2nd degree atrio-ventricular

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Dancing_Diva

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Has anyone ever experienced this in their horse?

One of mine had their yearly jab today and upon having the usual checks the vet mentioned this, we left her a few seconds then trotted her a couple of circles on my yard and re listened and heart was normal again.

From the little info I can get from Google it is something that goes when worked and just seems a thing that comes when at rest.

I just worry about my little girl now (she's a mini Shetland) altho vet said to me it is nothing to be concerned about you still can't help but worry a little. I have vet out again next week for something else with one of my others so might just get them to have a quick listen then, or am I just worrying over nothing?
 
2nd degree AV block, dreamcometrue.
Not uncommon, more often seen in fit horses with high vagal tone. Generally goes away at exercise: if it does not go away with exercise it is much more of a worry.
This from Cornell's website:
HEART BLOCK
AV (atrioventricular) block can be a normal variation in horses and rarely requires treatment. Many horses have an arrhythmia called second degree AV block. This arrhythmia is very common and often goes away with trotting or exercise. Normally the heart beat is initiated by the part of the heart called the sinus node. The impulse conducts through the atria and to the junctional point between the atrial and the ventricles. The junction is known as the atrioventricular node or AV node, in short. In second-degree AV block the electrical impulse from the top chamber of the heart (atria) does not conduct to the bottom chamber of the heart (ventricle) because the AV node malfunctions. It is very rare for a horse to have advanced AV heart block that would require pacemaker implantation.

The only way you could treat it is with a pacemaker so there's not a lot of point getting stressed about it...!
I would suggest you get a vet to listen to her heart after she's been working (while the heart rate is still high) to see if it DOES go away with exercise - that may help put your mind at rest a bit.
 
Thank you Ownedby Joe, when the vet picked it up we lunged her in trot for a few circles and it had then gone and she said nothing to worry about as it went back to normal.

Still was a worry as I've not had much luck with my Shetlands recently. Ones been dignoased with wobbles, now this ones got this, just waiting for my third Shetland to have something wrong lol.!!

They certainly like to worry us don't they?!
 
Dancing_Diva said:
Has anyone ever experienced this in their horse?

One of mine had their yearly jab today and upon having the usual checks the vet mentioned this, we left her a few seconds then trotted her a couple of circles on my yard and re listened and heart was normal again.

From the little info I can get from Google it is something that goes when worked and just seems a thing that comes when at rest.

I just worry about my little girl now (she's a mini Shetland) altho vet said to me it is nothing to be concerned about you still can't help but worry a little. I have vet out again next week for something else with one of my others so might just get them to have a quick listen then, or am I just worrying over nothing?
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Hi my horse has 2nd degree heartblock which is what you refer to. It is nothing to worry about so long as it dissapears with exercise but you should be aware that your horse shouldn't have trimedazine (which is an antibiotic) or phenylephrine (used in colon displacement aka splenic entrapment). You should make your yard owner aware of both and anyone else left to look after your horse i.e. a friend if you go away on holiday and they look after your horse. Ideally you should mark this on a card on your horses stable.

In 2013 my horse had colon displacement atributed to grass/dry hay (away on holiday at time) and the vet said if the lunging didn't shrink the spleen and make the colon drop down the last resort before surgery would be to give him an injection of pheynylephrine (to shrink the spleen), but this could bring on a fatal arrythmia in my horse as he had 2nd degree heart block.

Incidentaly well done on your vet picking it up - my horse went through two vettings without them finding it, and then it was found on a visit for colic!
 
Dancing_Diva said:
Still was a worry as I've not had much luck with my Shetlands recently. Ones been dignoased with wobbles,
QUOTE]

Wobblers syndrome. My previous horse suffered from this. I responded to your post on the 13th March entitled 'Equine Ataxia', a big long reply but you never saw it, or never responded to it.

Hope you get it sorted x
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Sorry Applecart. I've just found my post and read your reply, it never emailed me to say you'd commended on it sorry.

I'm sorry you lost your horse from it. My little man seems to be doing ok. Did your boy ever have any problems with the farrier and bringing a hind leg forwards for rasping?

My boy had farrier for the first time with me Thursday and he was very bad when trying to bring one hind leg forwards to rasp! I don't know his history with a farrier so didn't know whether it was pain or him being a ******!! Lucky my farrier if fantastic tho so was kind to him. Altho next time I'll bute him few days before to see if his any better to rule out pain.

Ideally I'd like to have it looked into to see what is causing the problem but I hope no one takes this in the wrong way, his not worth it. (His worth the world to me don't get me wrong and if something happened accident wise and he could be saved I'd find the money without a doubt) but money wise he cost me £50 to buy his 32" tall now we know the problems there I wouldn't get insurance for him and without insurance I couldn't fund the investigations sadly as would be easily looking at thousands :( if he was unsured he'd have everything looked into already.

Me and my vet are monitoring him and he was on a low dose of bute, however I've just put him on turmeric and stopped the bute (quarter sachet every other day) and his stayed the same, his not stiff when walking and not laying down for best part of the day, these was things he was doing before going on bute.

Whatever happens with him until his really bad or very uncomfortable thn he'll have a good life living his days as a pet with my other Shetlands and be loved none the less.. X
 
Dancing_Diva said:
Sorry Applecart. I've just found my post and read your reply, it never emailed me to say you'd commended on it sorry.

I'm sorry you lost your horse from it. My little man seems to be doing ok. Did your boy ever have any problems with the farrier and bringing a hind leg forwards for rasping?

My boy had farrier for the first time with me Thursday and he was very bad when trying to bring one hind leg forwards to rasp! I don't know his history with a farrier so didn't know whether it was pain or him being a ******!! Lucky my farrier if fantastic tho so was kind to him. Altho next time I'll bute him few days before to see if his any better to rule out pain.

Ideally I'd like to have it looked into to see what is causing the problem but I hope no one takes this in the wrong way, his not worth it. (His worth the world to me don't get me wrong and if something happened accident wise and he could be saved I'd find the money without a doubt) but money wise he cost me £50 to buy his 32" tall now we know the problems there I wouldn't get insurance for him and without insurance I couldn't fund the investigations sadly as would be easily looking at thousands :( if he was unsured he'd have everything looked into already.

Me and my vet are monitoring him and he was on a low dose of bute, however I've just put him on turmeric and stopped the bute (quarter sachet every other day) and his stayed the same, his not stiff when walking and not laying down for best part of the day, these was things he was doing before going on bute.

Whatever happens with him until his really bad or very uncomfortable thn he'll have a good life living his days as a pet with my other Shetlands and be loved none the less.. X
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What were his symptoms? Did the vet say why he suspected he has wobblers syndrome? I am confused how this diagnosis was reached on being reluctant to shoe, or was it based on more than this, as from reading your OP it looks like you had the vet before your shetlands first shoeing. Only wobblers syndrome I thought, was very unusual in shetlands, in fact its more prevalent with WB/quarter horses and shires, and much more common in geldings with long necks. It can be any age, although it usually effects young fast growing and large framed horses.

My horse never had problems with the farrier. I understand you saying he is not worth spending thousands on, of course, this makes sense, and you have to be sensible with these things. Its difficult when they are not insured or their insurance doesn't cover things that go wrong with them.
 
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