Diagnosis of uterine torsion in ewes by using B-ultrasound of sheep

Uterine torsion is mainly caused by stress response or insufficient exercise of pregnant ewes. This type of torsion mainly occurs in the late pregnancy, so B-ultrasound of sheep should be used for monitoring in the late pregnancy. It is easy to occur within 10 days before delivery. At this stage, the fetus is mature, the weight of the ewe increases, and the ewe is slow in action, lagging behind other sheep. Therefore, when grazing sheep in the wild, farmers generally like to bring sheepdogs to help them take care of the sheep. However, sheep are naturally afraid of canines. It is easy for sheepdogs to cause fear in the process of driving the sheep. During the fierce exercise, the sheep squeeze each other, which can cause uterine torsion. During pregnancy, it is necessary to use B-ultrasound of sheep for monitoring. On the other hand, the exercise field is relatively narrow, the pregnant ewe does not exercise enough, the fetus develops too large, and the sheep collide with each other, which can easily cause uterine torsion.

The main symptoms of sick animals are restlessness, obvious delivery symptoms, prominent anger, swollen breasts, and some can even ooze colostrum. The ewes frequently make lambing postures, but the birth canal is clean and no foreign objects are discharged. When the birth canal is touched by hand, the pelvis is open, the cervix is closed, and the rectum is explored by hand. The cervix feels like a rope. The fetus is obviously touched, but it cannot be delivered. The ewes frequently make stretching postures. Of course, when using Sheep B-ultrasound, the condition of the uterus will be more obvious. The severity of symptoms varies depending on whether the uterus is completely torsion or incomplete torsion. Generally, complete torsion is more severe, and incomplete torsion is less severe. Those who develop the disease long before delivery initially have restlessness and indigestion. Later, they become restless, lose their appetite, stop ruminating, and develop bloat. At the same time, due to the periodic relief of pain, sheep can become quiet periodically. When diagnosing this disease, it is best to cooperate with the results of sheep B-ultrasound. The body temperature is normal, and the breathing and pulse are accelerated. If there is no septicemia (symptoms are a sharp rise in body temperature and aggravated digestive disturbance), it will get better after 2-3 days.

The role of sheep B-ultrasound in preventing uterine torsion in ewes

When diagnosing this disease, vaginal examination and sheep B-ultrasound examination are both good choices, which can accurately identify uterine torsion. When examining the vagina, it can be found that the vagina is funnel-shaped due to narrowing, and there are spiral folds facing the cervix in the deep part. This fold proves that the uterus has been twisted. In order to determine the direction of uterine torsion, special attention should be paid to the direction of the mucosal folds. If the direction of the folds rotates from the left posterior upper to the right anterior lower, it is torsion to the right. When inserting a finger into the vagina for palpation, if the finger moves in a clockwise direction, the uterus is torsion to the right, and if it is counterclockwise, it is torsion to the left. For incomplete torsion, the finger can reach the fetus through the smaller cervix, but when it is completely torsion, the finger cannot be inserted into the cervical canal. Sheep B-ultrasound can well observe the torsion condition.

Early detection is required. For sheep entering the expected delivery period, they should be concentrated in the delivery pen according to the large-scale operation requirements, and the dynamics of the breeding should be observed every day. For some sheep that have symptoms of delivery and have no amniotic fluid or urine discharge within one hour, they should be consciously examined by sheep B-ultrasound to determine whether uterine torsion has occurred.

Early prevention. Through several typical cases, it can be seen that the cause of uterine torsion is mainly related to the breeding environment. Some farmers like to use sheepdogs to help drive sheep, which can easily scare sheep and cause uterine torsion. On the other hand, the sheep pen is narrow and dense, and the sheep do not exercise enough, so the sheep's stress response should be minimized. For ewes in the late pregnancy, the pen should be adjusted in time, and the exercise field should be spacious and less stressful. This can reduce the occurrence of this disease, and sheep B-ultrasound should be used frequently to observe them.