Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Horse with muscle twitching and sweating - what is hypoparathyroidism?
By Hudson, N P et al.·Published in Australian veterinary journal·1999·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United Kingdom·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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Primary hypoparathyroidism in two horses.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
Two Thoroughbred horses were brought in with symptoms like sweating, restlessness, muscle twitching, and a specific type of breathing problem called synchronous diaphragmatic flutter. These issues were linked to very low calcium levels in their blood. The horses were diagnosed with primary hypoparathyroidism, which means their bodies weren't producing enough parathyroid hormone to regulate calcium properly. They were treated with intravenous calcium followed by oral calcium, magnesium, and a vitamin D supplement for about 65 days, which completely resolved their symptoms. One horse was put to sleep a year later, but the other returned to normal activities while only needing a small amount of oral calcium.
Abstract
Two Thoroughbred horses were presented with various clinical signs which included sweating, agitation, muscle twitching and synchronous diaphragmatic flutter. These signs were associated with profound hypocalcaemia. A diagnosis of primary hypoparathyroidism was made on the basis of low serum ionised calcium concentration, hyperphosphataemia and markedly reduced serum immunoreactive parathyroid hormone concentrations in the presence of normal renal function. Treatment with a combination of intravenous calcium and subsequently oral calcium, magnesium and a vitamin D analogue (dihydrotachysterol) for up to 65 days resulted in complete remission of clinical signs. Horse 1 was euthanased 12 months after the initial recognition of signs. Results of necropsy were unremarkable apart from an absence of detectable parathyroid tissue. Horse 2 returned to athletic activities while receiving only maintenance doses of oral calcium carbonate.
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/10494394/