Sometimes during kidding season, a doe will have trouble with a labor that is not progressing as it should. One of the reasons this might happen is due to the cervix not dilating. I would like to share with you one of my experiences with an uncooperative cervix that might help any of you with future kiddings. There is a bad part
and a good part -- the good part being the lesson learned.
      I had a first-freshening Alpine named Molly May. I did not think she was even bred as she had gone past 2 possible due dates and didn't look like she was pregnant. She showed no signs of developing an udder, swollen vulva, broken tail, or any other signs of pregnancy. When she was 9 days past the second due date, I went down to
do barn work and she was running around with a foot presenting itself under her tail. But when I checked to help her I had a foot sticking out and another foot, and the cervix was clamped shut -- no dilation at all; she had probably opened, had problems, and then shut down. Because the baby was presenting and she was pushing, I thought just keep pulling with her and, hopefully, the cervix would gradually redilate and the baby would come out. It did, but with it around the head, right in front of the forehead, was a white headband -- it seemed that the cervix had torn and come out around the kids head. I treated her with antibiotics and she did milk a little bit for awhile, but I couldn't wean her away from the antibiotics. She would always go back to infectious drainage and one problem after another. I felt really bad, but in consultation with my vet, he believed that with the torn cervix there was no viable avenue we could pursue to resolve her problems. So, unfortunately, I lost Molly May -- the infections were too much for her. That was the bad part of this story.
      The good part is the lesson I learned from losing Molly May. And when we lose a doe, sometimes in order to get past the guilt of wondering whether we did enough for that doe, or the sadness over losing one of our beloved friends, we have to look at what that doe's loss taught us that will help us to deal with like situations in the future. Losing Molly May like that and talking about the undilated cervix with others, I learned about the use of Calcium Gluconate as a method of opening the cervix over other things, like Oxytocin.
      If you have a doe that is pushing and a cervix that doesn't want to dilate or the labor is going on too long and nothing happening -- you can give Calcium Gloconate subcutaneously or orally and it will aid in the progression of labor and the dilation of the cervix. I was able to use this on a doe a couple of years ago and found that it does work. I had a Togg second freshener that was having trouble pushing. I could get a finger in the cervix and feel that the bag was broken and I felt a foot. But, manual dilation was not working and the doe was becoming stressed by her exertions.
Although it was so hard to do, I did what I had been told to do. I gave her 40 cc of Calcium Gluconate and waited. The 40 cc were given subcutaneously over 4 injections sites, 10 cc each, across the back. The injections should also be given slowly. You can also give the Calcium Gluconate orally. You would use the same amount.
      After an hour, I went back in and the cervix was wide open and I was able to assist and get the kid repositioned to where it was able to be delivered. Amazingly enough, both the first kid and the kid behind it lived and were fine. As long as their umbilical cord was intact they were able to stay alive, even though they were not still enclosed in a bag.
      Previously, what I had given for unprogressive labors was Oxytocin. However, the use of Oxytocin, if not timed properly, may close the cervix rather than open it. In addition, as explained by my vet, the Oxytocin causes severe contractions, that if given with an unprogressive cervix, can cause problems with tearing.
      A safeguard for enhancing labor, improving cervix dilation, and preventing retained placentas is the injection of BoSe prior to delivery. There are several schools of thought on these shots. Some people are giving the shots 4 weeks before or 10 days before, while others are giving 2 sets of shots. It is best to work with what is necessary for your area, i.e., whether you are in a selenium-deficient area or not, what has worked for your herd in the past, and also in consultation with your vet.