Practical OB Tips

Abstract

While prevention of dystocia is the goal for every beef and dairy herd, there will be instances when assistance is necessary. Teaching owners when to call is paramount to having a successful delivery where both dam and calf are vibrant after delivery. The Utrecht technique for delivery has served me well for almost 30 years of veterinary practice. The hallmarks of the Utrecht technique are: manual dilation of the birth canal, correct positioning of the calf if needed while the cow is standing, lying the cow down in lateral recumbency and applying traction only when the cow has a contraction with the traction being in a direction parallel with her dorsal spine. This technique more closely mimics delivery of a calf in nature and allows the calf to be delivered more easily than when the cow is standing.