Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Horse with bleeding in the brain after snakebite - what happened?
By de Sousa, Ana Lívia Vasconcelos et al.·Published in Toxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology·2025·University of Brasí, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Intracerebral hemorrhage (hemorrhagic stroke) secondary to Bothrops spp. snakebite envenomation in a horse.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
This report talks about a 3-year-old female horse that suffered a serious brain bleed, known as intracerebral hemorrhage, after being bitten by a Bothrops snake. Before she was put to sleep to prevent further suffering, she showed signs of kidney problems, bleeding throughout her body, and neurological issues. After she passed away, tests revealed a large brain bleed and snake venom in her tissues. The delay in treatment and not enough antivenom likely played a role in her condition. This case shows that snake bites from Bothrops can lead to serious brain issues in horses, sometimes showing only mild neurological signs at first.
Abstract
This report describes the first documented case of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in a horse following Bothrops snakebite envenomation. A 3-year-old mare developed acute kidney injury, systemic hemorrhage, and neurological signs before euthanasia. Postmortem findings confirmed massive ICH with intralesional venom identified by immunohistochemistry. Delayed treatment and insufficient antivenom likely contributed to the outcome. This case highlights the potential for cerebrovascular complications following Bothrops snakebite envenomation in horses, which may present as subtle neurological signs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40379034/