Tadesse et al.

Intrauterine fetal death may either end up in resorption or mummification. The later

event being common when the death of fetus occurs after ossification of bones has

begunandresorptioncannottakeplace.Thechancesincreasewiththeadvancement

of gestation stage. In cattle an incidence of 0.13 to 1.8% has been reported (Barth,

1986) and haematic mummification is common. Caruncular hemorrhage has been

incriminated to be the cause of fetal death, followed by resorption of fetal fluids

and thereafter the fetus, tightly covered by the membranes, being separated from

the uterine wall by a viscous mass of clotted blood; giving the uterus a doughy

feeling. However whether the inter-placental hemorrhage is the cause or the sequel

of fetal death remains unclear (Noakes et al., 2001). A genetic predisposition to

the condition has been described in Jersey, Guernesy, and Friesian cattle (Logan,

1973). Recently (Ghanem et al., 2005) investigated the genetic factors in 10

fetal mummies and reported a factor XI gene deficiency, in 2 of these fetuses

was heterozygous. Although umbilical cord torsion has also been suggested as

a possible cause, this has not been a consistent finding. Hormonal causes have

also been suggested (Gorse, 1978). With the absence of concomitant luteolysis,

the fetal mummy is indefinitely retained in the uterus in a sterile environment,

with the condition being diagnosed when animals are examined for prolonged

gestation. Whereas single mummified fetuses have been widely reported, the

present paper records a rare case of mummified twins in a HF X local cross and a

case of abortion following fetal mummification at about 3 months gestation in two

HF x local crossbred cows. Most veterinarians are agreed that the fetal mummy is

indefinitely retained in a sterile uterine environment, indefinitely. However, Hafez

and Hafez (2000) also reported abortions in early stages of mummified bovine

fetuses. The present paper reports two cases of haematic fetal mummification in

HF X local crossbred cows, one with twins delivered through caesarean section

and the second having aborted at about four months.

Case Reports

A 5 year old cow (local X HF cross), in her fist lactation, was reported to have

overshot her gestation by about a month, without showing any signs of approaching

parturition. The animal was in good body condition, eating and drinking normally,

with no clinical signs of illness. Physiological parameters like body temperature,

pulse and respiration were in the normal range.

Clinical examination revealed the presence of an enlarged uterus, in front of the

pelvic brim, with no fetal fluids, a tightly contracted uterus over the fetus, along

with the presence of a doughy mass in between the uterine wall and fetus. Further,

careful examination lead to palpation of the right eye orbit of the fetus, but the

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Theriogenology Insight: 5(1): 25-32. April, 2015