How to differentiate shivers from other neurological and orthopedic diseases

Abstract

Shivering is a chronic degenerative neuromuscular disease of horses with characteristic intermittent muscle tremor and hyperflexion or hyperextension while walking backward and picking up the hindlegs. The disease has unknown etiology and can be seen in several breeds. Definitive diagnosis is made by histopathologic evaluation of the peripheral and central nervous system and ante mortem diagnosis is based on the clinical signs and ruling out other potential causes such as stringhalt, upward fixation of the patella, and other orthopedic or neurologic causes.