A very poorly yearling... high temp, increased heart rate

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This morning I got to the yard and Troy's bed looked like a disaster zone. He had dug it all up, poo'd in his water feeder and looked really unusual. He was very tucked up, pawing, but still passing poo (harder than normal though) and was eating.

I phoned the vet and she came up pretty much straight away. I tried walking him out, but he was dragging one of his bag legs as though he had an abscess (you know the way they don't want to put weight on it) but then swapping it to the other one
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The vet checked his guts which were working normally but his heart rate was slightly up and his temperature a degree and a half higher than it should be (I think that is what she said). She has given him an injection of anti-biotics and bute which will hopefully make him feel a little more comfortable and I am going back in a few hours to see whether I can get him to walk a little.

The words virus and infection were mentioned, but would these necessarily make him unwilling to use his back legs? He is pivotting around on them rather than moving them and still pawing a lot, yawning, etc etc
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He looks unsteady on his back legs but then will stand on them quite happily when he is munching on his haynet.
 
Fingers crossed for you, hopefully its nothing serious. The only experience I have of viruses was quite serious in a weanling at work. She lost all co-ordination and although she was fine standing still if she went to move or tried to eat she would go round in circles, fall over or walk into walls etc. She was seriously ill and thought we might lose her, but after a huge amount of anti-biotics she made a full recovery. I would just keep a very close eye on him Im sure he will be fine
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Thanks GigglePig... Looks as though I might be staying over in the box tonight then
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I didn't know a virus could cause them to be so ill, I have never had any experience of one before.
 
Just to correct a minor point, that cant have been a virus if they used antibiotics to clear it up- must have been a bacterial infection.
 
Well this one at work had a form of menigitis apparently, or some kind of virus that caused an inflammation of the fluid surrounding the brain (I think I have that right). But that would suggest why she was very un-coordinated. The vet thought it might of even been an abcess but there was no way of knowing. If hes no better I would ask for a blood test just to be on the safe side, will try and find the post about this weanling too it was a while ago though so not sure if its still here!
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[ QUOTE ]
Well this one at work had a form of menigitis apparently, or some kind of virus that caused an inflammation of the fluid surrounding the brain (I think I have that right).

[/ QUOTE ]

Meningitis is caused by bacteria so the treatment makes sense
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Sounds like a bacterial infection which is something yearlings seem to get.
AB's and a bit of bute to help with his temp should do the trick hopefully.
 
The worst one we had had a temp of 104 and was pretty sick.
Had been fine the night before like yours.
5 days of drugs and he was fine.
I think young horses just like to get things really and it was probably set of by the mud rash he had just knocking his immune system a bit.
 
Yep he will feel like you do when you have flu with all the aches and pains.
The only other thing it can be is lymphangitis which is not dissimilar it is an infection that gets in through a cut and then circulates through the lymph glands.
Strangly enough one of my fillies got is after we moved .
She was fine at night but the next day she had a leg like a tree trunk up past her hock and even her teats were swollen.
raised temp and heartrate and wouldnt move at all.
She again had very strong AB's and bute for 6 days and recovered quite quickly although it knocked the weight off her.
Entry usually through a wound or after mud rash or a scratch
 
Thanks everyone... He really frightened me this morning because he was so unco-ordinated
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I went and bought him a new rug this afternoon, a lovely cerise 6ft medium weight stable rug
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I thought it would be a little bit big on him, but when I put it on tonight it was lovely and snug
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He looks ever so cute in it, all grown up and he looked very happy and cosy!

He looks a little perkier tonight, and his co-ordination seems much better too. I walked him out for about 15 minutes and he was very quiet, but he was happy to walk which he wasn't this morning. His left leg (the one he looked sore on this morning) is quite filled tonight, so just keeping my eye on that too.

He is on antibiotics and bute for quite a few days, but fingers crossed the improvement will continue over the next few days. He is enjoying all the attention he is getting too and is loving all the cuddles too
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He is still quite quiet, but the vet said as long as there is an improvement we will not have to take bloods and can relax a little bit... so everyone please keep those vibes coming as tomorrow morning will be the telling time.
 
Did the vet perform any neck flexion tests? Did they check his co-ordination, asking him to walk forwards backwards turn on a circle etc?

Some virus, herpes for example can cause loss of co-ordination of the hind quaters.

My foundation broodmare was struck by a really bad virus when she was six, extremely high temperature and total loss of co-ordination of her hind quaters, she would walk as if drunk and then fall over. She was absolutely fine when standing in a stable but found turning difficult. The vet gave me three days to decide if I should have her put down as suspected that she would never recover. It was the scariest thing I have ever seen. My riding instructor at that time totally diasagreed and created a small paddock for her, it was winter in Switzerland so the ground was mostly frozen but he felt she needed to go out and keep moving, she was turned out daily with one of the riding school horses as a companion. Each day she would go out dragging her legs and staggering, when let off she would trot off full of her self but her legs wouldn't follow and would crash to the ground, but as the days and weeks past she made steady progress. Three months later she had made a full recovery, although very weak and further blood tests showed anemia which I was told was normal so was put on redcell. Anyway she went on to be a very successful showjumper, I still have her at the age of 17. :8 Anyway his theory was that movement would encourage the nerve damage to repair and whilst I hated myself for keeping her going I really am glad I did!

Sincerely hope that the symptoms your boy has are a lot less dramatic and hope he makes a speedy recovery.
 
Could it be due to his ''mud fever''? One of my yearlings and my 7yo riding horse both have really swollen back legs from a 'pastern dermatitus' which is been treated with oral antibiotics, hibi scrub and fuciderm cream. They are both miserable, very lame and want to be in all the time.

BTW this all started after a wet spell, but we don't have any mud!
 
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