TREATMENT OF BOVINE RETAINED PLACENTA AND ITS EFFECTS

The literature on the treatment of retained placenta and its effects i s reviewed, Manual removal, the oldest and commonest method of treatme nt, benefits parlour hygiene but may adversely affect the cow. The use of collagenase may allow manual removal without such side effects. Ec bolic drugs are often ineffective, both as prophylaxis and treatment f or the condition. They are most effective within one hour of parturiti on, particularly after a caesarean section in which tocolytic drugs ha ve been used. Endometritis is a very common sequel to retained placent a. Antibiotics and oestrogens have been used to treat, control or prev ent the condition, but they are not routinely effective and may have d eleterious side effects. Gonadotrophin releasing hormone and/or prosta glandins have been used to reduce the deleterious effect of retained p lacenta on fertility, but the results obtained have been inconsistent.