Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Horse very tired, weak, and unsteady - could it be cancer?
By Wong, David et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2015·College of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Imaging diagnosis-hypoglycemia associated with cholangiocarcinoma and peritoneal carcinomatosis in a horse.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old Thoroughbred mare was brought in because she was not eating well and was showing signs of weakness and unsteady movements. An ultrasound of her abdomen showed a lot of fluid and several masses in her spleen, liver, and diaphragm. She also had fluid in her chest and some lung nodules. The vet found that her weakness and occasional seizures were linked to low blood sugar caused by a type of cancer called cholangiocarcinoma, which had spread throughout her body. Unfortunately, the prognosis was poor due to the advanced stage of the cancer.
People also search for: horse weakness and seizures · low blood sugar in horses · cholangiocarcinoma in horses · horse not eating and ataxia
Abstract
An 8-year-old Thoroughbred mare presented for decreased appetite, ataxia, and weakness. Abdominal ultrasound revealed a large volume of anechoic fluid along with multiple masses involving the spleen, liver, and diaphragm. Pleural fluid was identified via ultrasonography and thoracic radiography. Thoracic radiographs also identified pulmonary interstitial nodules, an undulant dorsal diaphragmatic margin and enlargement of tracheobronchial lymph nodes. Clinical signs of weakness and mild seizures were concurrent with hypoglycemic episodes. The final diagnosis was cholangiocarcinoma with extensive metastasis. Clinical signs of weakness, ataxia, and seizures were attributed to a paraneoplastic syndrome of tumor-associated hypoglycemia that has been infrequently reported in horses.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24103084/