Do you think my calf had TH

[kndcattle]

Have never had a TH calf before so i dont know what they look like.  I try to breed cows so this dont happen.  We had to jack out a good sized hfr calf the other night backwards.  Just as the hips popped out, i didnt notice this but my wife seen a bulge on calfs belly.  Meanwhile im cranking the calf out and it comes out quickly after this.  When the calf landed on ground we seen its belly was ripped open at its navel and its stomach was laying on ground.  Also all of its intestins was expelled on ground.  It seems to me that the pressure from jacking calf busted bulge on belly causing explosion.  We ended up putting the calf out of its misery.  Also its legs seem to be formed strange.  Its hard to explain how they were. 

Do yall think this could have been a TH Calf. Its mother is sunseeker and sire is Eye Candy.  The dam was bought as a hfr and supossebly tested clean.  i Know if she was a carrier there was a chance the calf was th but not if she was clean.

Also is it posssible her test was wrong?
Thanks for any help

 

[Mainevent]

I'd say it sounds like a th calf, with it's deformed legs especially.

 

[justintime]

I have seen more than my fair share of TH calves after putting a low BW Improver grandson out with a group of Improver 57th grand daughters. I had 6 TH calves in the first 10 calves. This was before TH was even known as being a defect. I thought we might have had an environmental issue as the oil industry had asked if they could put air monitors in our pastures for 4 years.
When I read the first article written by Doc Hunsley about the TH defect I knew exactly what we were dealing with.

All these calves had a rupture on their belly. All had deformed back legs. Shorter than normal and in a few cases, twisted together like a pretzel. All had short heads with bulging eyes. Two had a hole in their forehead about the size of a quarter and part of their brains pushed out with every breath. All had short kinky hair. All were very much alive and all tried and tried to get up and bawled often with a strange sounding bawl. I can still recall how it sounded even though several years have passed since then.
Your calf does sound like it had some of these traits. I have not checked to see if either of the parents are listed as being carriers but both sire and dam would have to be carriers in order for the TH defect to appear.  If they are carriers, then this is why I am opposed to propogating defects into future generations. If all carriers were eliminated from the gene pool we could still carry on with no defect cattle.

 

[Mainevent]

They are both carriers

 

[RyanChandler]

If all carriers were eliminated from the gene pool we could still carry on with no defect cattle.

(thumbsup)

 

[cowpoke]

I would say yes.A well known herd was having several TH calves and had the whole herd tested and sold every carrier regardless for slaughter.A TH carrier animal can have more bone and hair but they have to mated to non carriers.PHA is worse if you have ever had one not many cows survive if the pregnancy is full term.There have been instances of calves in excess of 200#s.Many breed associations  will not allow carriers to be sold in their sales.The problem has been addressed and its not as much a problem as before.

 

[Diamond]

I bought a female years ago who's pedagree was free of TH. However on a hunch I had the cow tested and she was a carrier....so obviously not the breeding said on paper. I lucked out considering her daughter was bred to a TH bull and she herself was a carrier as well, thankfully the calf came out ok. My point is, I test everything again if I even consider using a TH bull now. Oh and yes, unless it was a mutation it probably was a th calf.