Haywood Farm Vets Newsletter AUGust 2024

TWISTED UTERUS - "she's just not getting on with it"

One of the most common calvings we get called out to is a "twisted uterus" or a uterine torsion. A recent study found that up to 22% of calvings attended by vets were torsions, and the overall incidence of torsions in UK Holstein Friesians is 0.24% (Lyons et al., 2012).

Twisting normally occurs during 1st stage or early 2nd stage labour when the heavy pregnant horn flips over the non-pregnant horn, most commonly in an anti-clockwise direction. The twist can vary between 90 degrees and 360 degrees.

We don't really know what causes a twisted uterus, or why some farms get more than their fair share! However, it has been found that cows are at greater risk than heifers, twins are less of a risk (Aubry et al., 2008) and it usually involves a large calf.

At full term the heavy uterus lies on the abdominal floor and is relatively unstable. When a cow lies down or stands up the uterus becomes suspended by the ligaments attaching to the cervix so the heavy horns of the uterus are fairly mobile. It is thought that the combination of increased calf movements during 1st stage labour and a sudden slip, fall or knock by another cow could cause the unstable uterus to twist over on itself.

Quickly spotting cows with a torsion is really important as a twisted uterus has its blood flow interrupted so it becomes fragile - this interrupted blood flow also risks the calf as the blood flow to the placenta (and calf) will drop.

What do you see?

Cows with a twist will generally be uncomfortable, shifting and have her tail up - but won't progress or start pushing. What we typically hear is "she's just not getting on with it".

Make sure you carefully examine cows like this ASAP - a clean, lubed glove early on can make all the difference. Your arm tends to follow the twisting of the vaginal tissues and rotates - if the twist is partial you may be able to feel the calf but it will feel upside down, if it has flipped 360 degrees you won't be able to feel the cervix or a calf.

Please get in touch if you've got a cow that you're not sure about - we're happy to advise over the phone or come and put a hand in.

How do we correct a twisted uterus?

There are several methods to correct a twisted uterus – it generally is much easier to correct the twist early on with a live calf as they tend to wriggle and help.

Manual Untwisting: we usually give the cow an epidural to stop her straining and then we get hold of a leg of the calf and rotate the calf with a pendulum like movement. Sometimes we will get you to help the pendulum motion by getting you to push from the outside on her right hand side to help flip the calf. Usually when the calf and uterus turns all the birth fluid releases and the vet gets covered!

Rolling the cow: not for the faint hearted! We only really use the rolling method if the cow is already down, or if the calf is already dead and we would prefer to get the calf out naturally rather than via a caesarean. The vet gets hold of a leg of the calf to keep the calf still then gets their head out of the way whilst the cow is carefully turned onto her back and over to her other side. This method requires a lot of extra manual help to lift and flip the cow.

C-section: if the twist is 360 degrees and we can't get hold of a leg of the calf to do the pendulum swing, or if the calf is too large to manually untwist we can do a C-section. A few things to note about a twisted uterus caesarean:

• we still have to untwist the uterus when we do a C-section by flipping the uterus over when we are operating - this isn't such a big job when you are in the abdomen but can take a bit of time
• the uterus can be really delicate as the blood supply has been compromised - these are not simple surgeries and usually require a bit more time to stitch up the uterus

If we can get the uterus untwisted manually we then have to take our time calving her as the cervix hasn't dilated fully so it's a very gentle calving approach to allow time for the cervix to open and dilate without causing damage.

For all calvings and emergencies please make sure you call our emergency number: 01630 810016 - this number will put you through to the vets that are working that day, and for out of hours will put you straight through to our on call vet.

ENZOVAX / CEVAC - vaccine issues

We have received important news regarding the availability of Enzootic Abortion vaccine for the upcoming pre-mating season.

There will be no more Enzovax or CEVAC vaccine available for the remainder of the 2024 season.

Being organised with our vaccine orders has really paid off this year as we have most people sorted - thank you for working with us on this and thinking about vaccines in Spring!

The Sheep Veterinary Society has published advice for dealing with the absence of vaccine for anyone who will have unvaccinated replacement ewes:

For flocks that have been regularly vaccinated against Enzootic Abortion:

There will be a small group of unvaccinated replacement ewes this year but the risk to them is low as the rest of the flock is immune. These ewes will need marking and vaccinating next year when not pregnant

For high risk Enzootic Abortion flocks:

There is an inactivated vaccine "Inmeva" which could help reduce risk this year - it is an inactivated vaccine and needs 2 doses before mating, and would need a booster dose each year, or for this years replacement ewes to be marked and vaccinated with your usual Enzo vaccine next year

If you've got unvaccinated ewes and confirmed Enzootic Abortion this season - we can discuss if it's appropriate to give a single injection of Oxytet three weeks before lambing starts but this MUST ONLY be used when the risk is high, Enzootic Abortion has been confirmed at the lab and under discussion with your vet.

Any queries about the risk of Enzootic Abortion in your flock, please get in touch with our vet Els: 07980 487146 or by email: els@haywoodfarmvets.com

TB TESTING - how we do it

Just a bit of information about how we organise, arrange and undertake TB testing at Haywood Farm Vets for our newer clients.

Booking your TB test:

Your testing window comes through to us online a day or so before you get your TB letter - we try and get TB tests booked in as soon as you get your letter to make sure we can plan our work schedule for the months ahead, you get the time and dates that suit you best and can arrange for any help/handling facilities if need be.

This means we need good channels of communication with you and up to date phone numbers / email addresses - thank you for working with us on this.

The TB Test

We take TB seriously at HFV - this means we test according to the rules and standards set out by APHA. Spot checks are being done which means we can be audited at any part of a TB test to make sure we are testing correctly. Cutting corners at a TB test only makes the test less sensitive which doesn't help you, your farm, your community or the wildlife that can spread TB between farms.

On day one, TB testing vets will need to clip, measure the skin, inject the tuberculin and feel for a bleb, and on both days read and record official ear tags. Skin thickness will also need to be measured and recorded if there is a lump on the read off day.

Using well designed handling facilities will avoid unnecessary stress for you and your cattle, saves time and most importantly provides a safe working environment for our vets and you and your farm staff.

We really appreciate you and your teams help to get TB testing done safely and efficiently.