Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Status epilepticus caused by canine distemper virus in a striped hyena ( Hyaena hyaena )
- Journal:
- Veterinary Record Case Reports
- Year:
- 2022
- Authors:
- Sarchahi, Ali Asghar & Arbabi, Mohammad
- Affiliation:
- Department of Clinical Sciences Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Ferdowsi University of Mashhad Mashhad Iran
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-month-old female striped hyena was brought to a veterinary hospital in Iran because she was very tired and having seizures. During the examination, the vets found that her heart rate was normal, but she was breathing fast and had abnormal sounds when breathing. She was having seizures every 20 minutes that lasted about a minute each, so the vets gave her a medication called diazepam to try to stop them, which worked initially. However, 12 hours later, she started having seizures again and sadly passed away during this episode. This case is significant because it shows that canine distemper virus (a virus that can affect dogs and some wild animals) can lead to severe seizures in striped hyenas, and in this instance, the treatment did not save her.
Abstract
Abstract A 6‐month‐old free‐living female striped hyena ( Hyaena hyaena ) was referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran with lethargy and seizures. The general and neurological examinations revealed normal heart rate, polypnoea, abnormal respiratory sounds, decreased consciousness and no postural reactions in limbs. The animal had generalised seizures every 20 minutes, lasting about 1 minute. To control seizures, 10 mg diazepam (0.7 mg/kg) was injected intravenously four times every 2 minutes. With this treatment, the animal's seizures stopped. Based on characteristic clinical signs, lymphopaenia, and positive rapid kit and RT‐PCR results, canine distemper virus (CDV) was confirmed. The animal developed general seizures again 12 hours after referral and died during the seizures. This is the first case report of status epilepticus due to CDV in a striped hyena that did not respond to anticonvulsant therapies and caused the death of the animal.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://doi.org/10.1002/vrc2.353