Any Idea

C

ClareEllis080682

Active Member
Joined
28 March 2007
Messages
34
Location
North Wales
Visit site
Hi sirry this is a long one but I would really appreciate any comments!
I have a pony who is very sick, and no one can understand what is wrong with him. It started over a month ago we noticed he was slightly lame on his off hind and had rapidly lost condition, his back bone was sticking out and he is normally a very good doer. We wormed him and kept him in for a week, kept a close eye on him he seemed to be better, no heat or swelling in his leg all seemed fine, so we turned him back out but on his own. Kept a close eye on him all fine for 2 weeks, then last tuesday he was standing on 3 legs, looked really poorley, dull coat, dehydrated not eaten all night and all swollen up. Called out the vet, had tests on his liver and kidneys all fine (not poisoning). Vet is baffled as are we, he is swollen all up his off hind (near hind fine), his stifle, under all his underneat is swollen and really soft and squidty. He won't eat much and is not drinking anything.
 
have you had a full blood panel done, the expensive one? surely that would give some good indicators.
sounds very strange. not septicemia from the original injury, perhaps? hope not.
frown.gif
 
Do you have snakes in your area, I know they get up there? It could be something has bitten him and released poison into his system; that would be high on my list of suspects anyway.
I may be completely wrong but it sounds just like a friend who had a snakebite this summer and he didn't know he had been bitten until he went to the doctors, just that his leg was very painful and he felt weirdly disorientated all of the time; his leg was like a football all the way to his thigh and he was black and blue. Luckily he is a fair drinker so it had a bit of a fight to disrupt his bloodstream too much!
grin.gif
 
Sorry I meant to say if there is no change we might have to take him to leahurst hospital. Yes we did have the thorough blood tests done (or the one the vet recommended which wasn't cheap), but everything is normal except for his protein levels which are extremely low. we where advised to feed him on a high protein feed, but can't get him to eat much of it.
 
Have you tried him with Blue Chip/Top Spec? Baileys LoCal? They are so potent he'd only need something like a handful a day so not a great mass to feed. Silly question I know but have you been through his coat with more than a fine tooth comb, like the very tips of your fingers so that you might pick up on anything abnormal, it could be something like a splinter which hasn't festered as such, just got into the blood stream. Just be careful you don't leave anything behind in him if there is a foreign body. Would he stand for you to clip his leg, I know he's a baby?
 
Yes, it also might not be picked up on x rays either, I've known that to happen.

OP: Have you had the farrier out to him at all to have a good look, sometimes vets just do not pick up on changes/bad spots to feet as they would?
 
i agree with MFH.
OP, i think i'd ask the vet to sedate the horse and clip the whole leg and then do a fingertip search of the entire thing. if there was an original wound, then it might have closed up by now. sounds to me as if there might well be something in there, unfortunately.
frown.gif
frown.gif
 
Hi he is having blue chip at the moment.

We have been up an down his legs with a find tooth comb, We have clipped the one leg, and had a good look at his feet no heat in his swelligs as all, did this the first time he came in. not had the farrier out, but thanks for that I never thought of that, but will ring him up tonight! If the vet hasn't found anything else. Really hope it isn't septicimia.
 
Well that is exactly what they would do at Leahurst so it makes sense to try it at home before the added expense of taking him there for them to find something that you might have been able to find yourself.
I've been known to be on my hands and knees with a powerful torch as well for something like this.
 
Hi thank you for your ideas, the vet will be here soon so I will mention them to him, and have another good look at his legs. Thing is though, he has had blood tests done and all was fine, except for the low protein, liver and kidney fine, blood count fine?????
 
My friend's horse was very poorly - blood poisoning from an abcess (caused by a kick two weeks earlier which seemed fine). His injury just presented as a swelling - no obvious injury sight. He also had bloods which came bad normal! How, I don't know.
She very nearly lost him but thankfully vet got on top of it and he's now fit and well.

Jo
 
The Vet has been this morning, she thinks it is something to do with his heart now. has anyone ever seen this before, she thinks the swelling is due to a heart condition and he is lame due to the severty of the swellings. Poor little mite! his heart rate is very irregular, she said it was slightly irregular last week which she put down to what she thought was an infection, but know she has come up with this. He's having more tests and she is bringing a college for a second opinion. Dosn't look good though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top