Post-Calving Problems
Cows & Buffaloes
Metritis — Foul Discharge After Calving
Updated 09 Oct 2026 • By Falah Nutrition Desk, Animal Nutrition Advisor
Some discharge after calving is normal: for two or three weeks the uterus cleans itself and what comes out is reddish, then clear, and does not smell bad. Metritis is different. The discharge is watery, brown or dirty red, it stinks, and the cow herself is sick. It is the uterus infected, and it costs the next pregnancy if it is not dealt with.
Common Signs
- Watery, foul-smelling brown or reddish discharge in the first 2-3 weeks after calving
- Fever, dullness and reduced appetite
- Milk well down from the expected level
- Cow arching her back, straining or standing with tail raised
- Later: thick white or yellow pus seen at heat, and failure to conceive
Possible Causes
- Retained placenta, difficult calving or help given with dirty hands and ropes
- Twins, a dead calf or an abortion
- Milk fever and other calving-time weakness lowering the cow's defence
- Dirty, wet calving area
- Poor dry-period and transition nutrition — low selenium, vitamin E and energy all weaken the uterus
What the Farmer Should Check
- Smell and colour of the discharge: foul and watery brown is metritis, not normal cleaning
- Temperature above 39.5°C? Is she eating?
- Was the placenta retained or the calving assisted?
- How many days since calving — metritis is a first-three-weeks disease
- Was the transition ration fed, and is mineral mixture given daily?
Feed Guidance
Feed prevents metritis by sending a strong cow into calving. A proper dry-cow ration with daily mineral mixture, then GOKA Transition −21 for the last three weeks, keeps energy, selenium and vitamin E where the uterus needs them. After calving, GOKA Transition +21 restores appetite and energy quickly so her immune system is not starved while it fights off bacteria. A cow already with metritis needs the vet's treatment first, and on the feed side small, frequent, palatable feeds with plenty of lukewarm water to keep her eating through the fever.
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
Fresh Lactating Cows & Buffaloes
Protects fresh animals from ketosis & weakness
When to Contact a Veterinary Doctor
Foul discharge with fever after calving needs a veterinary doctor promptly: antibiotics and uterine treatment are prescription matters, and untreated metritis commonly leaves the cow a repeat breeder.
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