What is endometritis in cows?

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Endometritis in cows is an inflammatory disease that affects the mucous membranes, as well as various layers of the uterine body. Most often it develops after calving, as the cow spends a lot of strength and vitality during pregnancy.

Endometritis in cows

Poor gynecological management of pregnancy or trauma to the birth canal, which subsequently become a source of infection, can also contribute to the development of endometritis. We will learn more about this disease, we will analyze the primary signs, diagnostic methods, symptoms and treatment, as well as the prevention of endometritis in cows.

Why does endometritis develop?

There can be several causes of endometritis in cows. Absolutely any inflammatory process in a cow's body can be triggered by an infection. As mentioned earlier, endometriosis most often develops due to infection in the body of the uterus during childbirth or if the animal has gynecological diseases in a chronic form. In addition, there are frequent cases of infection during estrus, since access to the uterus opens. Endometritis can also occur during gestation, during the period when the mucous plug leaves. In addition, it can act as a complication after serious illnesses such as tuberculosis, brucellosis, and so on.

In addition to all of the above, endometritis can be caused and provoked by errors in feeding and care, that is, by neglecting the standard requirements of hygiene and the structure of the diet. All this significantly reduces the immunity of cattle and makes it impossible to fight pathogens.

How endometritis manifests itself

The described disease can take several forms:

• catarrhal postpartum;
• acute purulent-catarrhal endometritis;
• sharp;
• necrotic;
• gangrenous;
• chronic form.

Each of the above forms of the disease will be described in detail below. It is extremely important to determine in time what kind of endometritis your cow has, because the course of treatment will depend on this.

Catarrhal endometritis

In this case, the uterus is affected, but only its surface layer. Outwardly, you can notice serous mucous discharge from the genital crevice. Due to the fact that the peak of the disease occurs in the postpartum period, it is sometimes difficult to diagnose endometritis and distinguish it from normal discharge, which is considered a normal variant after calving. That is why, most often, catarrhal endometritis develops into a more advanced stage, when purulent exudate is connected.

Purulent endometritis

With the variant of purulent-catarrhal endometritis, the deeper layers of the uterus are affected, in addition, the ability of the uterus to contract is impaired, the discharge becomes more abundant. Vivid signs can be detected within a week after the pathogen enters the cow's body. At first, the owners see changes in the nature of the discharge: they become brown, yellow or even reddish. Often, on closer examination, you can see their heterogeneity: an admixture of flakes may be present in the mucus. They become more abundant when the animal is pushing or during a rectal or vaginal examination. With insufficient hygiene, you can see the remains of secretions in the area under the tail.

What picture is revealed during rectal examination with a purulent form of postpartum endometritis? The doctor will see a hyperemic mucosa, the walls of the uterus are likely to be thinned and lose elasticity. On palpation, the body of the uterus will be significantly enlarged.

However, with such symptoms, you can not notice any deviations in the behavior of the animal, the general well-being in this form is usually kept at the normal level. If an increase in temperature joins the symptoms and weakness appears, we can say that endometritis develops into an acute stage, which requires drug treatment.

Acute stage of endometritis

This type of cow disease (fibrinous endometritis) differs from the others in that the discharge will contain particles of fibrin. Usually, the acute fibrinous stage appears immediately after childbirth, but sometimes it can be the result of an untreated catarrhal stage.

Perhaps an increase in temperature, a deterioration in general condition. However, all of these symptoms may not appear. If the cow's immunity is fighting the pathogen, fibrinous endometritis will pass in the background form.

Necrotizing endometritis

Necrotizing endometritis is a severe form of the disease in which the lining of the endometrium, one of the layers of the uterus, is so affected that the tissues disintegrate and are excreted naturally along with mucus. Most often, the development of necrotizing endometritis can begin after complicated labor.

The fact that the protective functions do not work, that is, the immunity of the cow is lowered, can worsen and complicate the course of the disease. The causative agent, with poor resistance, can affect the deep layers of the uterus, while its mucous membrane will be noticeably thickened due to a noticeable violation of the ebb and flow of blood supply. On a medical examination, the veterinarian will see a picture in which the tissues are necrotic and subsequently rejected by the uterus. In places of such a lesion, ulcers and erosive wounds are formed. If the process of tissue destruction has gone so far, there is a risk of getting the causative agent of endometritis after calving not only into the blood system, but also into the lymph.

With necrotic endometritis, the animal feels bad:

• high body temperature;
• heart rate changes;
• mastitis often develops;
• digestion may be disturbed;
• partial paralysis of the limbs rarely develops.

In parallel with necrotizing endometritis, vulvitis, cervicitis and even colitis can develop as a complication.

Endometritis with signs of gangrene

This type of disease implies an acute course of the disease, when the body of the uterus is exposed to decay. Here, the animal will experience painful sensations, as the uterine cavity becomes inflamed. In addition, intoxication increases every day, which negatively affects the general condition of the animal.

