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Syndactyly in a miniature Herford bull calf . History. Calf born on Friday evening, posterior presentation, pulled with chains (2 men pulling) Dam: retained fetal membranes, mild fever.
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History • Calf born on Friday evening, posterior presentation, pulled with chains (2 men pulling) • Dam: retained fetal membranes, mild fever. • Calf: unable to rise, no suckle reflex. Hind legs had mild abrasions from chains. Owner tube fed colostrum and milk from dam
Physical Exam • Unable to rise, appeared dull but responsive • Temp: 38.4, HR, mm and RR WNL, no murmur auscultated • Neuro exam: weak menace response, PLR difficult to assess due to eyes rolling ventrally. Retraction of neck resulted in loss of motor control of head. • Syndactyly on both front feet, hind right partially fused, hind left appeared normal. • Tendons severely contracted, unable to place feet on ground.
Radiographs Left front Right front
Radiographs Right hind Left hind
Necropsy findings Coning of cerebellum Spinal cord bleed
Syndactyly • Common genetic abnormality found in many breeds, most commonly Holstein calves • More common in dairy, more severe in beef • Autosomal recessive trait with incomplete penetrance • Mutation of the low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 4 (Lrp4 gene) • Can be one foot, or multiple feet affected – right front most commonly affected, hind left least likely
Syndactyly • Problems: • Difficulty walking • Usually “unthrifty” and die in first few days • Unable to cope with stress and heat, get hypothermia very easily • If affected, both dam and sire may be carriers
References • Barr, M. (1981). Syndactyly. Angus Journal, 34-35. • Leipold, H. W., Schmidt, G. L., Steffen, D. J., Vestweber, G. E., & Huston, K. (1998). Hereditary Syndactyly in Angus Cattle. J Vet Diag Invest, 10, 247-254.