Beer on a Hot Afternoon 

D. E. Larsen, DVM

I tied the heifer in the corner of the corral with enough slack in the rope so she could lay her down with no problem. When Carol called, she said they noticed this heifer in labor last night. From the odor coming from her, I would guess she had been at this for longer than overnight.

At least Carol was thoughtful enough to have her haltered for me. I would have been worn out in this July heat if I had roped her and wrestled her into a corner.

I grabbed a piece of twine from the truck and tied the heifer’s tail to her neck so it was out of the way. Then I scrubbed up her. The fluid leaking out of her vulva was rank-smelling. This had to be a long-dead calf.

I pulled on a plastic OB sleeve and lubed it up. When I slipped my arm into this heifer, she strained hard. Fluid gushed out of her and soaked my shoulder. I could tell this was going to be a mess.

I went back to the truck and removed my coveralls and shirt. I just hoped that I could get this job done before I got a sunburn.

Back at the heifer with a new OB sleeve, I was able to explore her birth canal. This calf was in a full breech position with both hind legs retained. No hair was on the OB sleeve when I pulled my arm out. That was a good thing. The calf was only a day or two dead, and I could probably get it out without a fetotomy.

Carol was back at the fence.

“What do you think, Doc?” Carol asked.

Carol was an older lady, probably forty-five or fifty. She was well kept for a farmer’s wife. She was probably stuck with being here for me to take care of the heifer. I doubt if she worked at the barn much.

“This calf is dead,” I said. “It’s in a breech position. When a calf is in a full breech, the cow often won’t go into heavy labor until the calf has been dead. Sometimes, you can notice them with their tail up, maybe acting a little different but not straining a lot. I think this calf has been dead for a couple of days. With any kind of luck, I should be able to get it out.”

“I’m sorry she isn’t in the barn,” Carol said. “You would be out of the sun then.”

“This should be a problem,” I said. “I sort of like this weather. It’s good weather to lie on the river bank and drink a cold beer.”

“Ha!” Carol said. “And how many days do we get to lie on a river bank drinking beer versus work in this hot sun taking care of a sick cow?”

“Well, you do have a point there,” I said.

“I’ll take a cloudy sky and a cool breeze any day over this hot weather,” Carol said. “But I better leave you alone so you can finish up and get a shirt back on before you’re burned to a crisp.”

The OB sleeves were doing little good at keeping me clean. I discarded them and went to work bear-armed. 

I reached in with my left arm and grabbed a hind leg below the hock. I pulled the hock up to the pelvic brim. Then with my right hand, I pushed the calf’s butt forward. This was a dangerous move because it had the chance of rupturing the uterus, but it gave me room to push the hock forward and pop the foot into the birth canal.

I repeated the maneuver on the other leg. Now, I had both feet sticking out of the vulva. 

I put a nylon OB strap on each foot and hooked up my calf jack. It was a simple task to jack the calf out.

This heifer had stood through the entire procedure, but she stiffened and flopped on the side when I started pulling the calf. The calf came out with a gush of fluid and membranes.

I pulled the calf over to the edge of the corral and through the gate. Then, I washed up as best I could. I was obviously going to need a shower before I was going to feel clean.

When I returned to the heifer, she was on her feet. I checked her birth canal for injuries and made sure there wasn’t a second calf in her uterus. Then, because this calf had been dead for a couple of days, I put five grams of tetracycline powder into her uterus. Cleaned her up and untied her tail.

When I turned her loose, she turned and sniffed around for the calf briefly, then went to the water trough for a drink.

I washed up again at the truck, and Carol came out again.

“You’re going to need a shower,” Carol said. “Do you want to use ours?”

“Thanks for the offer,” I said. “But I am not far from home. I will run home and clean up there. I still have some things to take care of at the office.”

Of course, the office stuff was just an excuse. I was able to get home, shower, and clean up. Then, I set out on the back porch with a cold beer.

“You look pretty comfortable,” Sandy said.

“Well, it would be better if I was on a river bank, but this is pretty close.”

Photo by Mark Stebnicki on Pexels.