Misoprostol treatment of dystocia due to ringwomb in Awassi ewe: a case report

Incomplete dilatation of the cervix of the ewe is descriptively named ‘ringwomb’ (1). A small hole, the size of a ring (hence the name) is felt (2). Cervical priming refers to dilating and softening of the cervix in the first stage of labor is a gradual process (3). A Caesarean section mostly performed to treat such cases in ewes. Misoprostol an analogue of prostaglandin E1 is widely used to ripen the cervix and/or initiate labor at term in human and it is more widely used to control postpartum bleeding (4,5). PGE1 has never been used in ovine obstetrics to dilate the cervix in dystocia cases due to ringwomb. Previously in this clinic misoprostol had been used successfully to treat incomplete dilatation in a cow (6). This report describes the first successful use of misoprostol (PGE1) for the treatment of ringwomb in Awassi ewe