Nigropallidal encephalomalacia in horses grazing Rhaponticum repens (creeping knapweed)

Nigropallidal encephalomalacia was diagnosed in two horses in northern Victoria that had a history of long‐term pasture access to a dense growth of Rhaponticum repens. The region in which the affected horses lived had received well above average rainfall for several months preceding the poisoning. A...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Australian veterinary journal 2012-04, Vol.90 (4), p.151-154
Main Authors: Elliott, CRB, McCowan, CI
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
chewing disease
creeping knapweed
Encephalomalacia - diagnosis
Encephalomalacia - veterinary
Fatal Outcome
Globus Pallidus - pathology
Horse Diseases - diagnosis
Horses
Leuzea
Magnetic Resonance Imaging - veterinary
Male
nigropallidal encephalomalacia
Plant Poisoning - complications
Plant Poisoning - veterinary
poisoning
Rhaponticum repens
Substantia Nigra - pathology
Victoria
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Nigropallidal encephalomalacia was diagnosed in two horses in northern Victoria that had a history of long‐term pasture access to a dense growth of Rhaponticum repens. The region in which the affected horses lived had received well above average rainfall for several months preceding the poisoning. Affected horses had sudden onset of subcutaneous oedema of the head, impaired prehension and mastication, dullness, lethargy and repeated chewing‐like jaw movements. Diagnosis was confirmed at necropsy, with characteristic malacic lesions in the substantia nigra and globus pallidus of the brain. This is the first documented case of nigropallidal encephalomalacia in Australian horses associated with R. repens.
ISSN:0005-0423
1751-0813
DOI:10.1111/j.1751-0813.2011.00879.x