Hydrocephalus
in Beef Cattle
Guide 400 B-202
Hydrocephalus, commonly called "water-on-the-brain,"
has caused the death of calves at birth or shortly there-
. of Hereford catde
sity and in three privately-owned herds in New
>. The condition has also been observed and is
studied by research workers at land-grant univer-
1 California, Colorado, Nebraska, and Oregon.
afte
Unive
Mextc
being
Description
Hydrocephalic calves in the New Mexico State University herd were dead at birth or died within three days
following birth. None of the live hydrocephalic calves
: able to stand. All hydrocephalic calvi
the average birth weight
All had bulging foreheads,
respect than others. Genet
pletely developed,
the birth of a few of the
e of th«
40.2 pounds.
the teeth were incom-
fluid accompanied
The small openings in the skull above the eyes, called
supraorbital foramina, are often double in cattle. Frequently, hydrocephalic calves in the NMSU experimental
herd had several of these openings. The largest of these
were noticeably smaller in diameter than those of normal
calves. In contrast, these openings in the skulls of hydrocephalic calves from privately-owned herds were all
normal in size. Some heads from privately-owned herds
were normal in profile and free of the bulginess of forehead, but were found to be hydrocephalic when inspected
internally.
Positive diagnosis of hydrocephalus can be made by
inspection of a head which has been frozen and split with
a band saw. The following pictures illustrate differences
between normal and hydrocephalic heads. Notice the
large accumulation of fluid in the cerebral ventricles and
the small cerebellum of the hydrocephalic calf.
Fluid in ventricles
HYDROCEPHALIC
NMSU Cooperative Extension Service and Agricultural Experiment Station Publications
Digital Identifier
UAAPg00B2020001
Is Part Of
Hydrocephalus in beef cattle
Type
Text
Format
image/tiff
Language
eng
OCR
Hydrocephalus
in Beef Cattle
Guide 400 B-202
Hydrocephalus, commonly called "water-on-the-brain"
has caused the death of calves at birth or shortly there-
. of Hereford catde
sity and in three privately-owned herds in New
>. The condition has also been observed and is
studied by research workers at land-grant univer-
1 California, Colorado, Nebraska, and Oregon.
afte
Unive
Mextc
being
Description
Hydrocephalic calves in the New Mexico State University herd were dead at birth or died within three days
following birth. None of the live hydrocephalic calves
: able to stand. All hydrocephalic calvi
the average birth weight
All had bulging foreheads,
respect than others. Genet
pletely developed,
the birth of a few of the
e of th«
40.2 pounds.
the teeth were incom-
fluid accompanied
The small openings in the skull above the eyes, called
supraorbital foramina, are often double in cattle. Frequently, hydrocephalic calves in the NMSU experimental
herd had several of these openings. The largest of these
were noticeably smaller in diameter than those of normal
calves. In contrast, these openings in the skulls of hydrocephalic calves from privately-owned herds were all
normal in size. Some heads from privately-owned herds
were normal in profile and free of the bulginess of forehead, but were found to be hydrocephalic when inspected
internally.
Positive diagnosis of hydrocephalus can be made by
inspection of a head which has been frozen and split with
a band saw. The following pictures illustrate differences
between normal and hydrocephalic heads. Notice the
large accumulation of fluid in the cerebral ventricles and
the small cerebellum of the hydrocephalic calf.
Fluid in ventricles
HYDROCEPHALIC
