Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 7:48 pm
A recent reply on another thread doubts that cows are traumatised by the delivery of a bulldog. Indeed many may be delivered without any more trouble than a normal calf, but this is not always the case.
Even carrying the bulldog can cause cows extra suffering as there is often an abnormal amount of fluid in the uterus, and this can put extra strain on the cow.
If delivery is at a premature stage a small bulldog may slip out easily and I have seen this. I have also seen a heifer carrying first calf go to term with one and it was touch and go whether a vaginal delivery was possible. Another of my cows had a very extended delivery of a macerated bulldog. It was already dead and decomposed except the bones before delivery began in the first week of September, and the cervix never more than 1.5 inches dilated despite administration of drugs to help. Only what bones could be reached at any one time with a finger through the cervix could be delivered, and it was during the last week of the month before the last was removed. She took 6 months to conceive again, lost it at 3 months, and never conceived again, slaughtered 2 years later. I did consider a caesarean for her in the first place, but doing a caesarean for a small bundle of bones is not a simple matter and very likely to result in contamination of the abdomen so I decided against.
My own experiences of bulldogs came after using short legged bulls on short legged cows without trouble for several years, then I got 4 bulldogs from 3 females in less than a year.
Any other comments, criticisms or shared experiences welcome.
Duncan
Even carrying the bulldog can cause cows extra suffering as there is often an abnormal amount of fluid in the uterus, and this can put extra strain on the cow.
If delivery is at a premature stage a small bulldog may slip out easily and I have seen this. I have also seen a heifer carrying first calf go to term with one and it was touch and go whether a vaginal delivery was possible. Another of my cows had a very extended delivery of a macerated bulldog. It was already dead and decomposed except the bones before delivery began in the first week of September, and the cervix never more than 1.5 inches dilated despite administration of drugs to help. Only what bones could be reached at any one time with a finger through the cervix could be delivered, and it was during the last week of the month before the last was removed. She took 6 months to conceive again, lost it at 3 months, and never conceived again, slaughtered 2 years later. I did consider a caesarean for her in the first place, but doing a caesarean for a small bundle of bones is not a simple matter and very likely to result in contamination of the abdomen so I decided against.
My own experiences of bulldogs came after using short legged bulls on short legged cows without trouble for several years, then I got 4 bulldogs from 3 females in less than a year.
Any other comments, criticisms or shared experiences welcome.
Duncan