The dysautonomias are a group of diseases with strikingly similar clinical and pathologic signs reported in a number of unrelated species, including horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, and hares. The disease is characterized by the degeneration of neurons in autonomic ganglia and clinical signs of autonomic nervous system dysfunction. The etiology is unknown in all species, and there is no effective treatment.
Courtesy of Dr. Caroline Hahn.
Leporine dysautonomia occurs in rabbits and wild hares, and fatal cases have been reported in the UK. Gross lesions are similar to those of equine dysautonomia, including gastric distention, colonic impaction, and weight loss. Histopathologic changes in the central and peripheral nervous systems are almost identical to those found in horses, cats, and dogs.
