Neurological Disease In Sheep Flashcards
(49 cards)
What questions should be asked when gathering the history for a neurological case?
- Age group
- Number affected
- Speed of onset
- Speed of progression
- Time of year
- Feeding
Once the history has been gathered what are the next steps in a neurological case?
Full clinical exam
Neurological exam
If the cerebrum is affected the stage of disease correlates with?
The severity of the signs
What are some signs you would see which would correlate with a diffuse cerebral lesion?
- Altered mental state i.e. depressed, disorientated, hyperexcitable
- Blindness
- Seizures
- Opisthotonus
What is Opisthotonus?
D dramatic abnormal posture due to spastic contraction of the extensor muscles of the neck, trunk, and lower extremities that produces a severe backward arching from neck to heel
* Recumbant
* Extended front legs flexed hind legs
Name 3 example causes of a diffuse cerebral lesion
- Bacterial meningitis
- Cerebrocortical necrosis
- Pregnancy toxaemia
What signs would you see that would correlate with a local cerebral lesion?
- Contralateral blindness
- Circling
- Proprioceptive deficits
Name 3 example causes of a localised cerebral lesion
- GID cysts (coenuris cerebralis, Taenia multiceps)
- Brain abscess
- Trauma
What signs would you see that would correlate with a cerebellar lesion?
- Altered head carriage
- Balance: ataxic, but not weak
- Wide stance
- Dysmetria
- Intention tremor including nystagmus
What is a congenital cause of a cerebellar lesion?
Cerebellar hypoplasia
What is an infectious case of cerebellar lesions?
Border disease
- Cerebellar hypoplasia
What signs would you see that would correlate with a lesion of the vestibular system?
- Head tilt towards the affected side
- Loss of balance
- Circling
- Falling/rolling to one side
- Spontaneous nystagmus
- Middle ear infection
- Unilateral facial nerve paralysis
Which condition leads to lesions in the brainstem?
Listeriosis
What signs would you see that would correlate with a brainstem lesion?
- Depression
- Multiple cranial nerve deficits
- Ipsilateral hemiparesis
What signs would you see that would correlate with a spinal lesion?
- No signs of central disease
- Depends on site of spinal cord
- Tetraparesis/ paraparesis
- Proprioception
- Skin sensation
- Pain
What are some possible causes of spinal lesions?
- Trauma
- Congenital abnormality
- Spinal abscess e.g. joint ill tick pyaemia
- Wobblers syndrome in Texel’s
List some possible causes of neurological diseases that could affect lambs from 0-3months old (9 possible)
- Border disease
- Congenital swayback (copper deficiency)
- Drunken lamb disease
- Bacterial meningitis
- Spinal abscess
- Listeriosis
- Louping ill
- Tetanus
- Trauma
How would a lamb with bacterial meningitis present?
Collapsed
If a lamb was circling with facial paralysis which disease would be indicated?
Listeriosis
Which neurological disease of young lambs is tick borne?
Louping ill
What are the clinical signs of louping ill?
- Head pressing
- Trembling & tremors
- Nystagmus
- Lip twitching etc
- “louping gait”
List some possible causes of neurological diseases that could affect lambs from 3+ months
- Cerebrocortical necrosis
- Listeriosis
- GID
- Louping ill
- Trauma
What is the cause of cerebro-cortical necrosis?
Vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency
What is a likely history for an animal with cerebro-cortical necrosis?
Diet change or worming
Thiaminase production in rumen
