Abstract
A prospective study on vertebral fractures in newborn calves is described. Vertebral fractures were found in 7.0% of necropsied calves of the Danish Holstein-Friesian (SDM) and Red Danish Dairy (RDM) breeds. Cases were not found in submitted calves of the Jersey breed or beef breeds. At least in beef breeds this was probably due to the low number necropsied. The rate of vertebral fractures in SDM and RDM breeds and between males and females were similar. Most cases occurred in calves born by heifers, and manual traction force had been applied in all cases. All fractures which in most cases consisted of a simple epiphysiolysis were located at the thoraco-lumbar area, and especially the posterior epiphysis of T13 was afflicted.
Keywords: calf mortality, dystocia
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1.2 MB).
Acknowledgemets
The investigations were supported by a grant from the Danish Research Academy and the National Committee on Danish Cattle Husbandry.
References
- Agerholm JS, Basse A, Krogh HV, Christensen, Rønsholt L. Abortion and calf mortality in Danish cattle herds. Acta vet. scand. 1993;34:371–377. doi: 10.1186/BF03548180. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Ferguson JG, Dehghani S, Petrali EH. Fractures of the femur in newborn calves. Can. vet. J. 1990;31:289–291. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Goedegebuure SA, Verhaegh J, Dijk J v. Wervel–fracturen bij pasgeboren kalveren (Fractures of the vertebrae in newborn calves) Tijdschr. Diergeneesk. 1979;104:829–831. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hamilton GF, Turner AS, Ferguson JG, Pharr JW. Slipped capital femoral epiphysis in calves. J. Amer. vet. med. Ass. 1978;172:1318–1322. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Jong JM, De Reinders JS. Gebroken ruggegraten bij pasgeboren kalveren (Broken vertebral columns in newborn calves) Tijdschr. Diergeneesk. 1962;87:557–558. [Google Scholar]
- Kealy K. Diagnostic radiology. 2nd. London: W.B. Saunders Company; 1987. pp. 391–392. [Google Scholar]
- Metzner, Weiler Zweifaches Wirbelsäulentrauma bei einem Kalb (Twofold trauma of vertebral column in a calf) Dtsch. tierärztl. Wschr. 1991;98:199–201. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Schuh JCL, Killeen JR. A retrospective study of dys–tocia-related vertebral fractures in neonatal calves. Can. vet. J. 1988;29:830–833. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Smyth JA, McNamee PT, Kennedy DG, McCullough SJ, Logan EF, Ellis WA. Stillbirth/perinatal weak calf syndrome: preliminary pathological, microbiological and biochemical findings. Vet. Ree. 1992;130:237–240. doi: 10.1136/vr.130.12.237. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Trent AM, Ferguson JG. Bovine mandibular fractures. Can Vet. J. 1985;26:396–399. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]