A Piedmontese cow on her 4th calving had given birth approximately 10 days earlier; the delivery was dystocic, with the calf lodged in the birth canal at the level of the iliac tuberosities, and was extracted with forced traction. The animal expelled the placenta normally and showed no particular problems in the first two to three days after calving.
Over the following days, rumination and feed intake progressively decreased, and for about two days the animal has not been eating or ruminating.
On examination, the animal shows an apathetic attitude.
Normal temperature, slightly shallow breathing, mild tachycardia, temperature 38.2 °C (100.8 °F).
On vaginal examination, the cervix is normal and closed, the vaginal mucosa shows bruising, with no vaginal lacerations.
On rectal examination, scant dry feces, a well-involuted uterus, a non-palpable bladder, and a ruminal wall barely perceptible due to scant content.
