Cattle producers have a lot of ideas on how best to stimulate a weak calf that doesn’t want to breathe.
With calving season just around the corner, here are some of my experiences as to what works and what doesn’t.
There are many reasons why calves come out slow and weak, and recognizing when these conditions might occur could give producers a heads up.
Producers who provide assistance for either fetal oversize and a harder pull or when a malpresentation occurs must be aware that time is running out and that a weaker calf that is barely alive is a definite possibility.
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Other instances include a cow that has been sick and losing weight or has experienced an ab-normality during pregnancy.
A cow that is losing body condition in late pregnancy could be carrying twins, so it is a good idea after any assisted calving to carefully examine the uterus for either tears or another calf.
Producers who find another calf need to assist in its delivery immediately.
There are various forms of resuscitation, but it’s important to establish breathing and get oxygenation to the blood, especially if there is a strong heartbeat.
One thing we know for sure is that the old method of hanging calves to remove fluid does no good and is actually harmful because all the organs push down by gravity on the chest and make it more difficult to breath. The fluid that does come out is generally draining out from the stomachs.
It’s much better to get the calf in a sitting up frog legged position so that both lungs can get air equally, which is similar to what would happen in a standing calf.
Extend the neck forward to open the airways and wipe away any large amounts of mucous around the mouth.
Good calf resuscitators are available that can simply bathe the area in extra oxygen to help with breathing if it is not strong. Some of these will also provide suction.
Mouth to mouth resuscitation doesn’t provide much benefit because the air simply goes down the esophagus and inflates the stomach rather than getting into the lungs where it needs to go.
Producers who are working with a calf whose breathing is slow but has a stronger heartbeat can stimulate breathing by either sticking a straw up the nostril, pouring cold water in the ear or putting cold snow in the ear to irritate the calf and get it going.
Calving problems have been greatly reduced in today’s cow-calf operations, so resuscitation shouldn’t be a routine occurrence unless it is a hard calving or there has been a delay in getting the calf out, such as occurs with a full breech birth.
It sometimes pays with hard calvings to stop pulling and let the calf get a few breaths, particularly when the rib cage is out and before the tight hips are pulled through.
The calf may bellow because it is alive then and feels the pain, so be aware of this response.
Producers who are getting too many weak calves should look at several factors in their herd management.
For example, is intervention too slow, especially in the case of heifers?
The clock is ticking once the calving process has started and regardless of whether the water bag has broken. Many producers used to think they had lots of time if the water bag had not broken, and that simply isn’t true.
It’s a good rule to intervene in one to one and a half hours if no progress has been made.
Time is particularly in short supply in breech births (backward with both back legs ahead) and torsions, so it’s imperative to be ready to stimulate the calf.
The navel is essentially broken once the calf’s tail head comes through the pelvis in a backward calving, and the calf will try to start breathing. This is where a faster pull from that point forward will save calves and why it’s important to always assist a backward calf when possible.
Another way to preempt the need for resuscitation is to check a calf’s viability by putting fingers in its mouth to check the swallowing or gag reflex. A weak reflex is a good sign that the calf will be sluggish when delivered.
As well, a calf that is overly active and thrashing around could be a sign that it is oxygen deprived and time is running out. It will be im-portant for producers to get them out as soon as possible and use their resuscitation skills .
