head pressing
{{Short description|Veterinary condition}}
{{For|the human practice of affection|Touching heads}}
File:Polioencephalomalacia head-pressing.jpg]]
Head pressing is a veterinary condition characterized by pressing the head against a wall or pushing the face into a corner for no apparent reason.{{Cite web|url=https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/neurological/c_multi_headpressing|title=Head Pressing in Dogs|last=de Cardenas|first=Cecilia|date=5 November 2008|website=petMD|publisher=Chewy|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413005628/https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/neurological/c_multi_headpressing|archive-date=13 April 2020|access-date=12 December 2019}} This condition is seen in dogs, cats, cows, horses, and goats. Head pressing is usually a sign of a neurological disorder, especially of the forebrain (e.g., prosencephalon disease), or of toxicity due to liver damage, such as portosystemic shunt and hepatic encephalopathy.{{cite book|last1=Faerber|first1=Cody W.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-pU4pfEGqggC&pg=RA1-PA67|title=Canine Medicine and Disease Prevention|last2=Durrant|first2=S. Mario|last3=Fishman Leon|first3=Jane|publisher=Animal Health Publications|year=2004|isbn=978-0-9701159-1-1|edition=5th}}
It should be distinguished from bunting, which is a normal behavior found in healthy animals.
Possible causes
- Prosencephalon disease
- Liver shunt
- Brain tumor
- Metabolic disorder (e.g., hyponatremia or hyperatremia)
- Stroke
- Infection of the nervous system (rabies, parasites, bacterial, viral or fungal infection)
- Head trauma{{cite web|url=http://www.dogheirs.com/dogheirs/posts/5625-dogs-who-head-press-should-see-a-vet-asap-recognizing-this-behavior-could-save-your-dogs-life#Ft2GmPo32sfaOsbr.99|title=Dogs Who Head Press Should See A Vet ASAP. Recognizing This Behavior Could Save Your Dog's Life.|date=30 May 2014|website=DogHeirs|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150324024843/http://www.dogheirs.com/dogheirs/posts/5625-dogs-who-head-press-should-see-a-vet-asap-recognizing-this-behavior-could-save-your-dogs-life|archive-date=24 March 2015|accessdate=4 July 2014}}
=Liver neurotoxicity=
A liver shunt is a congenital or acquired condition that may lead to toxicity and head pressing. Additional symptoms include drooling and slow maturation early in development. Middle-aged and older animals more commonly suffer from liver cirrhosis than younger animals.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pethealthnetwork.com/dog-health/dog-diseases-conditions-a-z/cirrhosis-dogs|title=Cirrhosis in Dogs|website=Pet Health Network|publisher=IDEXX Laboratories|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212005907/https://www.pethealthnetwork.com/dog-health/dog-diseases-conditions-a-z/cirrhosis-dogs|archive-date=12 December 2019|access-date=12 December 2019}}
=Viral causes=
Several viruses that cause encephalitis or meningoencephalitis can lead to the neurological sign of head pressing, such as eastern equine encephalitis and bovine herpesvirus 5.{{cite book|last=Hostetler|first=Douglas E.|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KcrUS1gaix0C&pg=PA573|title=Veterinary Microbiology|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|year=2013|isbn=978-1-118-65056-1|editor-last=McVey|editor-first=D. Scott|edition=3rd|pages=573|chapter=Nervous System|editor-last2=Kennedy|editor-first2=Melissa|editor-last3=Chengappa|editor-first3=M. M.}}{{cite book|author=Gilberd|first=Mark|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y-ZJs8ufKR0C&pg=PA30|title=Natural Remedies For Sheep|year=2005|isbn=978-0-9775330-2-2|pages=30|publisher=Mark Gilberd }}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
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