Calf born in North Dakota has 2 extra limbs

Published May 12, 2017

May 11, 2017: Gerald Skalsky holds the 1-day-old calf with an extra pair of legs attached to its neck at his ranch near Beulah, N.D. (AP/The Bismarck Tribune)

A calf born seemingly healthy at a North Dakota ranch has an extra set of limbs hanging off its neck.

State Veterinarian Susan Keller tells The Bismarck Tribune that the calf could've been born with one of two disorders, polydactyly or polymelia. With polymelia the extra limbs are often smaller or shrunken. Polydactyly is the result of genetic combinations involving recessive genes.

Keller says this type of defect is an "important topic that producers should not be afraid to report to their veterinarian and to all breed associations."

The calf was born Wednesday at Gerald Skalsky's ranch south of Beulah. Skalsky says the condition isn't fatal and he plans to have the extra limbs surgically removed so it doesn't get caught in a fence.

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