Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Horses with brain abscesses - signs to watch for
By Raphel, C F·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1982·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Brain abscess in three horses.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
Three horses were diagnosed with brain abscesses, which are pockets of infection in the brain. One horse showed symptoms for a long time, while the other two had symptoms that appeared quickly. The signs included losing vision in one eye, tilting their heads, circling, behaving strangely, and having trouble with coordination. The third horse lost vision in both eyes, seemed confused, and appeared to be deaf. The tests on their spinal fluid didn’t provide clear answers. Overall, the horse with the longer illness had a specific type of balance problem related to the brain.
Abstract
Three horses with brain abscesses had different clinical manifestations: 1 had a protracted clinical course whereas 2 had a short clinical course. Clinical signs in 2 horses (1 acute case, 1 chronic case) included unilateral loss of vision, head tilt, circling, abnormal mental status, and ataxia. The 3rd horse had bilateral loss of vision, altered mental status, and apparent deafness. Results of cerebrospinal fluid analysis were inconsistent. The horse with the protracted clinical course had paradoxic central vestibular disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7085464/