Vet Advice

A cow with a vaginal prolapse can be a significant pain in the rear for several individuals: the producer, the veterinarian and especially the cow herself.

What is it?

When the lining of the birth canal (vagina) becomes everted and protrudes through the vulvar opening, it is called a vaginal prolapse (VP). A prolapse may be noticed in the occasional cow a few days or weeks before and/or after calving. It may be exposed while the cow is laying down only to disappear once she stands up again.

The size of the prolapse varies from tennis ball to watermelon size and is usually red in color with a relatively smooth, rounded surface. The exposed tissue may be easily damaged by cold, wind and manure contamination which create irritation, pain and eventually a powerful urge to strain (tenesmus). The prolapse enlarges and worsens once tenesmus is initiated. Continued straining leads to tissues becoming increasingly swollen and damaged. Eventually this begins to interfere with the cows ability to urinate, which in turn leads to leads to more tenesmus.

The underlying defect causing VP may be a weakness in the muscles to support structures in the birth canal. This is inherited in some cow families. It may also arise as a complication of a difficult calving, thin body condition with generalized muscle wasting, over fat body condition, retained placenta and/or infections of the bladder or uterus. Disease conditions such as diarrhea, intestinal blockage, nerve damage from spinal tumor, abscess or rare viral infections such as rabies may have tenesmus as one of their symptoms possibly resulting in a vaginal prolapse.

It is essential that the veterinarian provide pain relief to the cow via administration of a short or long acting epidural anesthetic. Other analgesics may also be prescribed in severe cases. The analgesia reduces or eliminates the tenesmus. Lifting up the prolapse a few inches may also provide relief by allowing the cow a chance to urinate if this function has been compromised for any length of time. The tissues must then be gently but thoroughly cleansed prior to being replaced in the normal location. A rectal palpation to determine the health and age of the fetus may also be indicated to provide an estimate of the expected calving date.

Often antibiotics are appropriate elements of the treatment plan in order to help clear up or prevent bacterial infections of the damaged tissues until healing is complete. Accurate treatment records ensure that the drug withdrawal times prior to shipping or slaughter are observed.

The veterinarian will choose one of many options as the method to retain the prolapse. The choice will be determined by such details as whether the cow has calved, why she prolapsed, severity of damage, infection, tenesmus and the amount of supervision available at calving time. Correct placement of a synthetic perivaginal suture tape acts to reduce the size of the vulvar opening for the required length of time which in some cases may be several months.

Other conditions such as cancerous growth, hematoma, cervical prolapse, vaginal laceration exposing a prolapse of fat, the bladder or intestines can initially be mistaken for a VP until properly cleansed and examined. Treatments vary accordingly.

Analyzing the herd health records with your veterinarian periodically will allow a prevention strategy to be created for the various diseases or conditions identified in the herd. It may be wise to delegate cows with vaginal prolapses to the cull list.