induce labor?

whats the best drug out there today to induce labor in cattle

Alpha said:

whats the best drug out there today to induce labor in cattle

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I don't recomend it... Every time I have done so-- it's resulted in premature offspring that die every time..

I've found, don't mess with momma nature...

dex oxytocin and lut work fine for me...

the heifer has a 100% AI calf in her and is late. just milling the idea around. she is a My Turn heifer bred to OCC Homer

How late?

she is due the 20th of Feb. this coming Monday but she was has been looking really stressed, restless, bothered, uncomfortable whatever you want to call it so we got her in yesterday and palpated the calf and its feet seemed that of a calf with great size.

Don't induce her. I'm not aware of any drugs that really work. I know somebody whose vet told him to induce one and we ended up calling the vet out who told us THEN the cow hadn't dilated, and the drugs that induce labor don't cause them to dilate. He wanted to try to pull the calf through an undilated cervix...I argued the calf needed to be a C-section, then he told us he didn't do C-sections. The guy ended up losing the cow AND the calf.

You're better off to let her go. If you think it's going to be big, then watch her close and be there when she goes into labor in case she needs help.

leanbeef said:

Don't induce her. I'm not aware of any drugs that really work. I know somebody whose vet told him to induce one and we ended up calling the vet out who told us THEN the cow hadn't dilated, and the drugs that induce labor don't cause them to dilate. He wanted to try to pull the calf through an undilated cervix...I argued the calf needed to be a C-section, then he told us he didn't do C-sections. The guy ended up losing the cow AND the calf.

You're better off to let her go. If you think it's going to be big, then watch her close and be there when she goes into labor in case she needs help.

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I agree-- the vet told me- that there is no drug to make them dilate... He told me that the actual contractions, and pressure from the calf- or lamb-- dilate them...  He said the quickest/ best way to do it...  manually with your hands...

Yep , what the last few have been saying. I learned this the hard way last spring , fortuantely the calf and cow ended up okay in my case. Wont do that again ! Let things happen on there own.

Alpha said:

whats the best drug out there today to induce labor in cattle

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Here is what I would do. I had the vet come and check a cow we bred to Heat Wave that was absolutely huge. It was her third calf but she had never been that big. The vet palpated and agreed the calf was out of room. I knew her AI date and she was not covered by the bull. He used Dexamethosome and Lutalyse followed by Oxytocin. We had a calf in 36 hours. 100# block we had to use a calf jack to get out. Never used heat wave again. I am not a vet. I would Consult your vet. If the apple is ready to fall there are drugs they can and do use that work. You may get retained placentas with an induction. If the heifer has plenty of room and is just a heifer getting ready to calf just watch her close. If you trust your vet I would let him take a look. I have never regretted having my cows checked.
I don't blame you for worrying. My Turn is clubby bred. I am not sure I would have made him my first choice for a heifer but if you are really concerned is it worth a vet visit? As much time and energy we put into these operations I think its minimal investment.

One thing that was said that both of the vets said is if the cow/ heifer  is not ready they may not respond to the injections. Have her checked out. Put your mind to rest.

OB the heifer is by My Turn bred to OCC Homer. Waiting is the hardest part. Mother nature is a wonderful thing, have some faith. How do you figure she is late when she is due the 20th, is today not the 14th?

Really??? im sorry but if you are thinking about inducing a heifer that is not due for another week bred to an angus bull, you need to get out of this business.

hangonsloopy said:

Really??? im sorry but if you are thinking about inducing a heifer that is not due for another week bred to an angus bull, you need to get out of this business.

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Harsh, maybe a younger person or someone that doesn't have as much experience as you & is trying to learn.

I agree with OB have your vet ck her out then discuss your  choices & decide which seems best for your heifer's situation. As far as not having a successful birth from inducing your heifer, a bad result is not always the outcome. I think that we all would rather have a natural birth, but there are times that inducing a female makes the most sense. I have induced a handful of cows/heifers over my lifetime and can say that I never have had a dead calf or cow resulting from that decision. 5mls. PG along with 15/20 mls Dexamethasone will almost always result in a birth 24 to 72 hours later & in my experience it has always worked. The thing that I see most often as far as trouble is concerned is a little more difficulty cleaning. Make sure of your AI date  and that she wasn't covered by the clean up bull. The cortizol in the Dex is what will start your heifer  into labor. A shot or 2 of oxytocin after calving will help her to clean better hopefully & to come into her milk quicker. Good Luck. Keep us posted please.

Not that you need to hear this again, but here goes....We have only ever induced 1 time.  Everything turned out fine, but according to our vet who is a really great cattle vet it isn't something that you take lightly and it can end up in a wreck.  Just be as patient as you can and be there to help if needed.  The good lord made these animals capable of amazing things we just have to let them.  We have crossbred clubby females for the most part and they are notorious for going 7+ days over there due date and this year we had females that have always gone a week over calve two days early.  They keep you guessing that is for sure.  Best of luck!

It sounds to me that the heifer is being a heifer. I would do what everyone else is suggesting, let mother nature take her course. It's not uncommon for heifers to start acting uncomfortable and start pacing a few days before they calve. This is  their first time they don't exactly know whats going on. I had a heifer attack her calf when she had it, now she is one of the better mothers in my herd.

Your anxious, she is uncomfortable and because of your investment your worrying about it. Hey it's okay, she has some time and you will have to have some patience, until the 20th or even a couple days after You can take a breather and not watch her every 30 minutes. Whats the old saying "A watched pot never boils".

hangonsloopy said:

Really??? im sorry but if you are thinking about inducing a heifer that is not due for another week bred to an angus bull, you need to get out of this business.

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momma always said if you can't say anything nice don't say it at all. So i end my reply here.......

I never said i was going to induce her earlier than her expected calving date. I was just trying to get an idea as to what i was getting my self into if i choice to induce her as some point. Like i said we did palpate the calf and it isn't small by any means and it really has thrown me for a loop as to why the calf is so big. Her bw was 90 pound and we have never ever ever and any problem with OCC Homer

frostback said:

OB the heifer is by My Turn bred to OCC Homer. Waiting is the hardest part. Mother nature is a wonderful thing, have some faith. How do you figure she is late when she is due the 20th, is today not the 14th?

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See I shouldn't read these things when I was driving for 14 hours. I didn't catch that. Good thing its a calving ease bull.

I still say, Alpha for your piece of mind call the vet for a second opinion.

hangonsloopy said:

Really??? im sorry but if you are thinking about inducing a heifer that is not due for another week bred to an angus bull, you need to get out of this business.

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I have been doing this deal for more years than I would like to admit. I still get nervous during calving. I have had calving ease bulls throw that rare big one. I am pretty much sleepless during calving season.