abnormal calf born dead

[Anonymous]

Recently we had a cow calve, and the calf was born dead. Its head is abnormal in that it had a growth on the bridge of its nose. I am not sure what the growth was intended to be; at first I thought it might be a second head, but there are no distinguishing characteristics in it. I remove the growth, and I found that the calf has a hole in its cranium, and brain tissue is exposed. Other than this, and the growth, the calf was normal, and I assume it was delivered normally. We do not inbreed our cows, and there has been no history of genetic birth defects in our herd. I am interested in what would cause this to happen. I would appreciate any info.
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[Anonymous]

Ok, you're either describing hydrocephaly (water head) or exencephaly (missing piece of skull and brain outside). They can certainly be genetic, toxic (ie molds etc) or idiopathic (unknown cause). I'd recommend you speak with your vet and find out if there's anything in your area causing this problem! Good Luck1<br>V
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