Survival and fertility of dairy cows following uterine prolapse

During the springs of the 1990-91 and 1991-92 dairying seasons, 103 cases of uterine prolapse in dairy cows were treated and then followed to determine the survival rate and the pregnancy rate of the remaining cows. It was found that 19 (18.4%) cows died within 24 hours of treatment and a further 16 (15.5%) died or were lost to the study during the course of the season. The 68 cows that remained were mated, and of these 53 (77.9%) were found to be pregnant and six (8.8%) aborted later. No cows suffered a repeat prolapse during the season. Cases were seen in all age groups, with the highest incidence in this study occurring in the 4 year-olds. All cases that survived went on to milk satisfactorily until the end of the season, indicating that prompt attention to uterine prolapse gives a reasonable survival rate and an acceptable conception rate.