Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Horse with oral blisters and trouble eating - what to know
By Williams, M A et al.Ā·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical AssociationĀ·1995Ā·Department of Large Animal Surgery and Medicine, United StatesĀ·View original on PubMed ā
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Original publication title: Paraneoplastic bullous stomatitis in a horse.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A horse that was about 10 years old had been showing signs of not eating, unsteady movements, and blisters in its mouth for two months. These symptoms started just before a lump appeared on its neck. Despite trying antibiotics and steroids, the horse didn't get better until the lump was surgically removed, which led to all the symptoms disappearing. The lump was found to be a type of cancer called hemangiosarcoma, and the horse's condition was linked to a rare autoimmune disease that can occur with cancer. Overall, the treatment was successful, and the horse's symptoms resolved after the surgery.
Abstract
An adult horse with a 2-month history of anorexia, ataxia, and oral blisters had developed these clinical signs just prior to the appearance and growth of a cervical mass. Bullous stomatitis was characterized histologically as subepidermal clefting. Clinical signs were unresponsive to treatment with antibiotics or corticosteroids; however, surgical removal of the mass coincided with remission of all signs. Histologic findings of the mass were consistent with hemangiosarcoma. Results of indirect immunofluorescence and immunoprecipitation on frozen serum from the horse were characteristic of paraneoplastic pemphigus in human beings, a newly recognized mucocutaneous autoimmune disease associated with neoplasia.
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Search related cases āOriginal publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7628936/