1.4.2 Postpartum Conditions of the Bovine Flashcards
in how many days after calving will we see prolapse of RP, metritis, pyometra, PVD, endometritis?
prolapse or RP - right away
metritis - after a couple days
pyometra, PVD, Endometritis - about 28 days
Normal postpartum involution in bovine - what happens? what is the timeline for bacterial clearance? what happens in parallel?
- Process of restoration of reproductive tract to ability to support subsequent pregnancy
- shrinkage and repair of uterus and cervix
- Sloughing of caruncles (> lochia) and re-epithelialization of endometrium
- Clearance of bacterial contamination within 3 weeks
- Ideally: Gross – 21 d Histologic – 40 d
- Occurs in parallel with return to cyclicity
what is the ovluntary waiting period postpartum for breeding for a cow? why?
- “Voluntary waiting period” (VWP) for breeding to allow uterine involution to happen ~ 50 days postpartum
what is uterine prolapse associated with in cows?
- Full eversion of the uterus and cervix
- Immediately following calving
- Associated with hypocalcemia, therefore older cows
- Thought to be due to lack of smooth muscle ‘tone’
how do we treat uterine prolapse in cows? what is the prognosis?
- Epidural and manual replacement
- If recumbent > ‘frog leg’ posture
- If marked edema > apply dextrose or sugar
- Rinse with clean saline
- Stitch vulva for 3-5 d (at lateral hair line)
- Calcium supplement SC or bolus
- Systemic antibiotics e.g. penicillin
- Oxytocin 20 IU IM
- Prognosis: good for survival, less for pregnancy
- Some die from ruptured uterine artery, often after correction
at what point after birth do we consider a placenta retained in a cow? how often do we see this?
- Failure to expel fetal membranes by 24 h post calving
- Common (5 to 10% of calvings) in dairy cows
risk factors for bovine retained placenta?
- Dystocia
- Twins
- Abortion
- Milk fever
- Caesarian section
- Induced delivery
what cellular process does retained placenta depend on? why is this important for pathogenesis?
- Placental detachment depends on neutrophils to break the collagen links between caruncle and cotyledon
- Key element in pathogenesis is impaired immune function > failure of detachment of placentome
>balance of evidence is against lack of uterine motility as the cause of RP
what is greatly reduced in cows with RP? what do we notice at calving and pre-partum?
- Immune function is greatly reduced in cows with RP
- Neutrophils from cows with RP have reduced chemotaxis at calving and reduced killing capacity prepartum
> Reductions in neutrophil function are present 7-14 days
prepartum - Feed intake is reduced 1 week prepartum in cows that have RP
what is RP a risk factor for? what does the impact of RP depend on? what is a common sequelae?
RP is a major risk factor for subsequent metritis, PVD, and/or endometritis; displaced abomasum (?) (secondary to reduced feed intake?)
* However, RP in itself is not directly harmful (although not pleasant)
* Impact of RP depends on ability of cow’s immune system to deal with it
* 33 to >50% of cows with RP develop metritis
treatment for retained placenta in bovine: what should we use or not use?
- NOT oxytocin, PGF, or calcium
- No good evidence of benefits of intrauterine (IU) antibiotics
- Systemic antibiotics if/when metritis occurs
is uterine infection common post-partum in cows? what type of infections?
- Almost all cows are infected postpartum
- Typically mixed infections but E. coli is a common agent in week 1 and Trueperella pyogenes in weeks 2‐3
- Anaerobes are important
- Purulent vaginal Discharge is associated with chronic T. pyogenes infection in weeks >3 to 8
what is pyometra? when do we see it?
- Uterus filled with pus (few hundred mL to several litres)
- In the presence of a (persistent) CL
- > 21 d postpartum
- Almost always ‘closed’ (cervix)
is pyometra common in cows? what are some signs? when is it usually diagnosed?
- No systemic illness or fever
- Uncommon (~1% lactational incidence)
- Diagnosed > 3 weeks postpartum; mostly 1 to 3 months pp
how do we diagnose and treat pyometra in cows?
- Diagnosed by rectal palpation or ultrasound
- Treatment: PGF injection(s)
- Repeated at 10-14 d interval
