Epilepsy is a chronic neurological brain disorder characterized by recurrent seizures. Since horses have a significantly higher seizure threshold than small animals or humans, for example, seizure disorders are relatively rare in horses. Seizures only occur in horses with severe brain damage. Foals, on the other hand, have a significantly lower seizure threshold and are more susceptible to seizure-triggering factors.
A seizure occurs when an imbalance between stimulation and inhibition causes abnormal electrical discharge in the nerve cells of the brain. This results in muscle spasms. If at least two seizures occur within 24 hours, the condition is referred to as epilepsy.
Provoked or reactive seizures caused by metabolic disorders or toxins must be distinguished from epilepsy. In this case, the brain is not affected and the seizures can be remedied by treating the underlying disease (e.g., liver disease, oxygen deprivation, poisoning).
Idiopathic epilepsy can be distinguished from structural epilepsy. Idiopathic refers to cases where the cause is unknown. This includes hereditary epilepsy, which is primarily observed in Arabian foals. However, structural epilepsy is much more common in horses. Its causes include inflammation, injury, malformations, circulatory disorders, and brain tumors.
The symptoms of a seizure can vary depending on the cause and location of the brain damage. Seizures can generally be divided into three phases.
Immediately before the actual seizure, many of the affected horses show noticeable changes in behavior. The horses are overly anxious and restless. This phase is known as the prodromal phase or aura.
Shortly after this stage, the actual seizure begins. This phase is called the ictus ( Latin for "stroke," "blow," or "stab"). In a focal (= locally limited) seizure, there are sudden muscle twitching, local sweating, or abnormal movements in a specific limb or part of the body. The limited seizure may end spontaneously or progress to a generalized seizure. This manifests itself in tonic-clonic muscle contractions with or without loss of consciousness. In the tonic phase, the extensor muscles stiffen, causing the body to arch backward with the head bent backward, which is called opisthotonus. The clonic phase is characterized by rapid alternating contraction and relaxation of the muscles. During a generalized seizure, the horse usually falls. Furthermore, kicking or running movements, salivation, dilated pupils, jaw locking or jaw chattering, excessive sweating, and uncontrolled urination and defecation may occur. A seizure can last between 5 and 60 seconds.
In the phase after the seizure, known as the postictal phase, affected horses often display depressive behavior, restlessness, disorientation, and blindness. The symptoms can last from a few minutes to several days. Foals may also exhibit compulsive licking or chewing movements, head twitching, and increased breathing rate.
If you notice that your horse is having a seizure, leave the stall or paddock and call a veterinarian immediately. You cannot help your animal at this point and you also run the risk of being injured yourself.
When diagnosing epileptic seizures, the patient's medical history is of immense importance. A detailed interview with the animal owner by the veterinarian can provide valuable information about the type, duration, course, and timing of the seizures, any connection to feeding, living conditions, locations (competitions, clinics, stable changes), vaccinations, previous infectious diseases, injuries, recent behavioral changes, and any history of seizures in related animals. It has proven very helpful for owners to keep a seizure diary and make video recordings of the seizures.
The veterinarian will then perform a general and complete neurological examination, which will enable them to make an initial assessment of the type of epilepsy. If no findings are made, idiopathic or hereditary epilepsy can be assumed. Depending on the neurological findings, the veterinarian may already be able to narrow down the part of the brain where the damage may be located.
X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs can be used to detect structural changes in the brain and locate them precisely. Tests of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are used to detect inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system.
Further heart, blood, X-ray, or ultrasound examinations can be used to rule out other potential diseases with similar symptoms. In addition to metabolic disorders, these can include pain associated with colic, broken legs, or muscle diseases that cause seizure-like symptoms. Narcolepsy and cataplexy (see article on narcolepsy) are often confused with epilepsy.
The treatment of epilepsy depends on the frequency, severity, and duration of the seizures. Veterinarians have various antiepileptic drugs at their disposal that suppress the central nervous system and thus significantly reduce the frequency and severity of seizures. However, seizures cannot be completely prevented, which also means that these horses can no longer be ridden as the risk of injury is too great. The dose of these drugs can be slowly reduced as the duration of treatment increases to determine whether long-term treatment is necessary.
If a trigger for the epilepsy or an underlying disease has been found, this should be eliminated or the disease treated accordingly. Talk to your veterinarian about which medications are most appropriate in each individual case.
