HOW TO PERFORM FETOTOMY OPERATIONS IN CATTLE
Fetotomy — a veterinarian’s fancy word for cutting up a dead calf within the cow during the birthing process — still has a valuable place in a competent veterinarian’s bag of tricks.The whole object with a fetotomy is to minimize trauma or damage to the cow. The calf at this point is a lost cause because it has already died. The only times veterinarians do a fetotomy on a live calf include a schistosomas reflexus (inside-out calf) or any other fetal monsters such as a two-headed calf or a hydrocephalus calf (water on the brain). All of these examples are non-viable calves and had they been born alive by C-section would have died shortly thereafter, or been put to sleep humanely.Fetotomies involve a simple principle. With a specialized instrument (a fetotome) and obstetrical wire the calf is systematically cut into smaller pieces to facilitate delivery out the vagina. The fetotome is generally a two-tubed instrument which protects the wire from damaging the cow. It can be anchored, so to speak, to the calf using an obstetrical chain. This allows an assistant to perform the cut while the veterinarian makes sure of positioning. Our goal as a veterinarian is to minimize the number of cuts, but to do the right ones to expedite delivery. If the health of the cow is maintained, she can often be bred back and go on to further productive years.The principle purpose of obstetrical operations is to deliver a viable fetus as far as possible without injury to the dam. In most cases of dystocia, one or more combinations of the different obstetrical operations are performed. The obstetrical operations have been divided into four major groups’ viz. mutation, forced extraction, fetotomy and caesarean section. The plan of the choice of the procedures to be used for a safe delivery depends not only on the condition of the case but also on the time since dystocia and assistance available.
Fetotomy operations performed on the dead fetus for the purpose of reducing its size by either its division or the removal of certain parts of dead fetus . In most cases these operations are performed within the uterus of the dam in order to remove the fetus per vaginum . If the fetus is dead and accessible fetotomy should be the first choice of relieving dystocia when mutation fails to correct it.
A fetotomy can be performed under the following conditions to save the life of the dam:
- The fetus is lifeless.
- If the fetus is emphysematous, this decreases the survival rate of the dam after a C-section.
- The fetus is big to be delivered or the dam’s pelvis is narrow (i.e., feto-maternal disproportion/size mismatch).
Fetopelvic discrepancy includes
(a) Fetal oversize due to prolonged gestation or fetal muscular hypertrophy
(b) Narrow pelvic cavity due to pelvic fractures/ exocytoses
(c) Emphysematous fetus
(d) Fetal monsters like hydrocephalus, schistosoma reflexus , perosomus
elumbis, fetal anasarca or fetal duplication.
- The fetus has an abnormality that will not allow it to be delivered (such as schistosomus reflexus, perosomus horridus or perosomus elumbis).
- Uncorrectable fetal malpresentation
- The fetus and the dam are in a hip-lock (breech presentation) that cannot be corrected by fetal rotation
Compiled & Shared by- Team, LITD (Livestock Institute of Training & Development)
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