Archive Case #234: Equine Botulism

Clinical Clues

1. An adult horse is brought in after progressively dropping feed and tiring quickly over two days.
2. Swallowing is weak, but the horse remains alert and responsive to its surroundings.
3. Weakness spreads symmetrically; sensation remains present and there are no rigid spasms.
4. Neurological examination finds reduced tongue retraction and tail tone with generalized flaccid weakness.
5. Other horses fed from the same suspect hay batch have similar weakness, raising concern for a feedborne neurotoxin.
6. The pattern supports equine botulism, in which botulinum toxin blocks acetylcholine release and causes flaccid paralysis.

Diagnosis

Equine Botulism

Dysphagia, weak tongue and tail tone, alert mentation and progressive symmetric flaccid weakness support equine botulism; the shared feed is supportive exposure history, not proof by itself. Tetanus usually produces rigidity rather than flaccidity, while choke does not explain generalized neuromuscular weakness. Remember: In an alert horse that cannot swallow normally, examine tongue and tail strength; generalized flaccid weakness points beyond simple oesophageal obstruction.

Educational Use

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