Post-paturient uterine prolapse in home-garden confined Nigerian cattle breed in Ibadan, Nigeria: restoration and prognosis

Abstract

A three and half year-old pregnant heifer, light brown colour, Ambala breed of Nigerian indigenous cattle calved normally at 6.45 a.m. on November 7th, 2017 in home-garden pen. The pen was cleaned with sawdust and plank pallets floor. The calf was active, robust and rose up to find the mother and the udder about 6 minutes after parturition. The dam licked off the mucous membrane on the nostrils and the eyes. The calf weighed 21.5 kg while the dam weighed 221kg after calving. The placenta dropped at about 20 minutes after calving but was followed by partial protrusion of the uterine mass from the vulva (post-parturient uterine prolapse-PUP). Calf to dam weight ratio of (1:10) was high. Size of calf was among major causes of PUP. Chilly water wash of the prolapsed uterus with gentle push back to the abdominal cavity using sterile hand-in-glove (washed in soapy Detol® solution) restored permanently the PUP. Prognosis of the early manual treatment and therapy of this PUP case are discussed.