In addition to the fact that the cow experiences the traditional symptoms that appear during any inflammatory process (fever and general weakness), there are also those characteristic of gangrenous endometritis:

• the animal tries not to get up;
• milk stops flowing;
• during a medical examination, there are signs of crepitus in the uterine cavity;
• against the background of endometritis, cows develop other diseases of the genital area.

Usually, the death of a cow occurs as early as 5-7 days after the first symptoms appear. The immediate cause of death of a cow with endometritis is sepsis of internal tissues and rupture of the uterine cavity.

Chronic endometritis

The chronic course of the disease (latent) results from untreated endometritis or untreated at all. In this condition, there is a pathological change in the superficial body of the uterus, sometimes there are atrophic degenerations.

Clinical symptoms:

• discharge from the genital fissure (usually in the morning after sleep);
• there is swelling, but it is insignificant;
• there are areas of redness in the genital area.

A laboratory examination will reveal an increased level of leukocytes and areas of dead epithelial tissue.

Endometritis treatment

It is logical to begin treatment of endometritis in cows and the rest of the cattle with cleaning the uterine cavity. This will make the subsequent treatment more effective and balance the normal healthy microflora in the uterus.

It is worth saying that lavage is strictly contraindicated for endometritis with gangrene, as it can aggravate the course of the disease and provoke a rupture of the uterus.

After washing, it is necessary to carry out 2 more mandatory stages of therapeutic assistance: to influence the positive dynamics of the contraction function, and then finish the treatment with a special rectal massage.

How does uterine lavage work in cows?

In order to flush the uterine cavity of a sick cow, you need to choose special antiseptic drugs. They must be sure to be gentle and non-aggressive, so as not to injure the tissue even more. This could be:

• ready-made hypotonic saline solution (it will not only be able to cleanse the uterus from secretions, it will also help to establish further secretion excretion);
• weak sodium solution, preferably 2-3%;
• ichthyol based rinsing fluid;
• a mash of iodine, potassium solution (concentration not more than 0.02%) and a dissolved furacilin tablet.

To inject the solution, you need a special pear, Esmorch's mug or Janet's syringe. These devices will allow you to draw up the amount of liquid required for flushing at one time. It is important that all the liquid required for internal administration is warmed up to the body temperature of the sick cow. It is worth revising the volume for administration depending on the nature of the disease and whether it is treatable.

How to tone the uterus and restore elasticity to the tissues

In order to return the contractile function to the uterus, you need to use one of the following drugs:

• Carbocholine;
• Oxytocin (no more than 30 units);
• Subcutaneous injections of PDE.

Veterinarians advise doing injections in parallel with rinsing, as this will positively affect the excretion of mucous secretions. In addition, before choosing a drug, it is better to consult a doctor, he will tell you what will help in a particular case and help with the dosage.

How is uterine massage performed

Massage of the uterine cavity can be done independently at home. These manipulations will help to remove purulent and mucous deposits in it as quickly as possible. For self-rinsing, you will need sterile gloves, since the massage is performed rectally.

One hand is inserted into the rectal opening, trying to find the uterine cavity as soon as possible. At the very beginning of the massage, you need to make light hand movements that resemble stroking. Such an event will contribute to the early removal of exudate.

For the best effect, you need to correctly combine massages with injections. This scheme will allow you to quickly bring the tone of the uterus back to normal, as well as return the reproductive system to a normal state. In no case should massage be performed along with injections, as this can lead to the prolapse of the uterus from the genital fissure.

Antimicrobial therapy

Since endometritis in cows often involve the attachment of pathogenic microflora, veterinarians prescribe antimicrobial drugs or antibiotics to combat it. It is important to take into account that local administration of drugs is preferable, that is, to use them in liquid form in order to act directly on the site of the lesion. What drugs are suitable:

• Gynobiotic;
• Biometrosanit;
• Ihglucovitis;
• Tylosinocar and others.

If the course of the disease is complicated, it is worth adding to the local therapy a course of antibiotics administered subcutaneously or intravenously, depending on the severity of the disease. If endometritis in cows is accompanied by painful sensations, pain relievers should also be added.

Preventive measures

It is necessary to engage in prevention of postpartum endometritis in cows immediately after the cow has calved. If you provide her with normal nutrition and appropriate housing conditions, then with a high degree of probability it will be possible to protect the animal from postpartum endometritis in cows. It is especially important to follow these recommendations when a cow is carrying a calf. Nutrition should be appropriate so that there are enough nutrients for two.

It is imperative that the cow is provided with adequate gynecological care, especially during labor. In no case should you interfere with the childbirth process, if there is no medical indication. If during the delivery process it is necessary to drag the calf, then this should be done only during the period of attempts. If not, the cow is injected with oxytocin. If, after the appearance of the calf, the afterbirth does not leave, it is worth waiting for 5-7 minutes and immediately after their expiration, begin the administration of the drug, which will restore labor.

All these activities will contribute to the fact that the birth of the cow will be normal and endometritis will not develop.