Neurological diseases of cattle Flashcards

1
Q

What should be done on clinical exam of neurologic cattle?

A
  • History
  • Inspection of surroundings
  • Assessment from distance
  • General clinical exam
  • Neurological exam
  • Acillary tests
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2
Q

What should be examined regarding surroundings?

A
  • Lead (old batteries / paint)
  • Ration - quality of silage
  • Poisonous plants
  • Cadavers
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3
Q

What should be observed from a distance?

A
  • Behaviour - circling, head-pressing, blindness
  • Consciousness - over-excited, stupour, coma
  • Stance - rapid contractions of muscles
  • Locomotion - decreased coordination, weakness
  • Orthopaedic or neurological =
    -if carrying limb = ortho
    -if dragging limb = neuro
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4
Q

What is normal function of the CNS?

A
  • Brain = conscious functions = behviour, awareness, vision, eating, drinking, recognition of senses
  • Brain stem / cranial nerves = cranial nerve functions, breathing
  • Cerebellum = unconscious = proprioceptive, smoothing movements
  • Spinal cord / peripheral nerves = limb strength + movement
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5
Q

What nerves does the nasal septum stimulation test test?

A
  • CN v + thalamocortex
    -should pull its head away
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6
Q

What does the menace response test?

A
  • CN II + VII, cortex + cerebellum
    -should be present from a week old
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7
Q

What does the PLR test?

A
  • CN II + III
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8
Q

What are 3 types of ataxia?

A
  • Vestibular
    -always head tilt, hypermetra + hypertonia
    -lesion on same side as head tilt
  • Cerebellar
    -no proprioceptive deficits
  • Proprioceptive
    -spinal cord disease, + weakness
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9
Q

What are different spinal reflexes?

A
  • Extensor reflex of the front limb
  • Patellar reflex
  • Flexor reflexes
  • Muscle tone
  • Perineal reflex
  • Cutaneous trunci reflex
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10
Q

What are different diagnostic tests?

A
  • Biochem + haematology
  • BOHB
  • TP - colostrum transfer
    CSF tap - lumbosacral - 4 inch needle
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11
Q

What are CS of cerebrum lesions?

A
  • Opisthotonos - stargazing
  • Apparent blindness (intact PLR)
  • Abnormal mentation
  • Change in behaviour
  • Aimless wandering or compulsive circling
  • Seizures
  • Abnormal vocalisation
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12
Q

What are CS of cerebellar lesions?

A
  • Ataxia without weakness – gait is controlled by the cerebellum, brainstem, spinal cord and peripheral nerves. Test for presence of absence of muscle strength – hold onto tail whilst the animal is moving can you pull it off course?
  • Truncal sway – not specific as this can also happen in animals with spinal cord lesions
  • Hypermetria – easiest to see in the front limbs
  • Absent menace
  • Wide base stance – not specific
  • Intention tremors
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13
Q

What are clinical signs of vestibular lesions? Peripheral vs central

A
  • Peripheral =
    -head tilt towards lesion
    -falling/ circling towards lesion
  • Central =
    -head tilt towards lesion
    -falling/ circling towards lesion
    -nystagmus
    -proprioception deficits towards lesion
    -depression / anorexia
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14
Q

What are common CS localised to cranial nerves?

A
  • CN II = blindness + absence of PLR + dilated pupils
  • CN V = loss of sensation to head
  • CN VI = ventromedial strabismus + inability to retract globe
  • CN VII = motor muscles to face = droopy ears, eyelids, lips
  • CN VIII = head tilt, circling, leaning towards lesion
  • CN IX + X = inability to swallow
  • CN XII = inability to retract tongue
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15
Q

What are clinical signs of problems with thalamus, hypothalamus?

A
  • Depression. Altered mentation
  • Difficulty regulating body temperature
  • Depressed Respiration
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16
Q

What are clinical signs of spinal cord lesions?

