And then there were two ☹️

Tiddlypom

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Thanks, everyone. Your comments are much appreciated.

It’s all rather rubbish, but thank goodness that I was there to witness almost all of yesterday’s episode.

It is partly captured on CCTV. The seizure started about 2 minutes after I had turned a perfectly calm and normal Molly back into the field. Nothing out of the ordinary happened to startle her.

I had gone to fetch hay to put in the steamer, and glanced back up to see her standing stretched out most unnaturally. I knew immediately what was happening. Shortly after that she started to repeatedly stagger in small walk pirouette circles. She stayed on her feet throughout.

The other two hadn’t noticed anything untoward while she was still immobile, but the IDx spotted the unnatural circles, and rushed over to repeatedly double barrel her 😳. I can only presume that she recognised that this was errant behaviour, and was freaked out by it.

I know enough to stay out of the way in such situations, but I deployed my loudest and sternest teacher voice to yell at the IDx and to tell her to knock it off, which she did.

They then left Molly alone, who carried on with her tottered circles for over 5 more minutes. I filmed this to show to the vet.

Within half an hour she was back grazing fairly normally, with the others still leaving her alone. I then caught her up and brought her in.

I’m still glad in my mind that we gave her a second chance after the first episode, which we did not see the start of, but which resulted in a lot of demolished fencing. By the time the OOH vet came out over an hour after that first instance she was displaying no neurological signs at all. So although in my mind I thought that it had been a seizure, there was enough doubt to allow her another chance.

So now it’s just the 18yo IDx and Molly’s 23yo mother left.
 
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onemoretime

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And it’s the youngest mare, the 13yo homebred, who has gone.

She was a former teenagers eventer, but has long been a happily retired pasture ornament

Today she had a seizure in the field just after I’d turned her out after her breakfast. She was already on seizure watch after a weird episode a few weeks ago, which two vets said could possibly be a seizure, but could just be shock. I decided to give her a second chance.

No doubt about it today. Vet reckoned, based on today’s symptoms, that she likely had a frontal lobe tumour.

Taking no chances at the water as a 5yo going clear at her first BE event, and again a couple of months ago.

View attachment 138175

View attachment 138176

Bye Molly, you were such a great character.
So very sorry for your sad loss. Looks a super girly.
 

ILuvCowparsely

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Seizures give no warning in my case, all captured on cctv, I heard a crash and rushed out the door and he was standing looking shocked - was only when I rewound the cctv I saw the whole thing happen.
 

GoldenWillow

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I'm so sorry about your beautiful girl Molly. I also had to pts one for seizures/fits, he was 12. After the first it was a wait and see how he was as like Molly a few hours after when the vet came he passed all neuro tests with flying colours. After the second incident he was pts the next day, on that morning he looked and behaved like a perfectly healthy horse until 20 mins before the vet came when he started losing control of his backend very suddenly. Take care xx
 

Tiddlypom

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Well, the reaction of the two horses left has surprised me.

They have been the same closed herd of three since 2018. Instead of being quiet and subdued, which is what I usually find after a herd member is PTS, they have both visibly relaxed and are calmly going about their daily routine with soft eyes and no angst. They actually look relieved. Even Molly’s mum.

They had been previously been a bit testy of late, but I put that down to the long and hard wet winter, and relentless mud.

I wonder if Molly had been displaying odd behaviours for a while, which unsettled the other two.

Molly’s mum has taken possession of the middle stable which used to be her daughter’s. It makes sense to have the two of them side by side with the talk grille in between. Again, I thought she might find moving stable rather stressful at her age, but she seems pleased. She’s not called for Molly once.

Molly’s stable nameplate will be staying up, though, even if I switch it to the now spare stable.
 
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