Ataxic horse - no indication as to why yet..

F

ForeverBroke_

Well-Known Member
Joined
4 June 2008
Messages
10,364
Visit site
Hello,

Just wondering whether anyone can perhaps shed some light following their own experiences on the head scratch me and my poor horse are going through at the minute! Will try to keep it short..

Basically, horse was examined about 2/3 weeks ago now following my concern with lack of performance and always cantering disunited down the field/on the lunge / hacking. Interestingly - he rarely has a problem schooling (bit of background is he was a Graded SJ stallion til he was 6, before being imported here from the netherlands 3 years ago, now 9 year old).

Vet thought I was right to think something wasn't quite right - and so he went down to the clinic on Tuesday. On unloading the specialist vet who met us there instantly said it was neurological, and that he was showing symptoms of Wobblers. He was then x-rayed, however no compressions were found in his neck/spine at all.

He has since been down for a bone scan - and there are no compressions/fractures/cause for the nerves to not be reaching his hinds at all. There were some hotspots over his lumbar region, but that isn't what the problem is now. The next step is to take a muscle biopsy of his tail to see whether there is some sort of degenerative nerve damage - and following that a 4 week course of steroids to see if there is a viral course.

I get the impression that they want to tell me its Wobblers Syndrome - but as of the moment they can't justify why! They are telling me that as he is ATM he's not safe to ride (was hacking/schooling up until Sunday happy as larry, just not overly forward) and that should the steroids not work then I should consider what is best for him..

Any experiences/help greatly appreciated!

x
 
Last edited:
Frostbite said:
Hello,

Just wondering whether anyone can perhaps shed some light following their own experiences on the head scratch me and my poor horse are going through at the minute! Will try to keep it short..

Basically, horse was examined about 2/3 weeks ago now following my concern with lack of performance and always cantering disunited down the field/on the lunge / hacking. Interestingly - he rarely has a problem schooling (bit of background is he was a Graded SJ stallion til he was 6, before being imported here from the netherlands 3 years ago, now 9 year old).

Vet thought I was right to think something wasn't quite right - and so he went down to the clinic on Tuesday. On unloading the specialist vet who met us there instantly said it was neurological, and that he was showing symptoms of Wobblers. He was then x-rayed, however no compressions were found in his neck/spine at all.

He has since been down for a bone scan - and there are no compressions/fractures/cause for the nerves to not be reaching his hinds at all. There were some hotspots over his lumbar region, but that isn't what the problem is now. The next step is to take a muscle biopsy of his tail to see whether there is some sort of degenerative nerve damage - and following that a 4 week course of steroids to see if there is a viral course.

I get the impression that they want to tell me its Wobblers Syndrome - but as of the moment they can't justify why! They are telling me that as he is ATM he's not safe to ride (was hacking/schooling up until Sunday happy as larry, just not overly forward) and that should the steroids not work then I should consider what is best for him..

Any experiences/help greatly appreciated!

x
Click to expand...
Oh poor horse and poor you. I can't comment on Wobblers but I do have a horse on long-term steroids. They were only supposed to keep him going for a few months through the summer and then they would have had such a bad effect that he would have to be pts. However, 5 years on he is still going strong with no ill effects of the steroids at all and he is in rude health as they say, though he can't be worked and is a field ornament.

If steroids turn out to be a long term thing it can get terribly expensive but I don't suppose you care about that at the moment. It's very hard to make the right decision though and you have my sympathy and thoughts.
 
Thankyou, glad that your boy is still going strong!!

Its just going to be awkward, as if the steroids/biopsy show nothing then I have to consider another scan which requires general anaesthetic.. vets aren't keen and I'd have to have him referred - and tbh I'm not keen either. BUT I will then always wonder if I've done right by him!!

Its just hard, as my other horse was largely written off last year, so along came this chap. Poor boy!
 
Hello,
My horse showed ataxia and lameness last year. After many x-rays, bone scans etc last time she was at the vets she was sound and not ataxic at all. They put it down to her having muscular inflammation possibly affecting nerves (i think). Bowen possibly helped
 
Has he been on any anti-inflammatories? Has he got a head tilt?

Wobblers can often mean an operation, but unless he has a full scan, it is not an obvious diagnosis. (A friend's horse is currently undergoing tests at the RVC for this, sounds very similar, disunited canter, back legs all over the place, previous issue with tibia plates not fusing when expected as a baby, quite a large gap on x rays). He will have bone scans, then a milogram (dye injected into spine, sorry if I'm sounding patronising, don't know if your vet has mentioned this option yet).

