Adrian...the verdict from Rossdales is...

catembi

catembi

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...they don't really know.

It's hurting him on both sides where the suspensories attach to the cannon bone, which is going to be treated with steroids & shock waves (which sounds a bit doubtful to me). The lameness in the right fore has disappeared. I have def felt the fore lameness, but only turning right on the road out hacking. There's only one right turn on the road, & I only hack now & then, so I haven't felt it often.

However, they think they're missing something... They think he's a lot more lethargic than can be explained by the hind limb lameness, & the vets from the other disciplines have been discussing it. Done bloods which haven't shown much. Now I've got to weigh a day's diet for him & e-mail the details & they're going to analyse it.

We are now officially clutching at straws. I think I'm going to ride him for a few months, get some weight off him & see where we are, then retire him if it's looking like his BS days are over. Or maybe I'll try some mad stuff like iridology etc., so if anyone's got any weird & wonderful ideas...

Very fed up today. *I* know he's not right, the vets know he's not right...but no-one can put their finger on it, let alone fix it. Bl**dy horse. Pls someone, say something cos I'm despairing. :-(
 
no advice really, just wanted to say I hope you get to the cause!
Going through something similar, but not quite as 'bad' with my mare at the min and know exactly how you feel! Clutching at straws!

Keep pushing for investigations!
 
Thanks for the support. The thing is...what do we investigate next...?? X rays are normal...no spavin (despite the usual vets spending £1,500 on treatment...) no kissing spines except for a fractionally narrow lumbar joint (they did the whole spine from head to tail), nothing much on the bone scan except for the hocks, only 2/10 lame behind...

Blood tests normal, appetite normal...what exactly is there to check up on?? Arrrggghhhhh!!!! He is (apart from the suspensory problem) a normal horse who is very lethargic & doesn't want to do anything. When ridden, he feels 'wrong' to me & has his handbrake on all the time.

He is 7 now, so I've got 23-ish years of funding a field ornament to look forward to.
 
:( Was hoping you would get some clear answers. Have you got his blood results out of interest? I am having ongoing probs with Ted, turns out it is his liver - he is lethargic and we have had lameness too, very annoying in the extreme as same as you, there really isn't anything to see. He has been on a course of AntiBs, Legaphyton and is on Red Cell now but his bloods haven't really improved. However I am sure that if there was any indicator of his liver levels being off they would have done a full screen.

Wish I could wave a magic wand for us both!
 
Have you had the feet x-rayed? There is a horse on my yard that has basically poor foot confirmation and the pedal bone had dropped causing a slight feeling of 'not right' wasnt even lame. Could be in the feet....

On the other hand the lethargicness could be ulcers??
 
H_J said:
On the other hand the lethargicness could be ulcers??
Click to expand...

This is exactly what i thought when reading all the tests that have been done, some times horses are reluctant to move forward, seem lame and lethargic as they have gastric ulcers and are avoiding that acid in thier tummys splashing the roof of thier stomach worsening the ulcers.....worth running by them but i'm sure they would have considered it with all the other tests they have done

Fingers crossed for you : )
 
I'm sorry you've got no answers. I'm going through the same and am back at Rossdales next friday expecting tobe told I have a 5 year old field ornament :(. It's truly horrible isn't it? At least if they haven't found what the cause is yet, when they do (think positively it WILL be when) it may be something easy to fix, like the ulcers.
Keeping my fingers crossed for you!
 
Oh damn :( I saw the title and was really hoping for some answers and good news for you :( :( I don't know what to suggest, but I'm thinking of you, and know all too well what you're going through. xxx
 
Well, they've all been having a chat about him (saw Marcus Head btw) & they want me to tell them exactly what he eats, so I've just been weighing scoops of coarse mix. When I e-mailed them, I mentioned that he's been wood chewing like mad over the past 4 or 5 months (hasn't done it before in the 3 years I've owned him) & in the last month or 2, he's been really trashing my lovely expensive post & rail. I haven't seen him cribbing yet.

He half fits the ulcer profile as he doesn't want to move & he's very angry when girthed, but he def isn't in the slightest bit thin & he's still extremely greedy & aggressive with food.

I've mentioned it hoping that they might decide to scope him while he's there. Another thing to cross off...
 
Poor you :( I don't know his history but agree that ulcers are a possibility, and feet are so often the culprit. I know endless cases of "mysterious lamenesses" that turn out to be shoeing issues. Again apologies if you have been through all this, but as someone said foot x-rays can be very helpful. My horses' foot looked normal but x-rays revealed that she had 2.2cms too much toe :eek: - her "real" foot was actually smaller than the farrier believed.

