Health
Some Shorthorns have been found to have a genetic defect called Tibial Hemimelia (TH), a disease caused by an abnormal gene. TH was identified in a small number of Shorthorn cattle in Canada in 1999. It is characterized by severe deformities in newborn calves, which are born with twisted rear legs with missing tibias (shin bones) and fused joints, large abdominal hernias and often skull deformities. They cannot stand to suckle and must be destroyed. All the affected animals descend from a single individual. The gene involved is recessive: the disease occurs only when homozygous (two copies of the gene are present); heterozygous (carrier) animals show no symptoms, but are likely to be much more widespread in the population than affected animals.
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