This horse was rested for six months after light backing. We should know by next week what the prognosis is. I'll be interested to see what the vet reckons with yours and if it's a similar diagnosis. Are you down my way?
 
Last edited:
I bought a BS mare that was 5 stage vetted, but pts within 6 mnths of purchase with severe ataxia.

Like yours the main sympton was an uncordinated canter, and she struggled with jumping a 2ft 3 jump, having happily jumped up to 1m 10 previously.

My vet could only assume that sometime in her career she had had a bad fall and done some serious neurological damage, and had been struggling for some time. How she passed the vetting I will never know and really should have challenged it...He advised against any further investigation as was such an obvious diagnosis and couldn't recommend any treatment.

Sadly I was advised that she would be too dangerous too ride, and would possible have long term stability problems even as a field ornament, hence advised to pts.

Sorry to be so negative, and hope that you have a different outcome x
 
How are his waterworks?

I lost my mare last year to a neurological condition called polyneuritis equi - one of the common symptoms for this, as well as ataxia, is problems with urinating.

I hope your lad can have a more positive outcome. xx
 
Thanks for all your replies.

CT - Many thanks, thats also what my vets have mentioned to me re: the milogram etc. He has had a full bone scan which only showed up the hot spots over his lumbar, the rest of his spine etc was fine. Vets aren't overly keen on the milogram due to the need for general anaesthetic/getting up again with a wobbly behind. They have said it's only really a good route to use should I consider the surgery - I'm in Kent and he's down at Bell (if you know it!)

S - Thanks for your spin on things too, pts is definitely an option that is very much at the fore-front of everything atm, but got to keep positive for the next few weeks!

Varkie - Everything else about him is as normal luckily! Sorry to hear about your mare.

xx
 
My 16 year old TB mare became suddenly ataxic after tripping badly in the school. The following day she was dragging her hind toes, on day 2 she was really dragging them, day 3 she was stumbling behind and tripping and almost getting her hind legs tangled. My vet sent us straight to liphook, they decided she had a cyst on her 6th vertebrae. She was put down there the next day. They said she was in danger of falling over and breaking something. The general consensus was she must have rolled and finally tweaked her neck causing a bit too much compression on her spinal cord and they felt she had no real control over her back end. Gutted and a real shock.

The PM showed narrowing on the vertebrae where the spinal cord runs through.
 
BR - thankyou, helpful also.

He has always been a bit awkward behind - but up until christmas he was schooling nicely, hacking well and popping the odd jump still. I can't really see any significant change myself in how he is moving behind (compared to when I bought him) but again, I see him every day.

He's never been trippy and very sure footed but they are still saying hes CURRENTLY a danger to himself, and because I can't see a difference this is what shocks me! I have a video of him on the lunge I can PM anyone who's interested also.


Thanks for all your help - and sorry again to hear about your horse.
 
Can't offer any help but currently going through the same problem with my boy.
He is a Welsh Sec D, 15hh, rising 8yo and always been a good doer. I first noticed something wasn’t right in September, the difference between then and now is quite shocking. Awkward behind, ataxic gait, weight loss and muscle wastage. He is out 24/7 and I am feeding him 3 large feeds and 12kgs of hay a day just to maintain his weight. On Tuesday he had a muscle biopsy taken so just waiting for the results. At first we thought it might be Wobblers syndrome but my vet now suspects EMND. It is soul destroying
 
Thanks C :D

Sunshine - sorry to hear that about your horse. It is soul destroying - seems to come out of no where!! My lad is 17.1hh and has always been a good doer and thus far has had no weight/muscle changes.

Fingers crossed for you for a positive outcome!
 
Thanks Fleabite and fingers crossed for you and your lad too.

Has anyone mentioned getting him on high dose of Vit E and Selenium?
I was advised to do it immediately. I'll let you know how we get on.
 
I work with lots of humans with ataxia, as a result of a brain injury. Could he have damaged his head by falling or bashing it?
 
Wobblers is supposed to be degenerative as the horse grows, but my friend's horse is 5 and only got worse this year :confused: He has fallen more than once, so it might be damage, not degenerative,although the vet thinks it's congenital. He has a vertebrae at an odd angle, it was discovered yesterday. It can't be operated on (too dangerous) so she officially retired him today and brought him back to the yard. The vet says most people PTS. I think she might be happy for him to be a field ornament as she has another horse.
 
