An adult Dorper ewe was presented to the Large Animal Clinic with dystocia. Reddish masses were seen hanging from the vulva of the ewe. Vaginal examination revealed a deformed fetus in the pelvic cavity that left insufficient room for fetal manipulation. A tentative diagnosis of dystocia due to fetal deformity was made. The dystocia was relieved by cesarean section and a case of true schistosomus reflexus in a lamb was confirmed from physical examination of the defective fetus.

A study was carried out on 117 smallholder dairy cattle herds in Kikuyu Division of Kiambu District Kenya between April 2004 and December 2004 to determine the incidence of periparturient conditions (downer cow syndrome, dystocia, milk fever and retained placenta among others) in smallholder dairy cattle herds and the associated factors (plausible predictor variables; age, parity and management systems among others) from a total of 206 dairy cattle. Data were collected during farm visits by observation, interviews using semi-structured questionnaires and clinical examination of animals. The most common conditions encountered were downer cow syndrome (12.6 %), dystocia (17.0 %), mastitis (9.5 %), metritis (7.3 %) milk fever (13 %) and retained afterbirth (26.6 %). The overall cumulative incidence of the periparturient conditions was 67 %. Animals with milk fever were 5 times more likely to develop retained placenta (P=0.04) while those with a history of having developed retained placenta in a previous parturition were at 2 times more likely to develop retained afterbirth (P=0.05). Cows with milk fever were 9 times more likely to develop owner cow syndrome (P <0.001) while those that were not given supplemental feed in the last trimester were 4.8 times more likely to develop downer cow syndrome (P=0.007). Animals that had dystocia were 3.9 times more likely to develop metritis (P=0.02) and while those with retained placenta were 5.2 times more likely to develop metritis (P=0.03). In addition, animals with dystocia were 10.55 times more likely to develop postpartum haemorrhage (P=0.01) and 58.9 times more likely to develop injuries to the birth canal (P<0.01). From this study it can be concluded that downer cow syndrome, dystocia, mastitis, metritis, milk fever and retained placenta were the most common periparturient conditions in smallholder dairy cattle herds in Kikuyu division of Kiambu district.

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A six year old Friesian cow from the Faculty farm was referred to the University of Nairobi's Large Animal Clinic with an ulcerated and infected mass below the left ear. On its dorsal aspect was a smaller mass measuring 2 cm. in diameter. The growth was surgically excised, the tissues fixed in 10 % formalin and submitted for histopathological characterization. The histopathological findings of increased number of hair follicles and increased numbers of keratinized cells were consistent with a trichoepithelioma. The cow was subsequently euthanized due to regrowth of the tumor and sent for postmortem examination. This report describes the clinical, necropsy and histopathological characteristics of this rare type of tumor in cattle