cesarean on dead cow possible?

[lilcritters]

I worked at a dairy for 8 years and we had cows like that. We just waited for the cow to calve or we induced. I remember one cow that had such a bad udder we induced so we could milk her. We sold her though not too long after. I would fill her up with antibiotics and pain killers as much as I could since she won't be milked, keep her going as long as I could and induce for sure. If she is only a couple of weeks out. You could also have the vet come out, give her a spinal block, take the calf then dispose of her.


April

 

[redtailgal]

If you want the calf to be viable, you will need to be very careful about induction. Unless a cow was AI'd or handbred, it's risky to induce as you dont know the due date.

We are talking about a foot infection here, this is not something that would prevent her from delivering her calf. If the cow is not in agony, there really is little reason why the cow cannot be allowed to go into labor and deliver naturally. A C-section would be appropriate if her pain became so bad that she needed to be Euth'd before the calf was born.

At that point, I would suggest the normal anesthesia for a section, delivery of the calf and then euthanol to stop the heart of the cow.

just my 2 cents!

 

[Cricket]

The concern is that she could go down and what to do then. At the rate she's going, she should be able to deliver normally. She has apparently decided this is the 'new normal' and has been coming thru the parlor (her choice) for grain. We originally had stanchioned her with the other dry cows, but she would get herself in trouble whether tied up or not. So now she's hanging out in the freestall, and pretty much does what she wants. It's unfortunate it didn't come up when she could have gone out to pasture.

Thanks all forl the advice! RTG, I really like your scour treatment page.
Cricket

 

[Cricket]

Just an update on our cow. She delivered a very healthy bull yesterday and was being a very good and happy mom. When I left the barn they were snuggled together. I think she's going to be staying until the bitter end. She's just got too much spunk to go before she's ready! I love jerseys (and family farms!)

Thank you all for your advice--it's always nice to know your options. And who knows if a similar situation could arise in the future.

 

[redtailgal]

I am so glad to hear this!

Thank you so much for updating.

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

That's wonderful! So glad that it all worked out for the best!

 

[Farmerboy]

x2!