Veterinary case
A camel kept circling: a rare brain tumor
⚠️ This information is provided for awareness only and does not replace an examination by a veterinarian.
🤖 Summary produced automatically from the scientific publication cited at the bottom of the page.
A camel suddenly started circling and couldn't stop — the cause turned out to be far more serious than a simple infection.
What happened?
This 13-year-old camel, living in a zoological garden, suddenly started circling to the left and couldn't fully stop, appearing disoriented. She didn't seem distressed, but her vision and balance were impaired, and she occasionally bumped into obstacles. Vets first suspected an infection and gave antibiotics, but after two months the nervous signs persisted: dullness, unsteady gait and continued circling. Given the lack of improvement, weight loss and the animal's suffering, the decision was made to humanely euthanize her.
What did the vet find?
Examination showed a slight deviation and head tilt to the left, and blood tests showed signs of inflammation. A CT scan of the head revealed a well-defined mass inside one of the brain's ventricles, compressing and enlarging this cavity. After death, the necropsy confirmed a round mass about 5 cm wide lodged in the left ventricle of the brain, causing fluid to build up (hydrocephalus). Microscopic and specialized laboratory tests identified this mass as a rare tumor called an ependymoma, which grows from the cells lining the brain's ventricles.
What did the vet do?
ℹ️ Treatment given to THIS animal, decided by its veterinarian. It is not a prescription: never apply it without veterinary advice.
Since an infection was first suspected, the vet gave antibiotics for several weeks, then switched treatment when there was no improvement. But in truth there was no treatment that could cure this brain tumor. Given the persistent nervous signs and the animal's suffering, euthanasia was decided.
What happened next?
The camel was humanely euthanized two months after the first signs appeared. Necropsy and lab analysis revealed the real cause was a rare brain tumor, never before described in this camel species.
Advice for the farmer
When an animal has persistent nervous signs (circling, loss of balance) that don't respond to antibiotics, consider a deeper cause like a tumor and seek specialist help quickly.
Source
- Source
- PubMed Central
- Title
- Intracranial ependymoma and secondary hydrocephalus: a rare case report in a Camel (<i>Camelus bactrianus</i>).
- Authors
- Spadotto L, Martino G, Magnone W, Sandri C, Banzato T, Gerussi T, Castagnaro M, Centelleghe C.
- Year
- 2026
- DOI
- 10.3389/fvets.2026.1798157
- Licence
- CC BY
