Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Simmental calf with nosebleeds and bleeding disorder from von
By Sullivan, P S et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1994·Department of Animal Science·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Bleeding diathesis associated with variant von Willebrand factor in a Simmental calf.
- Species:
- cattle
Plain-English summary
A 10-month-old Simmental heifer was brought to the vet after experiencing nosebleeds and swelling in her ears for 10 days. The vet found that she also had bleeding in her joints. Tests showed that while her blood platelets looked normal, her bleeding time was longer than it should be, indicating a problem with blood clotting. The heifer's symptoms improved after receiving a plasma infusion, which helped correct her bleeding issues. Further testing revealed she had a specific type of von Willebrand disease, which affects her blood's ability to clot properly.
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Abstract
A 10-month-old Simmental heifer was examined because of a 10-day history of epistaxis and aural hematomas. Examination of the calf also revealed hemarthrosis. Initial laboratory data indicated that platelet count, platelet size, prothrombin time, and partial thromboplastin time were not different from a clinically normal (control) cow. Mucosal bleeding time was prolonged, and platelet adhesion to glass beads was less than expected. The clinical signs, prolonged bleeding time, and platelet adhesion defect were corrected by infusion of bovine plasma. Subsequent laboratory testing revealed that the affected calf had a truncated multimeric structure of von Willebrand factor (vWF), low vWF activity, and impaired platelet aggregation in response to adenosine diphosphate, but concentration of vWF was not different from that in clinically normal control animals. These data were consistent with a diagnosis of variant von Willebrand disease. The relationship of this disease to the thrombopathy of Simmental cattle is unclear.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7744652/