Method and apparatus for treatment of uterine prolapses in livestock

A method of and apparatus for treating uterine prolapses in livestock. Firstly, clean and manually reposition the uterine prolapse. Secondly, insert an internal uterine support through a cervix and deep into a uterus of an animal thereby supporting the positioning of the uterus. Thirdly, block the removal of the internal uterine support for sufficient time to permit the cervix of the animal to contract. Fourthly, withdraw the internal uterine support once the cervix of the animal has contracted. The apparatus has an inflatable supporting member serving as the internal uterine support. The supporting member is positioned on an elongate member which is insertable through a cervix and into a uterus of the animal. When expanded the supporting member is of a size sufficient to provide internal uterine support and when contracted the supporting member can be withdrawn through the contracted cervix without causing discomfort to the animal.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for treatment of 
uterine prolapses in livestock. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
It is not uncommon for a cow or a sheep to push her uterus out of the birth 
canal when calving. When this occurs it is referred to as an "uterine 
prolapse". The method of treatment is for a veterinarian to manually 
reposition the uterus, and then place pins through the vulva to create an 
obstruction which prevents the uterus from being pushed out again. This 
treatment is effective only if the animal stops "pushing". In most cases, 
however, the uterus is pushed against the pins, the cervix does not 
contract to its normal size and the animal continues to push. The result 
is a painful condition that obstructs the normal bodily functions of the 
animal, leading to a gradual deterioration in the health of the animal and 
eventually death. Even if the treatment is effective, the piercing of the 
skin with pins can lead to a secondary problem of infection. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
What is required is a more effective method and apparatus for treating 
uterine prolapses in livestock. 
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method 
of treating uterine prolapses in livestock which is comprised of the 
following described steps. Firstly, clean and manually reposition the 
uterine prolapse. Secondly, insert an internal uterine support through a 
cervix and deep into a uterus of an animal thereby supporting the 
positioning of the uterus. Thirdly, block the removal of the internal 
uterine support for sufficient time to permit the cervix of the animal to 
contract. Fourthly, withdraw the internal uterine support once the cervix 
of the animal has contracted. 
The described method proved effective in treating the uterine prolapse 
condition, however, difficulty was encountered in withdrawing the internal 
uterine support once the cervix had contracted. The difficulties in 
withdrawing the internal uterine support necessitated that a special 
apparatus be developed. 
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus 
for treating uterine prolapses in livestock which is comprised of an 
elongate member having a first end and a second end. The elongate member 
is insertable through a cervix and into a uterus of an animal such that 
the first end is positioned substantially into the uterus and the second 
end extends out of the cervix. The elongate member is narrow such that the 
elongate member can be withdrawn from the uterus, after the cervix has 
contracted, without causing discomfort to the animal. A supporting member 
is positioned at the first end of the elongate member. The supporting 
member is expandable and contractible. When expanded the supporting member 
is of a size sufficient to provide internal uterine support and when 
contracted the supporting member can be withdrawn through the contracted 
cervix without causing discomfort to the animal. Means is provided at the 
second end of the elongate member for expanding and contracting the 
supporting member. Attachment means are provided at the second end of the 
elongate member whereby the elongate member is attachable to a positioning 
harness on the animal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The preferred method of treating uterine prolapses in livestock will now be 
described with respect to FIG. 1. The method of treating uterine prolapses 
in cattle consists of the following described steps. Firstly, clean and 
manually reposition the uterine prolapse. It is preferred that this 
cleaning be done with a disinfectant, such as an iodine solution. 
Secondly, referring to FIG. 1, insert an internal uterine support, such as 
apparatus 10, through a cervix 12 and deep into a uterus 14 of a cow 16 
thereby supporting the positioning of uterus 14. Thirdly, block the 
removal of the internal uterine support for sufficient time to permit the 
cervix of the animal to contract. Fourthly, withdraw apparatus 10 once 
cervix 12 of cow 16 has contracted. Cervix 12 will usually contract within 
in a period of three or four days. 
The preferred embodiment, an apparatus for treating uterine prolapses in 
livestock generally identified by reference numeral 10, will now be 
described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Referring to FIG. 2, apparatus 
10 consists of an elongate tubular member 18 and an inflatable supporting 
member 20. Elongate member 18 has a first end 22, a second end 24 and a 
central passage 17 extending between first end 22 and second end 24. When 
elongate member is inserted through cervix 12 and into uterus 14 of cow 16 
as illustrated in FIG. 1, first end 22 is positioned substantially into 
uterus 14 and second end 24 extends out of cervix 12. The preferred length 
of elongate member 18 is approximately 20 inches. Elongate member 18 is 
narrow to facilitate ease of withdrawal from uterus 14, after cervix 12 
has contracted, without causing discomfort to the cow. The preferred 
thickness is 1 inch. Inflatable supporting member 20 is positioned at 
first end 22 of elongate member 18. Second end 24 of elongate member 18 is 
closed by an end cap 30. Supporting member 20 is expandable and 
contractible through the ingress and egress of air through a valve 32 on 
end cap 30. When expanded supporting member 20 is of a size sufficient to 
provide internal uterine support, as illustrated in FIG. 1, and when 
contracted supporting member 20 can be withdrawn through contracted cervix 
12 without causing discomfort to the animal. The size to which inflatable 
supporting member 20 should be expanded varies with the size of the 
animal. Usually the size of a fist is sufficient. Elongate member 18 is 
inserted through cervix 12 at a time when cervix 12 is fully dilated. 
Inflatable supporting member 20 can, therefore, be inserted in an inflated 
condition. It is preferred that apparatus 10 be covered with a disposable 
plastic bag 27 in order to avoid spreading infection. This bag is disposed 
of after each use. Second end 24 of elongate member 18 has a slot 34 
whereby elongate member 18 is attachable to a positioning harness 38 on 
cow 16. This attachment is accomplished by extending a strap 40 through 
slot 34 and fastening strap 40 to harness 38. 
Once apparatus 10 is in place cow 16 can be released. It has been found 
that cow 16 stops pushing and experiences no further discomfort. Cow 16 
resumes normal eating and will nurse her calf. The release of urine is not 
prevented by apparatus 10. After 3 days cervix 12 will have contracted and 
elongate member 18 can be removed from uterus 14. To effect the removal of 
apparatus 10, air is allowed to flow through valve 32 deflating inflatable 
supporting member 20. Elongate member 18 can then be drawn from contracted 
cervix 12 without causing cow 16 any discomfort. 
It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the described method is 
to be preferred over the pinning of the vulva. There is no puncturing of 
any kind, and therefore there is reduced likelihood of infection or pain 
to animal. It will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that 
modifications can be made to apparatus 10 without departing from the 
spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.