeding in winter

The winter diet of a pregnant cow differs from the summer one: she is given hay, straw, root crops, silage and compound feed. In winter, a cow should eat up to 15–20 kg of dry food per day, about 3 kg of fodder beets, 1 kg of pulp and up to 5–6 kg of concentrates.

Before serving, hay and straw should be chopped and poured with hot purified water, a small amount of salt, beets and concentrates, and a little feed yeast should be added. It would be correct to enrich the cow’s body with vitamins and minerals; for this purpose, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium are introduced. Water should be given warm, not lower than +15 °C, because cold water leads to diseases and a decrease in milk yield.

It is forbidden to give frozen, dirty feed to the heifer, because they can provoke various diseases in the animal and subsequently lead to miscarriage.

The period of pregnancy and after it is the most crucial period for the health of the cow and her calf, and proper feeding plays an important role here. Follow the basic rules that will help you quickly restore strength and normal functioning of the animal’s body after calving.

What should I do to prevent bloating from appearing?

Simple rules to reduce the risk of flatulence:

• Eating should be slow, with thorough chewing of food, without distraction by extraneous actions.
• Avoid quick snacks on the go, smoking, and drinking alcohol.
• Limit the consumption of foods that increase gas formation.
• Avoid sugary carbonated drinks (there is nothing healthy in them).
• Drink enough clean water per day.
• Follow a proper diet (fried, fatty foods should not predominate)3.

Before a big feast or when overeating, it is better to take care of preventing bloating* in advance. To do this, you can take Creon® 10000 capsule with food or immediately after it. The active substances contained in the drug help natural digestion, reducing the risk of discomfort and heaviness after eating.

Treatment

What treatment methods are used for the animal? In the first days you need a fasting diet. Next, the afterbirth is transferred to food, which is easily digested. Prescribed with medication to stimulate the stomach and intestines - in order to prevent microbial decomposition and intoxication.

These usually include drugs such as phthalazole, ichthyol, salol, potassium permanganate solution, saline laxatives and ruminators.

The animal also requires Glauber's salt, which has laxative properties. In order for the afterbirth to be digested faster and cause less trouble for the cow, it is recommended to give a mixture of 20 ml of hydrochloric acid and 20 grams of pepsin, diluted in 1 liter of water. Among ruminators, tincture of barium chloride and hellebore works well.

Symptoms

Traumatic reticulitis can develop almost asymptomatically or acutely. This depends on the location of the foreign body and the nature of damage to the mesh and nearby organs. There are three types of the disease:

1. Leaf reticulitis.
2. Parietal.
3. Perforated.

The first type of disease is difficult to determine by external signs; it occurs without symptoms, since only the mesh cells are affected.

Parietal reticulitis involves the introduction of a foreign body at an acute angle into the mucous membrane of the mesh wall. When it moves, a narrow open tubule is formed, which can become inflamed. However, the pus released from the wound freely exits into the cavity of the mesh, so an abscess as such usually does not occur. Symptoms are mild:

1. Digestive upset occurs periodically.
2. Decreased appetite.
3. Slight decrease in milk yield.

Perforated reticulitis in cattle is considered the most dangerous. In this case, a foreign body pierces the wall of the mesh, so that a fistula is formed. In this case, severe inflammation develops, pus enters the abdominal cavity. Often, a sharp object can injure large vessels, which leads to bleeding, as well as other organs located nearby.

Reduced milk production in cows

Symptoms of the disease are most pronounced with perforated reticulitis. Let's look at them in detail:

1. The animal loses its appetite.
2. Milk production in cows decreases.
3. The cow (bull) gets up and lies down neatly.
4. He often stands in an unnatural position, with his hind legs tucked under his stomach and his neck stretched out.
5. The motility of the rumen is greatly reduced.
6. Sometimes the temperature rises to 40.5 degrees.
7. Appetite decreases.
8. During intoxication, general depression of the animal is observed.
9. There is pain when pressing on the withers.
10. When the position changes, the cattle groans.

