[2] Clinical signs of TME include behavioural changes such as confusion, loss of cleanliness, and aimless circling.
An affected animal shows signs of weight loss, might develop matted fur, hindquarter ataxia, and its tail arched over its back.
Early clinical signs of TME are often subtle, and can include difficulty eating and swallowing as well as changes in typical grooming behavior.
Once clinical signs of TME appear, the condition only progresses to fatality, with death typically occurring within 2–8 weeks.
Upon reviewing prior TME outbreaks in the U.S. and Canada, in all four cases which were not linked to a commercial feed plant and in which records were available, "downer" cattle were included in the mink diet.