Congenital melanoma in a 3-month old bull calf - a case report

Abstract

The clinical, intraoperative and pathological findings taken from a case of melanoma in a 3-month-old bull calf are reported here. The cattle holder did not notice anything unusual when the calf was born, but noticed tumescence on the Achilles tendon at the age of 9 weeks, which increased with time. During surgery, subcutaneous and tendonous invasion by tumorous tissue was detected. Histological findings indicated that the neoplasia was a melanoma, therefore the prognosis was considered reserved. Melanoma is a rare tumour in cattle, often congenital, although already reported in companion species (e.g. dogs and cats) and domestic animals (e.g. some breeds of pigs and horses). Key words: melanoma, calf