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MirandaToo
Silver Member
England
381 Posts |
 Posted - 16 Apr 2007 : 12:42:17 PM
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Had a really weird experience experience with my horse (tb x) and just wondering if anyone's got any bright ideas!
Bit of a longie I'm afraid. Basically about 2 months ago horse had for want of better term a "funny turn". I went to do him in morn as usual and all completely normal, nothing unusual at all. Had to leave him in to see farrier. Farrier came, said he was incredibly quiet to shoe - noticably so. Although never naughty he is complete fidget and has to be held. This time farrier just tied him up, and he just stood there.
About hour later I went into his stable and found him standing almost like he had laminitis and shifting from one foot to another - obv. first thought was something to do with shoes, so farrier came straight back in and checked, but could find nothing wrong.
Became very quickly obvious that he was "lame" all round. Decided to take him out of stable and found he was just completely incoordinated. His back end looked like he had stringhalt, front end like he had laminitis and in between looked like colic.
Vet came straight out, by which time Harry couldn't walk - he actually looked like he was drunk. He was staggering and kept almost going down and looked like he didn't know where to put his feet. BUT he was not at all stressed, wasn't sweating, showed no signs of pain, just looked confused.
Vet was completely baffled, but said it was nothing to do with being shod, it was something higher up. He advised putting him back in box and just see what happened, as there was nothing he could do. He pretty much collapsed in box and my farrier, who is incredibly experienced, was really worried and reckoned he wouldn't make it through to morning.
Anyway, he DID make it through to next morning and seemed to make a complete recovery over the next few days, BUT we still don't know what happened or why. Farrier said he looked like he was doped up to eyeballs. Someone else suggested concussion.
Since then he seems to have been fine - but I have noticed just a couple of weird things, that I'm now wondering whether are connected or just coincidence. Every so often he gets wound up by something and just can't seem to cope, eg went to turn out one day and he got halfway up lane and he stopped dead for no apparant reason and then looked like he couldn't work out how to go forwards again, went running backwards and went up, which he has never done before. Also noticed when things come up behind him he quite often has to turn around to see them rather than just picking it up in peripheal vision (eyes, ears, back etc all checked at time).
Soooo, just wondering if anyone has come across anything similar before. Any ideas? Thanks for reading, and big pat on back for getting to the end!!!
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sazzlepants71
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
3536 Posts |
Posted - 16 Apr 2007 : 2:01:45 PM
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hi miranda , first want to say that i am sorry your boys isnt too good at the mo -its so distressing
secondly did your vet not want to investigate further what could have caused this its sounds & only sounds a bit like wobblers syndrome symptons.??
not sure but co-ordination and normal functions can be affected - but i thinks it more common in youngsters.
anyway its difficult to answer questions like this without getting people frightened /worried unessecarily!
but perhaps, its worth chatting to the vet in a bit more depth,
keep us posted lets hope some more aliners have something more to contribute x |
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MirandaToo
Silver Member
England
381 Posts |
Posted - 16 Apr 2007 : 3:06:45 PM
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Thanks Sazzlepants
He's actually OK at the mo, thank God.
Wobblers is the first thing I thought of, but the vet seemed to think if it was then it would have come on and then not improved. I don't really know enough about it but have looked into it and the symptoms that Harry had were very very similar (the lack of stress/pain etc being one of them), also he is quite young, approx 8.
Other than that the vet didn't seem too worried and didn't take bloods etc, which I'm now wishing I had insisted upon, but at the time wasn't really thinking straight! I've debated getting the vet back, but because there is nothing specific it's hard to know what they would look at/for! The advice seems to have been jsut keep a careful eye and wait and see what happens next. I suppose if it happens again then they come straight back out and do some more thorough tests.
