General Neurological Disease Flashcards by Maria Jackson

How can you diagnose meningitis in a calf?

Clinical signs
Left shift neutrophillia on WBC count
Increases proteins, WBC and bacterial growth in CSF

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How can you diagnosis nervous ketosis?

Nervous signs
Elevated beta hydroxybutyrate
Elevated NEFAs
Elevated liver enzymes

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What disease cause acute forebrain signs?

Meningitis
CCN 
Lead poisoning 
Nervous ketosis
Hypomagnesaemia 
Salt poisoning 
IBR / MCF
Pseudorabies
Rabies

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What disease cause chronic forebrain signs?

Brain abscess
BSE
Hypovitaminosis A
Brain tumours

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What is the common aetiology of meningitis?

Haematogenous spread of bacteria from a septic focus eg: arthritis - e.coli, salmonella, pseudomonas

Calves under 1 week of age with failure of passive transfer

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How does a calf present with meningitis?

1 week old, FPT
Commonly associated with another septic focus eg: septic arthritis or umbilical infection
CS: weak, lack of suck, depressed, head pressing, nystagmus, blindness and seizures

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How should you treat meningitis in a calf?

Quickly - poor px if delayed
Dexamethasone
Bactericidal antibiotic IV for 10-14 days
Eg: fluroquinolones achieve the best permeability in inflamed tissues
Could also consider metronidazole
Other lectures recommend trying oxytetracycline first

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What antibiotics show good permeability in the brain?

Good permeability in the inflamed brain

TMPS & Doxycycline - bacteriostatic
Fluoroquinolones - bactericidal

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What causes CCN in cattle?

Absolute deficiency in pre-ruminant calves
Relative deficiency
- lots of concentrates = bacterial thiaminases
- bracken ingestion

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When does CCN commonly present in cattle and how does it present?

6-18 months old

Early: star gazing, blindness, head pressing, hyperaesthesia and muscle tremors
Progressing to opisthotonos, head tilt, convulsions

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How can you diagnose CCN?

Resist to treatment
Blood thiaminase assay
PM findings - pale and swollen brain, yellow discolouration

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How should you treat CCN?

Thiamine supplementation
Corticosteroids
Mannitol - diuretic to reduce ICP

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How does lead poisoning present in cattle?

Early - depression, muscle fasiculations
Late - ataxia, bloat, seizures, convulsions, coma
Fatal in 12-24 hours

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How can you treat lead poisoning in cattle?

Xylazine to control seizures
CaEDTA to chelate the lead
Thiamine supplementation
Oral magnesium sulphate

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What must you do after diagnosing lead poisoning in cattle?

Inform the AHVLA

Blood and milk levels of lead may take 6-7 months to normalise

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What is the clinical presentation of chronic ketosis?

Signs last 1-2h and recurr every 10 hours

Circling, manic behaviours, obsessive behaviours, apparent blindness

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How can you treat a case of nervous ketosis?

IV glucose
Corticosteroids
Propylene glycol

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How does Hypomagnaesaemia present in beef cows?

Lactating beef cows a few months after calving on pasture

3-6mo with a deficient diet

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What is the clinical signs of salt poisoning?

Dehydrated and depressed
Colic and diarrhoea
Blindness and star gazing
Aggressive and hyper excitable

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What are the clinical signs of aujeskys?

Depression
Ataxia
Nystagmus 
Circling
Head pruritus 
Death within 2 days

What congenital abnormality results in a domed cranium and head pressing?

Hydrocephalus

How does a chronic brain abscess present?

Initially: loss of vision, mydrasis
Then: circling, head tilt, head pressing, compulsive walking

How can you treat brain abscesses?

Oxytetracycline (bacteriostatic)
Fluoroquinolones IV - bactericidal antibiotic that achieves a good concentration in the inflamed brain

Poor px

How does BSE present?

Age of onset 3-6 years
Weight loss initially
Hyperaesthesia, anxious and aggressive, teeth grinding, muscle fasciculations
Progressively worse over 2 weeks - 2 months

What are differential diagnoses for BSE?

``` Nervous ketosis Focal abscessation Listeria encephalitis Hypomagnaesaemia CCN ```

What foodstuffs are low in vitamin A?

Straw and cereal

What clinical presentations do you see with hypovitaminosis A?

Calves born to deficient dams - blind, weak, domed forehead, thickened carpal joint Deficient calves - blindness, anorexia, diarrhoea, pneumonia Older cattle - blindness, ataxia, convulsions, retinal degeneration

How can you treat hypovitaminosis A?

Daily vitamin A supplementation Good response even in fitting animals But usually retinal degeneration doesn't resolve

What two forms of cerebellum hypoplasia are seen in cattle?

Inherited - Hereford, Guernsey, Holstein, Shorthorn, Ayrshire Acquired - BVD - infection at 90-170 days of gestation

What are the clinical signs of cerebellum hypoplasia in calves?

``` Ataxia Tremor Wide based stance Hyper metric Nystagmus ```

What is the pathogenesis of listeriosis?

1. Listeria monocytogenes enters via the mucous membranes (eg tooth eruption) 2. Travels up the trigeminal nerve to the brain stem 3. Forms micro abscesses in the brainstem 4. May progress to meningoencephalitis

What are the clinical signs of listeriosis?

Pyrexia Facial nerve paralysis - salivation, cud accumulated in the cheek, ptosis, protrusion of the third eyelid Meningoencephalitis - circling, head pressing

How can you treat listeriosis?

High doses of penicillin or oxytetracycline for 7-14d REMOVE MOULDY SILAGE

What might predispose 3-6m old calves to spinal fractures?

Vitamin D, calcium or copper deficiency

What are spinal abscesses commonly secondary to? And what is the causative agent?

Spread of osteomyelitis from the vertebrae | Truepurella pyogenes

What are the clinical signs of spinal abscesses?

Pyrexia Pain, heat, swelling Reluctant to eat from the ground

How should you treat spinal abscesses?

Oxytetracycline - try first but bacteriostatic | Fluoroquinolones if this doesn't work

What are the clinical signs and aetiology of spastic paresis?

Genetic Excessive tone in the gastrocnemius muscle Hyperextended hock Only when standing, not when lying down

How can you treat spastic paresis?

Don't breed from animal Tibial n. Neurectomy under GA or with an epidural Stage if bilateral - 6-10 weeks between

What are common sources of Cl. Tetani?

Castration wounds | Post calving

What are the clinical signs of tetanus?

Incubation 2-4w Muscle stiffness and tremors Prolapsed 3rd eyelid Rumenal tympany Posture: raised tail head, extended head, excessive tone in facial musculature, legs rigid

How should you treat tetanus?

Don't - euthanise poor px Tetanus toxoid and anti-toxin Lavage wound muscle relaxants - ACP

How does botulism usually present and what is the common source?

Source - carcasses in poultry litter fertilisers Paresis and paralysis, hyper salivation, rumenal atony and bloat

How can you diagnose botulism?

Clinical signs | Toxin found on serum ELISA

How should you treat botulism?

Remove the source Early cases may resolve But generally poor prognosis

What is the clinical presentation of obturator n. damage and how can you manage it?

Unable to adduct limbs (doing the splits) following calving Tx: chain legs, corticosteroids, soft bed

How does damage to the perineal n. present and how can it be managed?

Hyper extension of the hock Loss of skin sensation below the fetlock Tx: self cure, bandage and cast

How does sciatic nerve damage present and how can it be managed?

No weight bearing and no sensation distal to the stifle follow repeated attempts to rise Guarded px