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Veterinary Medicine vocabulary · Reproduction and Birth

Dystocia

Meaning in veterinary medicine, with examples

nounCommon term

In veterinary medicine, dystocia means: A difficult or abnormal birth in which the mother cannot deliver her young without help, for example because the baby is too large or wrongly positioned.

In Turkish: güç doğum, distosi

How it is used

The clinical word; farmers say a hard or difficult calving, lambing or foaling. Vets assess the presentation and position of the foetus, correct it, use calving ropes or a calving aid, or decide on a caesarean.

Example sentences

  1. The heifer has been straining for two hours with no progress; it looks like a dystocia.

  2. Dystocia is common in some bulldog breeds, so planned caesareans are often booked.

Common collocations

  • cause of dystocia
  • dystocia in heifers
  • manage a dystocia
  • foetal dystocia
  • calvingThe process of a cow giving birth to a calf. The verb is calve, and the time of year when the cows give birth is the calving season.
  • caesarean sectionAn operation to deliver young by cutting through the abdominal wall and the uterus, used when a normal birth is impossible or unsafe.
  • pregnantCarrying one or more developing young in the uterus. Farm vets often use species phrases instead, such as in calf, in lamb or in foal.
  • cattleCows, bulls, steers and calves kept for milk or meat. It is a plural noun with no singular form.

More terms: Reproduction and Birth

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.