A
  • C1 - C5 – altered head and neck movements with no CN abnormalities. Reflexes of FL and HL are exaggerated
  • C6 -T2 – depressed or absent reflexes with reduced muscle tone in the FLs and exaggerated HL reflexes with normal muscle tone in the HLs.
  • T3 - L3 – Reflexes FLs normal, HL reflexes exaggerated. Pro-prioreceptive deficits in the HLs with ataxia
  • L4 - L6 – absence of HL reflexes and decreased muscle tone
  • S1 - S3 – decreased anal tone, loss of sensation to perineal region
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17
Q

What are acute diseases of the cortex?

A
  • Cerebro-Cortical Necrosis (CCN)
  • Lead poisoning - APHA
  • Nervous ketosis
  • Hypocalcaemia
  • Hypomagnesemia (Grass staggers)
  • Salt poisoning
  • IBR / MCF (sporadic)
  • Pseudorabies (Aujesky’s) - APHA
  • Rabies - APHA
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18
Q

What are chronic diseases of the cortex?

A
  • Brain abscess
  • Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) - APHA
  • Hypovitaminosis A
  • Brain tumour (very rare) - APHA
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19
Q

What is seen with meningitis in calves?

A
  • Weakness, Lack of suck reflex, depression, head pressing
20
Q

How is meningitis diagnosed / treated? Prevention?

A
  • Dx = CSF tap
  • Tx = euthanasia
  • Prevention = colostrum, hygiene
21
Q

What causes brain abscesses in cattle?

A
  • Trueperella pyogenes
21
Q

What causes CCN? What animals?

A
  • Thiamine deficiency
  • Cattle 6-18months
22
Q

CS of CCN?

A
  • Found dead
  • Early signs: head up in the air and appear blind (negative
    menace but has PLR) – animal disorientated and unaware of its surroundings; diarrhoea (concentrates?);
    -hyperesthesia and muscle tremors also possible.
  • Late signs: opisthotonos, head-pressing, strabismus, miosis, excitement, recumbent,
    -repetitive chewing, facial twitching, nystagmus, head tilt,
    convulsions (leg paddling)
23
Q

Dx + Tx of CCN?

A
  • Dx = Hx + CS, blood thiaminase assay, PME
  • Tx = thiamine / vitamin B1 injections every 4 hrs
24
Q

What are CS of lead poisoning?

A
  • First stages: stand alone and depressed; hyperaesthesia, muscular fasiculations
  • Progresses to ataxia, blindness (pupillary reflexes present), head pressing, episodic manic behaviour, convulsions, coma
  • Also abdominal pain, rumen atony (bloat), diarrhoea, frothing at the mouth
  • Severe will die 12-24 hrs; sudden death may also occur
25
Q

What is Tx of lead poisoning?

A
  • Control fits w IV pentobarbitone
26
Q

What are CS of nervous ketosis? Dx? Tx?

A
  • Acute onset of obsessive licking, circling, staggering,
    head pressing, pica, aggression
  • Signs last 1-2 hours; recur at ~ 10-hourly intervals
  • Diagnosis – ketones blood - BOHB
  • Treatment 40% dextrose i.v, propylene glycol BID,
    corticosteroids
27
Q

What animals get hypomagnesaemia?

A
  • Beef = 3-6month old / 1st month post calving
  • Spring / summer
28
Q

CS of hypomagnesaemia?

A
  • Hyperexcitable, may charge
  • Erect ears, ear twitching, hyperaesthesia
  • Muscle fasiculations / tremors
  • Frenzied running turning into staggering
  • Lateral recumbency with violent episodes of ophistotonos and convulsions (can be triggered by any stimulus… also by vet!)
  • Dead within an hour of the seizure episodes
29
Q

What is seen with salt poisoning?

A
  • Dehydrated
  • depression
  • diarrhoea and colic
  • star-gazing
  • blindness
  • aggressiveness
  • hyperexcitability
  • vocalisation
  • head pressing, teeth grinding
30
Q

What is pseudo rabies? What is seen?

