Archive Case #89: Equine Grass Sickness

Clinical Clues

1. A horse on pasture develops dullness, reduced appetite, and patchy sweating.
2. The owner reports small amounts of dry faeces and a tucked-up abdomen.
3. There is mild colic behaviour, but the pattern is not typical of an acute surgical lesion.
4. The horse has rhinitis sicca and difficulty prehending feed.
5. Clinical findings indicate widespread autonomic dysfunction.
6. This often-fatal neuropathy of grazing horses is known as equine grass sickness.

Diagnosis

Equine Grass Sickness

This case is most consistent with Equine Grass Sickness because the horse shows gastrointestinal stasis, autonomic dysfunction, and characteristic dysphagia-related signs while at pasture. The most important clues are the dry faeces, rhinitis sicca, and autonomic picture, which make ordinary colic far less likely.

Educational Use

Vetdle archive cases are educational veterinary games for diagnostic reasoning practice. They do not provide veterinary advice, diagnosis, treatment, or professional medical guidance.