ABSTRACT: There have been increasing reports of cases of erratic movements and ataxia followed by death in tarantula species. This paper covers a brief review of what we know about the condition and what to look for in a tarantula patient. This is the first paper on this syndrome and thus hypotheses on causality and treatment options are in their infancy. The paper concludes with a call for more case reports to be published or sent to the attention of the authors such that we can continue to build on the data we already have to seek a better treatment option.

Author(s)

Emily Draper RVN Cert VNES

Emily qualified as a Veterinary Nurse in 2015 and gained the Cert VNES in 2016. Having kept many species of tarantulas herself she has gained practical as well as theoretical knowledge. Emily is also the Membership Secretary and Veterinary Nurse Liaison for the Veterinary Invertebrate Society Email: emily.draper@oundlevets.co.uk

Steven A. Trim BSC Cbiol MRSB

Steve spent 10 years as a drug discovery scientist at Pfizer before setting up Venomtech to supply venoms for drug discovery He is currently meeting chair of the Veterinary Invertebrate Society and through this, with the invertebrates at Venomtech, has researched may areas of invertebrate physiology and disease. Email: s.trim@venomtech.co.uk

Keywords: dyskinetic syndrome; DKS; Theraphosidae; tarantula; ganglion disorder

To cite this article: Veterinary Nursing Journal • VOL 33 (08) • August 2018 pp230-232

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