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Discussion on Hermaphrodite donkey foal?
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New Member:
donkgal
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Posted on Sunday, Oct 4, 2009 - 5:49 pm:
I have a 10 day old donkey foal that I (assumed) was a jenny (female). Today, I noticed that she almost appears to have vestigial male sex organs below her vulva (see pics). Her vulva is the pink area at the top. Below it almost looks like a scrotal sack/sheath. There are no testicles or penis, but I have never seen a jenny "made" like this before. Any ideas? 
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Member:
ekaufman
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Posted on Sunday, Oct 4, 2009 - 6:01 pm:
Hi Anita,
Could that be a prolapsed anus? It doesn't look like a scrotum to me. Is the foal passing normal manure?
Welcome to HA!
- elk
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New Member:
donkgal
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Posted on Sunday, Oct 4, 2009 - 6:42 pm:
Thanks for the input and welcome...no, I don't believe this has anything to do with the anus. She has been passing manure fine, and all of the "extra" parts are down below her vulva... I've never seen anything like it!
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Sunday, Oct 4, 2009 - 7:17 pm:
Hi Anita we had a calf born like that a couple years ago it was one of the oddest things I had seen too. The vet said it would look more normal as time went on and it did..she was a heifer, in the cow world they are always sterile.
I'm not sure that's what it is but it does look familiar
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Member:
sodmonst
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Posted on Sunday, Oct 4, 2009 - 11:06 pm:
Other than her um distinctive feature, would you please post her photo? Nothing more appealing to me than a equinino.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Monday, Oct 5, 2009 - 9:32 am:
A fairly common event in cows, the cause of hermaphroditism (free martins they are often called) is usually twinning. The female fetus is exposed to the male hormones from a male fraternal twin. Poly-chromasy on the sex chromosome is certainly possible but apparently rare.
Above I believe we see the transverse ventral fold, the fossa clitoris and it's enlarged walls, it's central depression, and the ventral commisure. I am uncertain we see the actual glans clitoris (or maybe we see the glans a little in the middle of the fossa). I quess if swelling has pushed the clitoris out removing the cleft that might be the glans to the right of the thumb, I am uncertain. The first image suggest it is the walls enlarged.
I have noted the clitoris of newborns is sometimes a bit enlarged. Sometimes it is edematous swelling that improves rapidly and in others the filly grows into it. Another explanation is exposure to progesterone in the latter half of pregnancy is known to cause enlargement and usually the foal grows into it. I cannot rule out a gene defect or hormonally induced hermaphroditism as it can be very variable in its presentation but since the glans itself is not obviously enlarged I don't think it is indicated by the photo.
DrO
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New Member:
donkgal
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Posted on Monday, Oct 5, 2009 - 10:32 am:
Thanks to all who have responded. This one really has me scratching my head
Dr. O, in the bottom picture, the skin that I am holding open is a "blind pouch"... it is not connected with her vulva or associated "plumbing".
Is there any way that that can be normal?
This whole pregnancy is mysterious. The jenny was bred on Sept. 21st last year. She was ultrasounded negative on Oct. 6th, and appeared to cycle again later in Oct., when she was covered twice by a different jack, with a last breeding date of Oct. 17th. She was ultrasounded positive 30 days later in November.
However, she immediately began growing to gargantuan size. Because twinning is so prevalent in Mammoths, we feared the vet had missed them on the US, and especially when she started bagging up in mid Aug. (Donkey gestation is 12 months, so she wasn't "due" til mid Oct.) She foaled in mid Sept., one day past her 'due date" had she taken to the Sept. breeding. It was a normal sized foal, so it appeared to be from that breeding. I was there when she foaled, in a stall, so I know there wasn't a twin lost at that point, but we were sure suspicious that there was going to be, or had been. It just seems odd that my vet would have missed the pregnancy originally, that the jenny would have cycled back and a pregnancy survived being bred by the jack, and then my vet would have missed the discrepancy in the size of the embryo when he checked her in Nov. I wonder if there could have been a male twin re-sorbed at some point?
For Susie, who requested a pic of the other end...here is one..
Thanks again!
