Abnormal multiple pregnancy with septuplets in a cow

Abstract

SummaryA 5-year-old Brown Swiss cow being 8 months pregnant became recumbent and died. Postmortem examination revealed a multiple pregnancy with six normally developed fetuses and an amorphous globosus. The cow’s internal organs were displaced and compressed the lungs. Fatty liver caused by metabolic disturbances was diagnosed. A multiple pregnancy with more than two fetuses is very rare in cattle. It could be induced by treatment with exogenous hormones, but it could also be the result of genetic selection.