Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Heart problems in horses after snake bites - what to know
By Hoffman, A et al.·Published in Toxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology·1993·Veterinary School of Medicine·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Myocarditis following envenoming with Vipera palaestinae in two horses.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
Two horses developed heart problems after being bitten by a snake called Vipera palaestinae. In the first horse, which was brought to the hospital for belly pain eight days after the snake bite, the vet found an irregular heartbeat through an ECG test. The second horse was found dead two months later without any warning signs. Both horses showed severe damage to their heart tissue. Unfortunately, the treatment did not prevent serious heart issues in either horse.
Abstract
Cardiac disease developed several days to weeks after resolution of local inflammation caused by envenoming by Vipera palaestinae in two horses. In one horse (case A), referred to the hospital for recurrent abdominal pain 8 days after envenoming, a tachyarrhythmia was detected; ventricular premature depolarizations were diagnosed by ECG. A second horse (case B) was found dead without premonitory signs 60 days after envenoming. In both horses, there was extensive necrosis of cardiac ventricular tissues.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8146876/