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Member:
sdms
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Posted on Monday, Oct 5, 2009 - 11:36 am:
Anita, I have absolutely nothing to offer other than to say she is SO frickin' cute!!!
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Member:
rtrotter
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Posted on Monday, Oct 5, 2009 - 12:22 pm:
Anita,
Very recently in Standardbred racing, we have had two cases of hermaphrodites show up. Both came to light when post race tests showed up with a very high testosterone level. These horses outward appearance ( external genitalia) looked to be those of a mare. However, there was an elongated space between rectum and vulva ( at least in the hind shot I saw). Sort of looked like a male with a place for him to pee from ( vulva opening was really small.
Upon further examination, these horses had internal testes, which was what was creating the high testosterone levels.
These horses had raced against fillies and mares, made a lot of money and then had to be reclassified as horses and race against horses and geldings ( they are still making money).
An additional fact was that they were related somewhere in their genetic lines.
From your picture above, this seems to look like a swelling of some type, that may resolve as the days go by.
I think she is so cute with those big ears, I don't think it would matter to me what she was. I am sure it doesn't matter to you either as long as she is healthy.
Best of luck with her.
Rachelle
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New Member:
donkgal
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Posted on Monday, Oct 5, 2009 - 2:44 pm:
Thanks again to everybody! Yes, she is a sweetheart... I have high hopes for her, as she is (probably) the last foal from a very well bred jenny and was hoping to carry on this bloodline.
I am inclined now to agree with those who thought it might just be transient swelling.... today, she looks much more "normal", and all that was puffy and protruding yesterday, is now "back inside" (for want of a better way of putting it). Not sure what would have caused the swelling.... I did notice she has been urinating a lot. It's also time for her dam to be in "foal heat"...Can any of the dam's hormones affect the foal at this stage of the game?
I do appreciate all the input...
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Member:
erika
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Posted on Monday, Oct 5, 2009 - 9:21 pm:
Cute cute cute!!! Looks tall, how big is she?
Erika
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New Member:
donkgal
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 6, 2009 - 8:01 am:
Erika,
She is between 38-39", and will mature 14-15 hands. Thanks!
Anita
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 6, 2009 - 8:44 am:
Anita, did anyone record the size of the vesicle or embryo at the day 30 US? It might help answer the question of the earlier missed pregnancy but I agree that is quite an odd story.
DrO
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Member:
donkgal
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 6, 2009 - 9:07 am:
No, as far as I know my vet doesn't usually record that information. If he does the US at the office, he'll print off a copy for me to keep, but he did this one out here at my farm, so I didn't get a picture.
I am going to have the foal's DNA tested against the two possible jacks, so I will have a definitive answer as to which cycle the jenny settled on. The two jacks are father/son, though, so I hope the lab will be able to differentiate their DNA.
Anita
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 6, 2009 - 11:53 am:
I LOVE her!!!
This has been an interesting discussion.
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 6, 2009 - 12:46 pm:
Absolutely adorable!
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Member:
donkgal
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 6, 2009 - 4:12 pm:
Thank you everybody, for input and compliments...If anybody wants to see the whole crew, you can go to:
www.saddledonkey.com
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Member:
marieanh
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 6, 2009 - 5:39 pm:
I am in love with those ears. Lovely pics.
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Member:
erika
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Posted on Thursday, Oct 8, 2009 - 11:34 am:
Anita, your baby made the home page!! Love it!
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Member:
donkgal
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Posted on Thursday, Oct 8, 2009 - 11:55 am:
Brigitte(Mama), Mizzy (baby) and I are very honored to represent "Horse (and Donkey) Advice.com" A great bunch of folks!
Anita
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Member:
leslie1
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Posted on Thursday, Oct 8, 2009 - 9:00 pm:
I love them both---baby looks very precocious and mom looks very knowing
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 - 8:07 am:
Who could resist those two faces?
DrO
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 - 11:17 am:
Makes you want to take them home, doesn't it? That's just how Lonnie wound up with an old BLM burro and her foal for Father's Day years ago; those faces are just too cute to resist!
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Member:
leilani
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Posted on Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 - 11:16 pm:
Very nice looking donks, Anita. I have 2 rescue standards and they are so special. Leilani
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