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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Calf with abnormal gait diagnosed with brain disease and liver shunt

By Pietersma, Janna·Published in The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne·2018·Ontario Veterinary College, Canada·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Spongiform encephalomyelopathy in a calf with a congenital portosystemic shunt.

Species:
cattle
Brain & nerves

Plain-English summary

A 3-month-old Holstein heifer calf was brought in because she was walking strangely and had some issues with her eye reflexes. Although she was eating well, she was smaller than expected for her age. Unfortunately, after she passed away, a postmortem exam revealed that she had a congenital portosystemic shunt, which is a condition where blood bypasses the liver, leading to various health problems.

People also search for: calf abnormal gait · Holstein calf eye reflex issues · congenital portosystemic shunt in calves

Abstract

A 3-month-old Holstein heifer calf was presented because of an abnormal gait. Further examination revealed cranial nerve deficits, including a severely delayed corneal reflex. The calf was not ataxic and maintained an appetite, but was considerably stunted for her age. A postmortem examination resulted in a diagnosis of a congenital portosystemic shunt.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30197446/