Massive vulva swelling in dairy cows
Keywords: vulva, swelling , bovine, diary, prepartumVulva swelling together with a mucous discharge is a normal finding in cattle during the last 12 to 24 hours before calving. In one herd, two pluriparous cows had with massive vulva enlargement in the late prepartum period; far greater than that normally seen. Swelling begun approximately 28 days before calving. The vulva of a similarly affected cow (from another study) is seen below, one week before calving.
Image size: 1661 x 2400px Copyright: Dr Soon Hon Cheong. cheong@cornell.edu
Neither cow discussed here had shown vulvar enlargement in previous pregnancies. In both cases, swelling was cool to the touch and pitted upon pressure in the cow with severe swelling. In both cases, the swelling subsided within a few days of calving. In the cow with severe vulva edema, the condition did not re-occur in a subsequent pregnancy. The cow with milder swelling did not calve again, being culled because of low milk production.
Peripartum serum progesterone and estradiol 17 beta profiles were similar to those of herd mates in another study and neither cow had hypoproteinemia (which could have contributed to edema).
This condition is surprisingly absent in veterinary literature, probably because it is sporadic and uncommon in dairy cows. Anecdotal reports suggest that severe vulva swelling is more often seen in pluriparous cows than first calf cows. Although one of these cows required assistance during calving, the condition has not been associated with dystocia. In essence, the cause of severe prepartum vulva swelling in cows is unknown. It appears to be a remarkable but benign variation of normal physiology.