Other off the wall suggestions - thermography? Last resort - a communicator??? By the time you get to retiring a 7yo, anything is worth a try surely.

Best of luck
 
I know you've been through a bit of a time with vets but would you consider a referral to Sue Dyson at the AHT? Seriously, if she can't diagnose it, it ain't diagnosable... Very frustrating, hope you can get to the bottom of it...
 
How incredibly frustrating. You have my utmost sympathy as it's such a difficult situation to be in.
A long spell of 'Dr Green' is what a lot of people use successfully in this type of situation. If all else fails I've known cases where this does the job.
 
Aw I was another one hoping they would have found what's wrong with Adrian. So sorry they haven't found anything yet. Hugs x
 
DEFFO get him scoped - for some reason I thought you already had. Ted has ulcers but he doesn't look quintessentially poor, and I know lots of other ulcer horses that look OK too.
 
catembi said:
Well, they've all been having a chat about him (saw Marcus Head btw) & they want me to tell them exactly what he eats, so I've just been weighing scoops of coarse mix. When I e-mailed them, I mentioned that he's been wood chewing like mad over the past 4 or 5 months (hasn't done it before in the 3 years I've owned him) & in the last month or 2, he's been really trashing my lovely expensive post & rail. I haven't seen him cribbing yet.

He half fits the ulcer profile as he doesn't want to move & he's very angry when girthed, but he def isn't in the slightest bit thin & he's still extremely greedy & aggressive with food.

I've mentioned it hoping that they might decide to scope him while he's there. Another thing to cross off...
Click to expand...

How frustrating for you.

FWIW literally the only sign my horse showed when he had ulcers was a reluctance to SJ. To all intents and purposes he was sound and happy - even going clear round Novice BE XC tracks. His were grade 4 - as bad as they get.
 
If in doubt get a chiropractic assessment done incase there is some discomfort higher up causing the lethargy.

Has he always been a bit this way inclined?......
 
I've been a "lurker" that's been reading your posts but as I don't "know" you haven't replied before.

I was really hoping that you'd gotten some answers.

Scoping sounds like a plan and if nothing else it's something else to score off the list if he's clear.

I've been through the mill, though not half as bad as you, with one of mine and I know how frustrating and upsetting it is. I really hope you get some answers so that you can move forward.

Best wishes x
 
I am another one who was hoping the vets would have been able to give you a definitive answer, it must be so hard not knowing whats wrong, when you know your horse its right. Thinking about you.
 
Thank you everyone for your comments.

Magic 14339 - he was 4 rising 5 when I got him, laid back but a bit of a nutcase jumping. He used to get very strong & excited, & lost us a place once BS cos he got carried away & did an extra jump. I also had to be careful with the flatwork with stuff like walk-canter trans as he used to get v hyped up & explosive.

Genuine thanks to everyone who's replied...helps me to feel that I'm not completely on my own with this.
 
Oh no, another one here who hoped you would have found an answer. It's just horrid not knowing or being able to put your finger on what the cause is as you can't fix anything then. :( Sounds like scoping for ulcers would be a very good idea and hopefully that will turn up an "easy" fix and you can get your hyper boy back again. :)
 
Well, Marcus phoned at 8.30... They think it might be worth scoping him so that's going to be done when they can fit it in. I suspect that we are def clutching at straws, but at least we'll know for certain rather than wondering. And we've already spent ££££££ so what's a few more £££...???

I would bet my house & land that there *is* something physically wrong. He's naturally cheerful & used to be straightforward & happy in his work. He is now miserable as sin & won't do anything except mooch about in a ploddy walk. I would also bet that it's not psychological as he's not the stressy, over-thinking type. It is also looking increasingly likely that we're not going to find out what the problem is.

Oh well, as field ornaments go, he is quite an attractive one...
 
Haven't read all the replies, so don't know if this has already been said, but my Farrier always maintains that any illness in the body/blood of a horse comes out in their feet... in other words, all the gunk travels downwards.

When my mare cut her stomach open last year, she also got foot abcesses and her hooves cracked up. Farrier said that was to be expected, was surprised she wasn't lame as he said they often are.... Maybe an old wives tale, I don't know.

So if your boy HAS got ulcers, maybe his feet are feeling it?


And another friend who is in her 70's and has had horses for 60 odd years reckons that any horses/ponies that are unsound come right again after a good 6-18 months just left out in the field to their own devices.
She has proved this with all the decrepit animals that she's been given over the years.

So even if nothing comes of the ulcer scopes or any other tests from the vets, maybe some good old R&R may do the trick.

I hope so, best of luck x x
 
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