Common Diseases of Livestock Animals: Neurological Diseases

Justin operates a cattle ranch. His herd has been vaccinated and grazes on a grass pasture. While all of the cows and calves are healthy, one older cow recently calved and is showing changes in temperament. She has recently lost weight, but has been eating normally. This cow could be showing early symptoms of which neurological disease?

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy

The peripheral nervous system consists of the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.

False

Diseases produce signs or symptoms resulting from a physical injury.

False

Which congenital condition refers to the brain, meninges or both protruding through an opening in the skull?

Exencephaly

The autonomic nervous system regulates breathing, heart rate and digestion.

true

A cow experienced an extended gestation period and gave birth to a calf who showed symptoms of lethargy, head pressing and blindness despite normal pupil reflexes. The calf could be diagnosed with which common neurological disease?

Anencephaly

Which disease causes the absence of cerebral cortical tissue and replacement of cerebral spinal fluid, causing severe brain damage?

Hydranencephaly

Which of the following best describes treatment for common neurological diseases in livestock animals?

Treatment options are limited and survival rates are not high

A show sheep has been exhibiting behavior changes, tremor of the head and neck, incoordination and weight loss. A veterinarian might diagnose this sheep with what common neurological disease?

Scrapie

Select the following common symptoms of neurological diseases in livestock animals.

- blindness

- head pressing

- lethargy

Which of the following is a surveillance program enacted by the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which plans to eradicate transmissible spongiform encephalopathy exclusively affecting small ruminants?

The National Scrapie Eradication Program

The structure which envelops the brain and spinal cord is the __________.

Meninges

Select the following subdivisions of the autonomic nervous system.

- parasympathetic nervous system

- sympathetic nervous system

The nervous system is responsible for actions such as learning, memory, movement and all five senses.

True

Select the following common neurological diseases in livestock animals which are transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.

- bovine spongiform encephalopathy

- scrapie

The ________ nervous system, or ________, includes the _________ and ______ cord. The brain controls behavior and regulates the body's _________ processes while the spinal ________ receives information from the body's __________. The CNS takes and process signals, which are received from the _________ nervous system, or ________.

1. central

2. CNS

3. brain

4. spinal

5. physiological

6. cord

7. nerves

8. peripheral

9. PNS

Select the correct answer from the choices provided in the underlined sections.

Select the correct answer from the choices provided in the underlined sections.

1. parasympathetic

2. sympathetic

1. The sympathetic nervous system is known as "rest and digest".

2. Scrapie is 100 percent fatal.

3. Neurons communicate with other cells via synapses.

1. false

2. true

3. true

A farmer's kid goats have recently been showing signs of neurological diseases, including wandering, circling, head pressing, incoordination and wandering eye movements. However, these kids are nearly two months old and have been healthy, so he does not suspect a congenital disease. Which disease might the kids have and why?

Polioencephalomalacia, as it affects ruminants and young animals are at a higher risk

Which of the following diseases refers to an increase in volume of cerebral spinal fluid?

Hydrocephalus