PREVALENT SURGICAL AFFECTIONS AMONG CALVES WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ULTRASONOGRAPHIC EXAMINATION

Abstract

The present study included two parts, the clinical part where calves were examined to determine surgical affections among them and the second part was planned to establish a preliminary atlas of normal ultrasonographic characters of some abdominal organs of clinically normal calves.

In the clinical part, 3357 calves (620 native breed, 1339 foreign breeds' calves and 1398 buffalo calves) were examined for presence of various surgical affections. These calves were of both sexes and of age from one day to one year. They were raised up in fiVe governorates in Egypt (Fayoum, Giza, Cairo, Al-Monofia and Kafer El-Sheikh).

After taking the case history, the clinical signs, physical, laboratory, radiographic, ultrasonographic, post mortem and histopathological examinations were carried out whenever it was possible.

From the results of the present study, it was concluded that 7.6% of the total examined calves had various surgical affections. These affections included eye affections (46 cases), umbilical infections (45 cases), integumentary affections (39 cases), hernias (38 cases), musculoskeletal affections (38 cases), tail affections (30 cases) ruptured bladder (12 cases), digestive system affections (seven cases) and radial paralysis (one case).

Buffalo calves showed the least incidence of surgical affections compared with foreign and native breeds of cattle.