Exam 1 - FA Clinical Neurology Exam Flashcards
what 2 general questions should you look to answer in your neuro exam?
- is it primary neurologic disease? or metabolic?
- is the lesion rostral to or caudal to the foramen magnum?
how do horses normally stand up?
get up with their front limbs first
how do cows normally stand up?
lunge forward, get up on back legs, & then front
what parts of the history should you pay attention to in your neuro workup?
behavior/mentation
environment
past disease
age
breed
length of illness
past treatment
vaccination status, dehorning, & castration
when starting your neuro exam from a distance, what are you looking at in your animal?
gait, mentation, posture, & reflexes
T/F: if ataxic, the animal will always have inappropriate posture
true
what are the 3 types of ataxia?
cerebellar, vestibular, & proprioceptive
how is cerebellar ataxia characterized?
ataxia without any weakness - if you pulled the animal’s tail, you would feel resistance
how is vestibular ataxia characterized?
ataxic with a change in posture
how is proprioceptive ataxia characterized?
ataxia with weakness of muscle
what does mentation assess?
appropriate responses to the environment & stimuli
T/F: posture abnormalities may or may not induce ataxia
true
what does assessing vision include?
how the animal navigates their surroundings & obstacles
why do you need to get small ruminants by themselves to assess their vision?
they are big time prey animals & will stick with their buddies
what are the 4 components of your ocular exam?
palpebral reflex, menace reflex, PLR (vision not required), & fundic exam
if there is hemorrhage seen in the fundus of the eye, what should be on your differential list?
vasculitis - histophilus somni & malignant catarrhal fever
what are 4 differentials for diseases causing cortical blindness?
polio
lead toxicity
salt toxicity
rabies
with lesions in the cerebrum, are signs diffuse or focal?
typically diffuse but may see focal
what are common clinical signs seen in lesions of the cerebrum?
change in mentation, blindness with intact PLR, compulsive circling, seizures, opisthotonus (star gazing), head pressing, yawning, & bellowing
lesions in the cerebrum are going to cause problems with what 2 things?
motor control & coordination
with cerebellum lesions, are there proprioceptive deficits?
no
what clinical signs are commonly seen with cerebellum lesions?
ataxia without weakness
increased muscle tone
intension tremors
wide based stance
exaggerated forelimb reflexes
hypermetric gait
may lack a menace but vision is intact
what clinical signs are associated with peripheral vestibular lesions?
head tilt to the side of the lesion
animal will lean or fall to the side of the lesion
circling to the side of the lesion
ataxia with no proprioceptive deficits
generally horizontal nystagmus that doesn’t change direction with animal positioning
BAR mentation with good appetite
what clinical signs are seen with central vestibular lesions?
depression
loss of appetite
ataxia with proprioceptive deficits
ventral nystagmus that changes direction with position of the head
