Reproduction
Cows & Buffaloes
Abortion in Cattle — Responding Right When a Pregnancy Is Lost
Updated 26 Aug 2026 • By Falah Nutrition Desk, Animal Nutrition Advisor
Losing a pregnancy is a hard day in any shed — and what happens in the next hours matters for the whole herd, because some causes of abortion are infectious to other animals and a few can affect people. The right response is careful handling, honest recording, and letting the veterinary doctor look for the why.
Common Signs
- Premature expulsion of a fetus at any stage, or a found fetus in the bedding
- Warning stages beforehand in some cases: discharge, early bagging-up, restlessness
- Retained afterbirth commonly following abortion
- The animal herself ranging from visibly sick to apparently fine
- The herd pattern that matters most: more than one loss in a season
Possible Causes
- Infectious causes — bacterial and others — some spreading through discharges and a few transmissible to humans handling material barehanded
- Fevers and severe illness (any disease with high fever can cost a pregnancy)
- Mouldy feed toxins — one more entry in mouldy feed's bill
- Physical trauma: falls, fights, crushes, rough transport in late pregnancy
- Severe nutritional stress and some poisonings; often, frustratingly, no cause found in single cases
What the Farmer Should Check
- Stage of pregnancy lost, and any illness signs in the animal now
- GLOVES ON: was material handled bare-handed by anyone? (correct that practice immediately)
- Any fever history, feed change, mould exposure, trauma event in recent weeks?
- Is this the first loss, or part of a pattern in your shed or village?
- Is the afterbirth retained — and is the animal being watched for infection?
Feed Guidance
Immediate response: isolate the animal from pregnant herd-mates, handle fetus, afterbirth and discharges ONLY with gloves (some causes infect people — this rule is absolute, and keep children away), and preserve the material covered and cold rather than discarding it — the doctor may want it for finding the cause. Call the veterinary doctor: they treat the cow (retained placenta and womb infection commonly follow), advise on safe disposal and disinfection of the spot, and judge whether herd-level testing matters — which single losses sometimes don't but repeated losses always do. Feeding's role is before and after: steady balanced pregnancy nutrition with minerals prevents the nutritional-stress fraction of losses and never feed mouldy anything to pregnant animals; afterwards, feed her back to condition patiently — a well-recovered cow usually breeds again successfully.
Relevant GOKA Products
Pregnant Cows & Buffaloes (Dry Stage)
Healthy dry period, trouble-free calving
Pregnant Cows & Buffaloes
20 days of feeding, 300 days of benefits
When to Contact a Veterinary Doctor
Every abortion deserves a veterinary call — for the cow's own aftercare, safe handling guidance, and the herd question. Repeated losses in a shed or village need investigation, and all handling of aborted material must be gloved.
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