Category: Bovids

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐚 is a red to brown discolouration of the bones and teeth, starting from birth, due to the accumulation of 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐬 (compounds that bind metals, such as heme in red blood cells). The name porphyrin derives from the Greek word prophyra, which means purple, and tells you a bit about what colour these compounds are!

𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦 is an abnormality of sexual development, where a female calf is born with 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 (having two complete genome sets in the body) with some cells having XX sex chromosomes and some cells having XY chromosomes.

𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐮𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐬 is a rare and fatal congenital disease where the fetus’ spine is 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐝 backward, meaning that spine is curved away from the legs. This is also associated with failure of the abdominal wall to close, so the guts are hanging out of the fetus. This gives the fetus an “inside out” appearance. So weird.

𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 is the colloquial term for when a ruminant eats a piece of something pointy, and the pointy thing pokes through the wall of their 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐮𝐦, one of their four chambers in their stomach.

𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐞’𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 is a bacterial disease of ruminants that primarily affects the intestinal tract. It is a huge source of production loss, particularly for dairy cattle, so it is a very important disease!

𝐋𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐲 𝐣𝐚𝐰 is probably one of the more descriptive veterinary disease names, being literally a disease causing a lumpy jaw! This is a type of 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐨𝐦𝐲𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬, or a bacterial infection of the mandibular bone.

We typically shorten this disease to just “polio”, for obvious reasons. But if you break it down into its Latin roots, it’s not too bad!