Cavan-based vet, Gerard McGovern, responded to a call to a Friesian heifer with dystocia, which saw the birth of what he described as a “typical” bulldog calf.
In a post on his popular Instagram account, the UCD graduate explained that because of the calf’s shortened, thickened legs and broad head, the heifer was unable to push him into the pelvis.
This, he added, resulted in a prolonged calving, detachment of the placenta and a stillbirth.
“With achondroplasia, the growth of long bones with ossification of cartilage is retarded, resulting in bones with large knobby cartilaginous epiphyses & short diaphyses (photo 3).”
“The head is usually rounded & broader than usual (photo 1) & the body short & barrel-like (photo 2). This particular calf also had ascites (water belly or more accurately, wine bag!).”
There are several causes of chondroplasia, including genetic abnormalities and Manganese deficiency, the vet added.
Image source: Gerard McGovern Instagram
