Rabbit newborn with frontal
encephalocele
Esther van Praag, Ph.D.
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Rarely a newborn rabbit
presents with a deformation of the head. It can have a hereditary origin or
be linked to a developmental defect of the fetus. This is the case of
encephalocele, which results from an abnormal development of the neural tube
at the beginning of gestation. This defect is associated with an autosomal
recessive gene that can be expressed at the level of the spinal cord – spina
bifida, or of the skull, in form of an encephalocele
At skull level, this defect hinders the proper closing of
the skull bones and of the skull. This incomplete closing is at the sagittal
level, between the forehead and the nostrils. There is a protrusion as
result, or a hernia of the skull that contains part of the brains and
sometimes the membranes that surround and protect the brain as well as spinal
cord.
Only one case has
been described by Geelen in 1974 in a hydrocephalus
rabbit. In this case, the newborn rabbit, aged 3 weeks old, was the result of
inbreeding.
This 1 day old
newborn rabbit was part of an 11 member offspring of a female Belgian beard
rabbit (an older breed that became almost extinct). It was alive and active,
yet, it was decided to humanely euthanize this newborn as its chance to
survive in an 11 members nest is poor and to spare it future sufferings.
Acknowledgement Once
more, a huge big thank you to Michel Gruaz (Switzerland) to share
this rare defect in a newborn rabbit. Further information Geelen
JAG. A
case of hydrocephalus and meningo encephalocele
in a rabbit caused by aqueductal malformation. Laboratory Animals (London) 1974 :
167-176. |
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