The prognosis for the hereditary form of epilepsy in Arabian foals is good. In most cases, the seizures disappear completely within the first year of life. The animals are then completely healthy. In adult horses with epileptic seizures without any apparent cause, there is little chance of a cure. The frequency and severity of the seizures can be reduced, but complete freedom from seizures cannot be achieved, which means that the affected horse can no longer be used for riding or driving. In the case of structural epilepsy, the prognosis depends on the underlying disease diagnosed and its treatability.
Just like us humans, our pets may also require surgical or diagnostic procedures that cannot be performed on an awake animal. Most operations and some diagnostic procedures, such as endoscopies or dental treatment, require anesthesia (a medically induced state of sleep), which carries certain risks even in healthy animals and during routine procedures. We will explain what you need to bear in mind before and after such a procedure in order to minimize these risks and what complications can arise during anesthesia.
Lens dislocation, medically known as luxatio lentis, is an eye condition in which the lens becomes detached and displaced from its natural position. By obstructing the flow of aqueous humor, this condition can quickly lead to a dangerous increase in intraocular pressure. If not treated in time, it can result in blindness.
The weather is beautiful this weekend and you are going for a long ride on your horse. But right at the start of the first gallop, the horse suddenly becomes very stiff and starts sweating unusually heavily. It hardly wants to move and is pressing its back down. However, these signs seem too severe for simple muscle soreness, especially since you haven't done anything with the horse in the last few days. Avoid any further movement of the horse and always contact a veterinarian immediately in such cases, as the symptoms described above are very painful and may be the first signs of a cross-ties. As this muscle disease occurs frequently after horses have not been worked for one or more days with the same feed ration, it is also known as "holiday sickness" or "Monday morning disease." However, horses that are worked regularly can also fall ill. Young horses of heavy breeds are particularly at risk. This disease was greatly feared in the days when carriage and work horses were heavily used. Today, it only occurs sporadically, mostly in easy-to-feed horses with good nutritional status.
This condition, which has been known since the Middle Ages, is a movement disorder that exclusively affects the hind legs of horses. When the horse is being presented, one or both hind legs are bent excessively and jerkily so that the fetlock almost touches the belly and is then brought down again just as abruptly. The staccato gait is reminiscent of a rooster strutting, which is where the name comes from.
Tumors of the urinary bladder or urethra are relatively rare in dogs, but are often malignant. In most cases, they are transitional cell carcinomas. Older female dogs are primarily affected. A higher incidence has been observed in Scottish Terriers, Airedale Terriers, West Highland White Terriers, and Beagles.
This tumor, which originates in the spleen, is one of the most malignant cancers in dogs. The spleen tumor grows very quickly and spreads metastases to all other organs, often before the actual primary tumor is discovered. Older dogs between the ages of eight and ten are most commonly affected.
Skin fungal infections are also common in chinchillas. The most common are ringworm and bald patch, which cause changes to the fur and skin of chinchillas. Skin fungal infections are not life-threatening, but can lead to persistent problems due to their contagious nature. Skin fungi can also be transmitted to or from humans to animals, which is referred to as a zoonosis.
Surgery describes the treatment of diseases and injuries through mechanical intervention on the body. This usually takes place under various forms of anesthesia (numbing). During the procedure, bodily functions and the depth of anesthesia are monitored using modern equipment.
Gynecology and andrology are separate fields of medicine. Gynecology deals with the female reproductive organs, while andrology deals with the male reproductive organs. Both fields cover diseases of the reproductive organs and reproductive medicine. Obstetrics is a branch of gynecology.
With increasing mobility, open borders, and a wide range of travel options, this insidious infectious disease has also become more prevalent in our part of the world. Many dog owners want to have their four-legged friends with them on vacation and therefore travel south with their dogs. More and more rescue dogs are also being brought to Germany from southern Europe and rehomed here, with the result that diseases can also be imported.
Like many other pets, our dogs can also suffer from skin fungus. Skin fungal infections occur mainly in young animals, those with weakened immune systems, or those that have been affected by parasites or other diseases. However, the disease is not only a danger to your dog, as many skin fungi are also transmissible to humans and are therefore zoonoses. Elderly and weakened people are particularly at risk of developing a dangerous fungal infection.
It's wonderful that you're thinking about adopting a dog from abroad, because you want to save a life, and that's great! But please be prepared that your new dog may not immediately show you love and gratitude. You should also ask yourself whether you might want to give one of the many dogs in a US animal shelter a chance. Rescuing a dog from abroad also involves risks and problems.