It can be degenerative as a result of age, but can also be a result of trauma (Such as a fall/fracture then compressing the nerves).

Sorry to hear that he's had to be retired, but hopefully he can enjoy the rest of his days in the field in the sunshine. The vets are very wary of my horse atm - they dont even seem keen to turn him out at the clinic incase he stumbles (although if he's the horse I know still, he wont!) but we'll see how he copes.

Muscle biopsy will be done Monday so I'll keep you all updated..
 
Fleabite I'm also in kent and am also with bell.

They diagnosed my last horse with wobblers and told me he was dangerous and the kindest thing for me to do was have him PTS. I was devastated, cried all the way home as I couldn't quite believe it. They never offered me a bone scan or anything, just diagnosed him off of xrays.

I started to read up about it on here and found out that a vet called John wharmsley (think that's how u spell it) carried out wobblers operations all over the world and he was based at the liphook clinic in Hampshire. I decided to get a 2nd opinion and asked bell to refer me to the liphook!! They refused!!!! I then had to get my mum on the phone as I was finding it all a little traumatic and she went mad at bell saying it was our right to get a 2nd opinion etc and eventually they agreed to refer us.

The liphook did a few test with my boy, lunging, walking up and down hills, steps etc and straight away said he DID NOT have wobblers and it was muscular. My horse stayed there for about a week having various tests to confirm their findings, they also rode him everyday. They refused to see any X-rays or notes from bell too when I offered to get them sent over saying they would prefer to do there own.

If I had listened to bell then I would of had my horse PTS, he is currently out now on the BSJA circuit.

I have since heard of a number of cases bell have diagnosed as wobblers without proper investigation.

Don't get wrong this was a good 6 years ago and I have used bell since with no problems and had every confidence in them with my horses recent issues but all I'm saying is if they do come up with this diagnosis then please please read up on all the facts you can and ask all the questions you can and if your still not happy then get a 2nd opinion before making any drastic decisions.

The liphook was the last resort for my boy, I had decided that if they agreed with bell then he wouldn't of been coming home with me but I so glad that my gut instinct was right and they people on here really helped
 
Sorry to hear about your horse , it is so upsetting when they are not well . I know just how you are feeling , my boy who is only now 7 managed to injure himself last year in the stable when getting cast . He is lame front and hind on the same side in trot and also ataxic showing a neurological gait at the hind end . He too had a bone scan and xrays with all normal results and my vet can only conclude that he has spinal cord damage , he has improved slightly but now does not seem to be showing anymore improvement . Think that will be as good as he gets , but as my vet does not think he is in pain and he is happy and not a danger to himself i have decided to keep him as a pet . Hope you get your boy sorted out x
 
Many thanks to you both! Kerry, glad that your horse has a lovely home and can keep enjoying life!

Kelly - How interesting! They have done quite a number of tests with him (blind folded, up/down hills etc) and he did trip a bit (I mean tiny..) over the kerbs and step into the school but he's VERY lazy and theres a couple of other things I'm not 110% convinced by either..

He's home tomorrow after a biopsy and to start his course of steroids and we're going to do quite a bit of physio with him to see whether its muscular too. If he's still not any better / has got worse through what we've done then I think I'll definitely get a second opinion - do you know if John is still out and about on the vet circuit?

Many regards!
 
I dont know if he is to be honest as was a few years ago now.

The tests you described are also the tests they carried out on my horse as well as the tail pull test, turning in circles and making him stretch round to his stomach for feed. Then they did x-rays and that was their diagnosis. Also the vet seeing him wasn't sure so he got a more experienced vet (won't mention name on here) to confirm his diagnosis through the x-rays alone. He didn't even come out to look at my horse for himself. From what you said though they seem to be being a lot more thorough with your horse so hopefully you will get a much more accurate diagnosis than what I got.

Also to be fair when my horse was diagnosed, wobblers was never really heard of. It seems to have become a lot more common in recent years so I'm sure bell will have so much more experience in dealing with suspected wobblers cases now.

Like I said in my previous post though, if your not 100% happy then ask for a 2nd opinion.

Good luck though, and hopefully your horse will respond well to treatment and and we're just worrying for nothing. Let us know how you get on
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top