Adrian...last ditch post...diagnose my horse please...??

have you tried contacting Woodcraft? they are based in cambs and deliver all around the region and always have plenty of small or large bale hay that is their business!!! Tel 01767 651781.

Cushingoid horses have many different symptoms so don't rule it out just because he doesn't fit the image you have of it.

I think get him more fibre in his diet, give him a 'holiday' and take it from there
 
I've only briefly read all the posts so sorry if I repeat things already said.

If you've not had Liver Function Tests done, get them asap. Also blood test for trace elements and minerals to rule out a severe difficency or toxicity - could well cause coat to hold on for longer then normal. I'd want an ECG done also, shouldn't be expensive and push to get them done at rest and after exercise.
Lymes can be very hard to diagnose so late on (I've had it!!) but if you are near a risk area then may be worth trying to test for it and have a blood smear for blood bourne infection, although there would be other markers in standard blood tests the vets should have picked up on by now if infective cause. Ticks can carry other bacteria as well as the ones associated with Lymes.

Otherwise if nothing comes back after LFTs and trace elements or ECG I would look more into the possibility of neuro based complications - degenerative or tumour.

Good luck x
 
With regards to his diet, how many droppings is he passing a day, and what do they look like?

I would certainly go for big bale haylage (which as K says, if you unwrap it and dry it out it won't sweat or go off) and up that first, before hard feed, due to the cushings like coat.

Good luck. I really can't imagine what you must be going through :( xx
 
My horses went through a phase like this. I changed their hay to a higher protein version, changed feed to comp mix, oats, fibergy and beet and also added pink powder and blood liquid, they were 100% better!
 
Quick update... we usually use Roland Woodcraft as he's 1/2 mile up the road, but he simply hasn't got any hay. He has also annoyed me as he has told o/h on 3 separate occasions that he would bring us up a couple of bales...then hasn't. Once, I'd just been to get some horsehage, so was cross when o/h said that Roland was bringing some hay up later, but it was just as well as he never turned up.

I spoke to vet no 3 today, & it turns out that we're further fwd than I thought. The following have been tested & come back clear:

-liver function
-kidney function
-insulin resistance
-muscle enzymes

So that's a few more off the list. Also she is v sure that it's not Lymes.

We are booking an ECG for as soon as o/h is available to drive the box. In the meantime, I'm going to get our soil analysed, find a vit/min block & try some herbal people.

I really appreciate everyone's support, & thank you to everyone who's PM'd me. At least we now have a plan. x
 
Selenevite is a gen vit and min supplement as well as being higher in selenium and vit E. I would recommend it in your situation.
 
really sorry to hear about him.

If you havent changed your feeding routine (ie, if they have always been fed the same amount) then I wouldn't put it down to a management issue. Otherwise, how can you explain him pulling you in to a 1.25m fence, and now barely wanting to move.

However, if he does have a big appetite and isn't putting on too much weight, then I would let him eat more - especially if thyroid is ok and his appetite is healthy.

The only thing that i would think about though - if it was a heart problem, would he not be put off his food? I'm not a scientist nor a doctor, but I've had family members with heart problems, and to be honest, they've not had great appetites because of the queasy feeling they got from the blood not being pumped around properly - they've lost weight rather than gain it.

Go with what your instincts tell you, and keep it simple if you can!
 
Haniki, can you tell me any more about your friend's horse? What did she do? Did he/she get better? I had ME a while back & it's horrid.

It's been suggested to me by someone else, & A did have a virus in Sept last year.
 
Not sure if it's been mentioned but what's your water supply like?

The only horse who I know that was diagnosed with heart problems wasn't life-less, dull coat etc etc, he was still a total loon and nutter. But I guess each one reacts differently ;)

Hope you get it sorted :)
 
Water is from a self filling trough installed in the summer from a mains supply. Previously a tub filled from the hose or watering cans from the kitchen tap if the hose was frozen.
 
Are you on a good worming programme? Why harrow? As you only have 3 horses surely it'd be quicker and more hygienic to poopick? How much land do you have?

I'd also try a good balancer. Suregrow by D&H is for youngsters and broodmares but I feed it in 2/3 rations to my working mare as a good alternative to TopSpec and a third of the price.
 
If you havent changed your feeding routine (ie, if they have always been fed the same amount) then I wouldn't put it down to a management issue. Otherwise, how can you explain him pulling you in to a 1.25m fence, and now barely wanting to move.
Click to expand...

The horse was previously at livery with better grazing(??) and a good supply of hay.
 
I have nothing to add ideas wise, but just to let you know I have 3 horses and I buy round bale haylage and manage to use it before it goes off, I unwrap it completely when I open it.
I reckon I get 8- 10 days out of a bale (depending on what the horses are doing and sometimes the weather!)
 
I agree that he looks poor, not fat and well. I personally would put him on to some better grazing (even if you have to rent another field locally for the next few weeks) and see if he picks up. Failing finding somewhere to rent, try putting him on livery somewhere for a month. I'm sure someone would do you holiday livery for him. I would also start on the pink powder, brilliant stuff and if you can't move him then deff invest in a big bale of haylage a week. FYI I had four out on half decent grazing this winter and to keep them looking well they went through 2 bales a week between them. I'm sure they will eat it all up quite quickly and this will also give your grass a bit of respite. I would look in to heart problem, but the horses I have known have all still been willing to work but just tire quicker. My friend had a horse in a very similar situation to yours, had all tests done, slightly raised white cell count on bloods but nothing, she ended up dispairing so put him on loan, and with a change of environment hey presto, he was back to his normal self. She has now actually sold him to his loaners.
 
I would move him to completely different pasture. One with plenty of good weeds and old brown stalky grass, just as an experiment. Mine have access to brambles, nettles, thistles, camomile & a range of other weeds which they browse happily & in preference to grass on occasion. Their pasture is relatively poor and stalky & they get unlimited good quality hay.
All of the above is indispensible IMO.

I would also take him off the sugarbeet and cut any sugar out of his diet - in case his system can't cope with it.

I am really confused about why you harrow twice a week as well. It makes me wonder whether there are toxins in your soil which you are continually recycling. We harrow once a year (although that's in part due to being on the side of a VERY steep hill and the tractor driver needing danger money...)

Really hope you can sort this.
 
hi, So sorry to read about your poor Adrian.

My first reaction reading all the details was - like others - Liver problems.

However, if you have covered this, then here's a new suggestion - but it is very rare, and hopefully just a long shot. Am definitely not trying to scare you.

I had a horse with very similar problems - and it turned out to be Lymphosarcoma - ie cancer of the lymph system.

In short he just gradually lost performance and energy over a fairly long period of time. He had been an enthusiastic all-rounder, eventing at Novice level. Had all the tests you have had - and nothing showed up.

Eventually, he developed a hardish lump under his chin/throat area - about the size of a squash ball. It was only then that he started to lose his appetite - up until then he had been eating normally - ie greedily!

Just thought you should check for any unusual lumps or swellings - can be anywhere in the lymph system so almost anywhere on the body - and can come and go a bit.

Don't panic though as it is VERY rare. It was actually my diagnosis that turned out to be correct, having read everything I could online and in books to do with the symptoms, and our vets and the Dick Vet kept discounting it as improbable right until the very end ......................

I wish you the very best of luck.
 
I haven't read through all the posts but my thoughts were maybe melanomas/tumours that would probably give the symptoms you describe and may not be palpable at this point? I'm not an expert, it's just an idea. :confused: Obviously I really hope that it is something more fixable.
Best of luck with your investigations, keep us posted.
 
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