Acute Onset of Neurologic Signs Usually Means Toxin

When you have a young animal that was perfectly healthy, perfectly healthy, perfectly healthy, and then suddenly sick, says Ken Drobatz, DVM, MSCE, DACVIM, DACVECC, professor of critical care at the University of Pennsylvania, the culprit is usually a toxin.

If the young pet is especially showing acute onset of neurologic signs—such as ataxia, wobbliness, altered mentation—you should immediately think about whether a toxin was ingested.