A cow ate metal - methods of determination

Even if you are certainly not sure whether the cow (calf) ate metal objects, you can suspect this by the characteristic symptoms:

• milk yield decreased;
• the cow eats little, is depressed;
• drinks little even warm water, but contractions in the rumen are normal (8-12 in 5 minutes);
• the back is hunched and the stomach is pulled up;
• it is possible to stand up like a horse - first on the front legs, and then on the hind legs.

Video: How to check a cow for metal carriers:

How to experimentally determine that a cow has eaten metal

In addition to the symptoms described, you can also use the following diagnostic methods:

1. We press with the knee in the area of ​​the sword-like process on the stomach with a fist or knee. The cow will immediately want to lie down or somehow show that she is in pain.
2. We bring the animal down from the hill. In this position, the internal organs put pressure on the proventriculus and, if there is metal, the cow is in pain. She will walk slowly or want to lie down.

What to do in case of metal carrier in cattle?

Both in private farmsteads and on large farms, magnetic metal traps . They are placed in the cow's proventriculus once when metal is suspected. Being constantly inside the scar or mesh, the trap attracts metal objects.

Tip(!): For adult cattle, it is better to choose a magnet in a plastic frame. For young animals - without a frame, this will make it easier to pass through.

Another way is to use a magnetic probe . A magnet on a chain with a rope at the end is inserted into the animal's proventriculus for about 1-2 hours. The probe is then removed with metal particles stuck to it.

Important(!): In order for the probe to work better, during the 1-2 hours of waiting you need to thoroughly drive the cow downhill and uphill.

Here is a useful video on the topic: Using a magnetic probe for cows

Magnetic sticks can be used for both treatment and prevention. If these are sharp objects, the trap will protect them from puncturing internal organs. Blunt metal particles will be magnetized and will not clog the mesh.

Sugar beets and sugar

Both products in large quantities provoke excessive formation of lactic acid and sugar. As a result, the cow develops acidosis and hyperglycemia. Sugar beet poisoning leads to disruption of the heart and stomach, and the development of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis.

Nitrate, various pesticides and other chemicals pose a danger to cows. An animal can be poisoned intentionally by mixing a toxic substance with food. It is possible to be poisoned by rat poison used to kill rodents. Any farmer must be careful about the diet of cows to avoid intoxication.

Preventive measures and feeding requirements

In order to prevent digestive disorders in cows, it is important to do the following:

• strictly adhere to feeding standards;
• use high quality feed;
• when switching to other types of feed, observe the principle of gradualness and at the same time give roughage in the form of hay to stimulate the stomach;
• add minerals to the feed - salt, chalk;
• use vitamin-rich vegetables in your diet - carrots, pumpkin, fodder beets.

Attentive attitude towards the wards, strict feeding discipline will help maintain the productivity and healthy condition of the animals.

Signs that should alert you

What happens if a domestic cow eats its afterbirth after giving birth? Normally, the placenta is expelled from the body 8 hours after the calves are born. If the farmer does not see the placenta, a delay occurs; such problems do not occur often. The first few hours after calving, it is impossible to determine the condition of the animal; veterinarians conduct an examination, palpate the vagina, and if found, the remains are removed. If you can't feel anything, the secretions have been eaten.

If it is not possible to reach an agreement with veterinarians, you will have to monitor the heifer and her behavior for a long time.

Signs of detention:

• The horned one arches her back.
• The tail rises.
• Tries to strain and makes loud noises.

She tries to push unnecessary flesh out of herself.

Secondary symptoms:

• Gas formation increases.
• Diarrhea.
• Poor appetite.
• There are pieces of flesh in the stool.
• High fever in rare cases.

What to do if a cow ate a bag or film

If it is one small soft plastic bag, then most likely there will be no consequences. Long, strong bags and films (construction, wrapping) are dangerous. They will not be eliminated from the body on their own, but will remain in one of the forestomachs of the cow.

With calves it is much more difficult. Even one small package can cause blockage of the proventriculus. Watch the young animals, these are the symptoms described by the owner of a bull that swallowed the bag:

Unfortunately, removing the film from the proventriculus of a cow or calf can only be done surgically, but not every veterinarian will undertake this. Plus, there are also financial costs for medications and surgery.