Missing ball joint on muntjac

[Vapours]

Whilst preparing a muntjac recently I found that on one of the rear haunch there was no ball joint. Instead there were simply two flat planes that seemed to rub against each other.

There was a significant difference in size between the two haunchs

The gait was odd but not exceptionally so. All glands were checked and were ok

 

[willie_gunn]

How strange - and interesting! Thank you for posting the photos.

I wonder if it was born that way or if it was related to some earlier injury?

 

[Morkai]

Hip dysplasia?

 

[VSS]

Maybe damaged early on, and formed a false joint.
Or it might just be one of those curious anomalies.

 

[Vapours]

Interested in people's views.

There was no additional damage that I could see.

 

[Buchan]

Knowing this forum, I was expecting some thing different

 

[Buchan]

Curious, fracture or growth plate abnormality but I’ll await the carpenter’s view

 

[Triggermortis]

Maybe something akin to this?

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/373365315_Bilateral_dislocation_of_the_hip_joint_and_associated_pathological_changes_in_the_ossa_coxae_and_femora_of_a_European_roe_deer_Capreolus_capreolus

 

[Tim.243]

Curious, fracture or growth plate abnormality but I’ll await the carpenter’s view

I was expecting to hear "Is it insured"

 

[Selous]

Interesting, my thought would be an injury very early in life or perhaps a congenital abnormality as normal hip anatomy is not present. Hip dysplasia cases start with a normal joint that then progressively remodels resulting in infilling of the socket and remodelling of the femoral head css as used by the laxity of the joint. Even in advanced cases they don’t end up like this. The paper kindly referenced by @Triggermortis shows this nicely (see photo attached) as in this animal the natural socket joint is clearly identifiable ventral and caudal to the pseudarthrosis (false joint) indicated by the arrow. Fractures of the femoral head and/or neck leave fragments present and the remains of the femoral head in the socket are generally well preserved and identifiable. Even in cases where surgery has been performed to excise the femoral head and neck, the socket should be identifiable. The absence of any form of a socket suggests that this abnormality started very early in skeletal development because there is no evidence of there ever having a socket or normal femoral head.

 

[takbok]

I was expecting to hear "Is it insured"

I was wondering if it would be a fail or an advisory

 

[Tim.243]

Whilst preparing a muntjac recently I found that on one of the rear haunch there was no ball joint. Instead there were simply two flat planes that seemed to rub against each other.

There was a significant difference in size between the two haunchs

The gait was odd but not exceptionally so. All glands were checked and were ok

I have seen a muntjac with a fused leg joint also this