Veterinary case
A lamb born without hooves on its hind legs
⚠️ This information is provided for awareness only and does not replace an examination by a veterinarian.
🤖 Summary produced automatically from the scientific publication cited at the bottom of the page.
A two-month-old lamb was born without hooves on its hind legs: here is what the X-ray revealed.
What happened?
A two-month-old male lamb was brought to the veterinary clinic because both hind legs were abnormally short and without hooves since birth. According to the owner, the lamb was born this way. Despite this, the animal walked normally and appeared generally healthy.
What did the vet find?
On examination, the veterinarian found the lamb standing obliquely due to the shortening of both hind legs. The tips of the legs were covered by skin with a little keratinized tissue, but no hooves or toes had formed. X-rays confirmed that the bones of the hind legs were incomplete: on the left leg the toes were completely absent, and on the right leg the foot bones had barely formed. No other malformations were found elsewhere in the skeleton.
What did the vet do?
ℹ️ Treatment given to THIS animal, decided by its veterinarian. It is not a prescription: never apply it without veterinary advice.
There was no treatment that could correct this congenital malformation. The veterinarian performed a full clinical examination and X-rays of both legs to confirm the diagnosis and check that no other abnormality was present.
What happened next?
No other abnormalities were found elsewhere in the skeleton. The exact cause of this malformation could not be determined, but the lamb was still able to move around despite the lack of hooves.
Advice for the farmer
This type of congenital malformation is rare and often linked to genetic or environmental factors during pregnancy; it is advisable to monitor the health and nutrition of pregnant ewes and report any abnormal birth to the veterinarian promptly.
Source
- Source
- PubMed Central
- Title
- A case report of partial bilateral hind limb adactyly in a male lamb.
- Authors
- Rajabioun M, Kazemi Mehrjerdi H, Ghasemi S.
- Year
- 2016
- Licence
- CC BY