Thanks for your reply tho! (loving your bay on the end of your sig, how high does the white go on back leg - can't quite make it out on piccy ! Beautiful!). |
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Moira
Gold Member
Scotland
503 Posts |
Posted - 16 Apr 2007 : 6:10:00 PM
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I have a dog (Chip) who has fits occasionally due to a liver problem. He goes "drunk" and staggers about and falls over. When he is down his head moves from side to side as if he is dizzy. He does not seem distressed or in pain and it doesn't last long although he is still a bit unco-ordinated and not quite with it for a while afterwards.
I would get your vet to do a blood test and see if it shows anything unusual. Chip has blood tests to check the ammonia level as this is what causes his fits although I have never heard of horses having this problem.
I hope some of this helps and you find out what is wrong with him.
Moira
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***Zak******Zhaazeer*****Gremlin |
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barbara.gregory
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
4531 Posts |
Posted - 17 Apr 2007 : 10:26:19 PM
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From what you have said it doesn't sound like wobblers as that would usually come on gradually and get progressively worse. He could have a tumour somewhere in the head that is pressing on a nerve or could have damaged his neck so a vertebra occasionally pressess on a nerve. It might be worth getting someone to check him out, I know there are lots of people on here who could recommend someone good in your area, he may just want a bit of manipulation (after all wobblers is just trapped nerves in the neck but not cureable).
I do hope he is OK and makes a full recovery.
Barbara |
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fi
Bronze Member
United Kingdom
102 Posts |
Posted - 18 Apr 2007 : 07:03:04 AM
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Hello Miranda,
Really sorry to hear of your problem. Like others have suggested it does sound neurological. I suggest a second opinion as I am surprised that your vet did not take blood, do further tests etc. Toxic ingestion can also produce SOME of the symptoms you mention.
What area are you from?
Fi |
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emma
Gold Member
816 Posts |
Posted - 19 Apr 2007 : 1:13:43 PM
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Hi Miranda
I would also get a second opinion. I am training as a mcTimoney Manipulator and we had to learn all the different neurological tests to do on a horse that we suspect is suffering a problem. In theory because we can only come and visit the horse with a veterinary referral the vet should have already diagnosed this, but unfortunately this does not always happen. For the horses benefit and your own safety get it checked, it could be any number of things. Wobblers is quite widely known about but there are so many differnt things it could be and certainly not all are awful to deal with.
Emma |
Emma
Fulmer House Arabians
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Sarahw
Gold Member
England
746 Posts |
Posted - 23 Apr 2007 : 10:00:47 PM
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I have heard of something similar before - although it could be many things (big or little).
What colour is he and how old is he - would recomend a blood test and maybe re check eyes and ears. |
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KtP
New Member
8 Posts |
Posted - 25 Apr 2007 : 9:35:06 PM
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My horse had a very similar experience about 4 years ago. I brought him in from the field one afternoon and thought he was a little odd. I monitored him for the next few hours and decided to get the vet out that evening. He also looked like he was drunk. He seemed to walk ok at the front end but his back end was all over the place! I daren't take him out the stable as it looked like he was going to fall over any time.
The vet arrived and asked to see him walk out. We took a few strides out and she told me to get him back in!
A coupke of the options were middle ear infection ( but after speaking to specialists at Cambridge Vet Uni didn't think it was likely) and the other was EHV - the neurological one. She took blood tests for this and we had to shut the whole yard down (30+ liveries - a lot doing the winter series of SJ and some hunters!)in case it was this. Needless to say I wasn't the most popular person on the yard!
If I remember rightly the blood test takes a week to come back and then a second test has to be taken. After 2 weeks of quarentine we were given the all clear.
It took about 6 months for him to recover - 3 months box rest (not safe to move him anywhere) and the gradually built up short walks in hand to turn out in the school, and then on to the field. When I was completely satisfied that he was up to it, I sat on him and again built up the ridden work. Touch wood - never had another episode. He has since gone on to win an FEI 120km race and came 2nd in FEI 160km race!
We never actually found out what the problem was. A back specialist suggested he had slipped in the field and kind of done the splits with his back legs. I don't know if this is the case but as we found no problems anywhere else, I'm inclined to believe this.
Don't know if this helps - just sounds similar to your problem!
Katie |
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