Vicky was called out to calve a cow on a farm where the farmer was having difficulties. On first examination she felt something very odd, the calf had a huge head and clearly was not going to be delivered normally. She discussed the findings with the farmer and they decided to do a caesarian. I went along to help and we cut a hole in the left flank of the cow to deliver the calf - all of this carried out with the cow awake but anaesthetised locally. A general anaesthetic is very risky in a cow because of the pressure of the rumen on the chest and the risk of inhalation of stomach contents. When the calf was extracted it became clear what the problem was - hydrocephalus - which is where the cranium is enlarged because of internal pressure. The calf had a head about twice normal size. These cases are very rare and is the first I have delivered in 21 years of practice. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the calf was dead, although it has been retained for our museum and will go on display sometime next year when it has been preserved. With any luck we will be able to display it on our stand in Frome Show 2010 !
