DYSTOCIA IN CATTLE

By Sherebiah Kangwa

DYSTOCIA is defined as an abnormal or difficult birth at any stage of labor. Dystocia has a direct negative impact on calves (e.g., prolonged hypoxia, significant acidosis, vigor, increased stillborn calves, etc.) and dams (e.g., trauma, paresis, metritis, endometritis, etc.). Stillbirth is defined as a calf born dead or dead within 24 hours after birth.

Dystocia comes in three forms: maternal-calf size mismatch; abnormal presentation in birth canal; and maternal factors such as hypocalcemia. Of the three, the first and last are most readily preventable, by using appropriate bulls in heifers, pelvic measuring and ensuring good body condition at bulling and calving.

The hardest part about dystocia is that there isn’t just one factor that you can pinpoint the issue to. Factors can range from size, gender, presentation of the calf, body condition and the ability the cow has to give birth. The most common issue though is with first time Calver sand younger cows that are inexperienced and still growing caused by improper heifer development, therefore they have a smaller pelvic area, making it tighter and harder to push the calf out.

Assistance during calving, dystocia can be classified in five categories (1-5 scores)

1 = births without assistance,

2 = required some intervention by one person,

3 =required assistance of 3 or more people,

4 =required mechanical extraction,

5 =required surgical procedure.

Not all dystocia is preventable, even if you follow the practices listed above. However, if you observe a cow struggling during labor, closely observe her through the stages of labor and intervene when necessary. Knowing the three stages of labor and what to look for can help you see issues sooner rather than later:

Stage 1 will show external signs such as restlessness, nesting, lack of eating and drinking, and vaginal discharge. This stage can last from two to eight hours and may be longer in heifers.

Stage 2 will involve abdominal straining, appearance of the water bag and fetal limbs, and delivery of the calf. This stage can last from 30 minutes to four hours. If you haven’t seen the water bag appear in two hours and no progress has been made for 30 minutes, take steps to intervene and assist the cow.

Stage 3 entail the placenta passing, which should be completed no more than 12 hours after delivery. If no placenta appears after24 hours, check for a retained placenta.

Of producers that monitor heifers during calving season, the majority allow two or fewer hours before intervening. The smaller the herd size, the longer the time interval from the start of calving to assistance. Take time to ensure practices are in place to minimize dystocia during the calving season.

With dystocia, producers can do their best to estimate the size of the fetus, and presentation in the birth canal and pelvic area for each cow. Only time will tell if cows will calve unassisted or need help. Take steps to understand the stages of labor and when assistance is needed to successfully navigate through a dystocia.

Treatment

Manual pressure applied for 10 to 15 minutes may gradually dilate the cervix in some cases but such cases may well represent those heifers disturbed during early first stage labour. In some cases, the vulva may also fail to dilate properly because there has been no pressure from the water bag and veterinary attention is necessary.

Natural dilation is achieved by pressure from an intact water bag being pressed through the cervix into the vagina by contractions of the uterus. For this reason, it is unwise to manually rupture the waterbag until full dilation is complete.

Sherebiah Kangwa is a qualified veterinarian from Natural Resources Development College (NRDC). He is based in Lusaka’s 10 miles. For more details get in touch with him on 0975 250 184 or What’s up him on this same line.

‍