Neurological signs in a horse due to metastases of an intestinal adenocarcinoma.

A 22-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare was referred to Utrecht University with progressive left hind limb paresis and hyporeflexia, The preliminary clinic al diagnosis was the neurological form of equine herpes virus (EHV-1) infec tion. Within 1 day of admission, the mare became recumbent and deteriorated rapidly. Postmortem examination revealed an adenocarcinoma of the caecum, with metastases in all regional lymph nodes and extending from the lumbar n odes into the vertebral canal, causing spinal cord compression and destruct ion of the left 4th and 5th lumbar nerves.