Caesarean operation to relieve dystocia due to left lateral deviation of the neck of the foetus in a four year’s old Sokoto Gudali heifer

Abstract

A Caesarean operation was undertaken to relieve a dystocia problem in a Sokoto Gudali cow. The   four years old cow with an estimated weight of 300kg was presented to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto by a client from the Minanata area of Sokoto town on 13/05/2012. The cow was managed semi-intensively with three other cows and was usually supplemented with wheat bran and corn stalk. The patient was routinely dewormed, but no history of vaccination. On physical examination, the patient was recumbent and straining intermittently; on vaginal exploration, the cervix was found to be dilated. The temperature, pulse and respiratory rate 40.1°C, 85beats/minutess and 30 cycles/minutes respectively. The foetus was found to be in anterior presentation, dorsal position, and the limbs were extended but the foetal neck was deviated to the left. Manual manipulation to correct the foetal posture proves impossible .hence the dystocia was relieved through aseptic caesarean operation. The procedure and the role of caesarean operation in animal husbandry were discussed in the paper.