A
  • Pseudorabies (Aujesky’s disease, Mad Itch)
  • CS =
    -Depression
    -ataxia
    -conscious proprioceptive deficit
    -circling
    -nystagmus
    -strabismus
    -aggression
    -pruritus (of the head), dead within 2 days.
  • Contact with pigs
  • APHA
31
Q

What is seen with rabies?

A
  • Hyperexcitability
  • fear, rage, depression
  • flaccid paralysis
  • APHA
32
Q

What are CS of BSE?

A
  • 3-6 years
  • Initial signs often subtle but always progressive, rate
    of progression variable 2-3 weeks to several months
  • Weight loss
  • Hyperaesthesia, fine fasiculations of head and neck
    shoulder flank, teeth grinding,
  • Apprehensive when approached, reluctant to be
    milked or moved through gate ways
  • Ataxia
  • Aggression
33
Q

What is seen with hypovitaminosis A?

A
  • thickening of dura mater = increase CSF pressure
  • retinal degeneration = absent pupillary light reflex
  • CS =
    -calves born to deficient dams = blindness, weakness, domed forehead, thickened carpal joints
    -deficient calves = blindness, anorexia, diarrhoea, pneumonia (ill thrift)
    -older cattle = blindness, star-gazing, nystagmus, ataxia, convulsions, diarrhoea
34
Q

What is Tx of hypovitaminosis A?

A
  • Daily vit A
35
Q

What animals get cerebellar hypoplasia? CS?

A
  • Inherited Hereford, guernsey, holstein, shorthorn, ayrshire)
  • Acquired (BVD) – infection dam 90-170 days gestation
  • Severity varies
  • Balance (ataxia, falling backward) or unable to stand,
    tremor, hypermetria, nystagmus
  • Severe opisthotonos
36
Q

How do you treat listeria infection?

A

Penicillin

37
Q

What are diseases causing spinal cord / peripheral signs?

A
  • Spinal fractures
  • Spinal abscess
  • Spastic paresis
  • Tetanus
  • Botulism
  • Peripheral Neuropathies
38
Q

What can cause spinal abscess?

A
  • T. pyogenes
  • Staph. aureus
  • P. haemolitica
  • F. necrophorum
39
Q

What are CS of spastic paresis?

A
  • Excessive Tone of Gastrocnemius Muscle
  • Hyperextended hock
  • Unilateral or Bilateral
  • If unilateral the affected leg is thrust out behind
    during walking and advanced with a swinging motion
    without touching ground
  • Often spend longer lying down
40
Q

What is treatment of spastic paresis?

A
  • Neurectomy of the tibial nerve rootlets innervating the gastrocnemius
41
Q

What are CS of tetanus?

A
  • Incubation period variable, normally 2-4 weeks Progression of disease 4-5 days
  • Stiffness, reluctance to move, muscle tremors
  • Prolapse 3rd eyelid, RUMEN TYMPANY, elevation tail
  • Progression to generalized muscular tetany and “rocking horse” position
  • Recumbancy, convulsions, death
42
Q

DX + Tx of tetanus?

A
  • No test; no characteristic PM signs; identify site of
    infection and attempt to culture.
  • Full blown tetanus prognosis poor PTS
  • Animal well bedded kept in dark and quiet
  • Treatment?
    1. Antitoxin not much help unless very early. 2.
      Penicillin high doses. 3. Irrigation of infection site
      penicillin, antitoxin.4. Muscle relaxants?
  • Vaccination
43
Q

CS of botulism?

A
  • Characterised by muscle weakness, progressing to ataxia and
    then paralysis
  • Anorexia, dilated pupils
  • Excessive drooling
  • Droopy expression, tongue may hang out of mouth
  • Decreased rumen motility, bloat, constipation
  • Respiratory failure leading to death
44
Q

Dx + Tx of botulism?

A
  • Dx = Hx + CS
  • Tx = supportive
45
Q

What are different peripheral neuropathies?

A
  • obturator = dystocia, foetal pressure - tx = chain hindlimbs
  • Peroneal = hyperextension of hock, fetlock + digits - tx = bandage
  • Sciatic = damage when cow recumbent, ddx = femoral fracture