Cast in field ......again

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Biglets Mummy

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Morning all.
Bit more advice needed if you don't mind !! My 20 yr old TB has got cast again in the field. That's the fourth time in 10 days and the 6th in the past month or so.
He is very predictable and will have a roll as soon as he is turned out so I normally watch him until he has done it so have been their when he has happened and have managed to pull him over myself.
Turned him out as normal this morning but had to race back into house to make work based phone call so I was gone about 30 mins. Had a quick look out of window en route to the kettle and my poor boy was lying legs in the air again.
Cue me running as fast as my legs would carry me with rope and managed to get him up again. He is ok. He is calm and eating which is more than can be said for me.
Luckily they are at home but I am stressing about what happens if I am away over xmas and it happens.How long can they be down before they become compromised ? I have amazing neighbours who are farmers so they will be used to getting cattle etc up but I would hate to leave the responsibility with them. He doesn't get stuck in his stable...yet...
He hasn't been 100% over the past 2 or so months which we have put down to aging.The vet has been out to check him. In fact blood results are back and just waiting for her to ring me this afternoon.
Has anyone had experience of this problem? Would turning him out with an anti cast roller help? Is their any reason this is happening? Is it too early for Mr Shiraz ???????
Thanks everyone xxx
 
I would certainly try an anti cast roller. Hope that something comes up in the test results.

Poor you, you sould really stressed.

Who is looking after him while you're away over Xmas? Its strange that he is getting cast with his legs up in the air. Is he on flat ground or stuck in a dip?
 
I would be seriously concerned about a horse that can't get up unaided. For me it it one of the criteria I use to decide when it is time to say goodbye.

It must be frightening for the horse, who as a flight animal needs to be able to move.

I would be exploring every avenue to check it's not a temporary problem and if it can't be fixed I'm afraid I would make that call.
 
What is actually happening when he gets cast? Is he rolling right over and then cannot get up on that side? Do you have to roll him over to his good side before he gets up? Has vet examined his legs, joints, back etc to see if there is some sort of arthritis which is making it difficult for him to get up? Is he on bute at all and has this been suggested by the vet?

How long are you going away for Christmas? Personally I would not be staying away more than a few hours if I had a horse with such a problem.
 
He always gets stuck in a way that I have to pull him from right to left if that makes sense? He has been legs in air a few times so flat on back and a few times he is lying to his right. Vet has checked all and he has an old tendon injury which he has bute for.He is retired due to this. His paddock is slightly sloping but its not in a dip or anything and he has been cast in his other field which is flat.
Thistle...you have voiced those dreadful thoughts racing through my head this morning.....It is terrifying for me to see so god knows how my boy must feel....
I am changing my plans for christmas. I was going to stay with family on xmas night but after lunch will come straight back. I am going to have chat with vet this after and see what the bloods say. He has been " flat" for he past 2 months. He lies down alot in the field which is something he doesn't normally do. I am off to check him again.
Thank you all for taking the time to reply. Feeling a bit worried xxxx
 
If he cant get up unaided I would either be paying someone I trusted to stay at the house whilst i am away(difficult at short notice) or would not be going any where, I would be looking into if this permanent or temporary and it would be a deciding factor for me.

how long before he is compromised depends on many things-the weather he will chill very quickly on the ground/raining he will get soaked through quick, twisted gut, colic,

I don't think you can go away and expect your neighbours to look out for him, terrible timing but maybe you need to make the decision as to wether it is fair to keep him going if he cannot get up alone-must be scary for both of you.

If he got stuck and you lost him whilst he was down it would not be a nice way for him to go.

fingers crossed the results give you something to work on

the anti cast roller will only work if he goes down on the side he can get up on if that makes sense
 
Is there any way that you can leave him in a stable with big banks when you go out? Even if he got cast he wouldn't be on cold damp earth.. Could you make a small turnout area around his stable so he can wander in and out, perhaps? Perhaps if he used left energy on keeping warm....

I agree that when the bloods come back, have a long chat with your vet. I've known horses that were ill in the past that laid down and wouldn't get up frequently, but when they got better they were fine again. It really does depend on the prognosis. Fingers crossed for you.x
 
My old TB picked up some sort of virus that knocked him for 6. The girls got it too but obviously the old man used to freak me out. He was still eating fine etc he just seemed tired and "flat". He had bloods taken and then I put him on red cell after chatting with my vet and although it took him longer to bounce back than the others he came back fine and we had another few years together.
Try not to panic just yet. Chat to your vet and see what comes about. I started treating my TB like a geriatric at 19 and only just lost him at 29! He spent 10yrs costing a fortune and milking his retirement ;-)
I agree a horse must be able to eat, poo and roll - basic requirements but from one neurotic TB owner to another try and keep calm. The old ones just take a little longer sometimes to bounce back. Good luck and I so hope you get a good outcome x
 
A change in behaviour is always worrying, if he is already on bute then maybe the time is approaching when you have that tough decision to make.

I know how it feels not to be able to leave home or for more than a few hours at a time and not know what you will go back to, so sending hugs and hope you can find out what the problem is.
 
Has he been losing condition at all? He seems to have a few of the usual symptoms of low level chronic pain.

If the vet can rule out anything serious and it's simply a stiffness issue, then an anti cast roller, supplements, and a bit of gentle exercise should help.
 
Massive thanks again all.I am a bit weepy at the moment !! He is the type of horse everyone should have at some point. I adore him.Good advice Honey08 Have decided that whilst away for xmas lunch I am going to leave him in. He has a huge stable in a barn ( Its 20 x 18) and my neighbour will check on him and his mates who will leave in with him. I willl be away 4 hours tops.
Baileybones ! Thank you for the support. Ive never had an older horse before. They all have succumbed before old age so feeling out of my depth a bit. He can be full of beans one minute and looks like he is going to keel over the next! But he isnt right....
Thanks Aopter for the hug. Im going to have to clean my windows. My nose is pressed up against them all the time. I only moved here 6 months ago and its the first time Ive had the boys at home so I am so glad I can be here if he needs me.Thank you all again. Its nice not to feel alone xxxx
 
SnowOnSnow said:
Has he been losing condition at all? He seems to have a few of the usual symptoms of low level chronic pain.

If the vet can rule out anything serious and it's simply a stiffness issue, then an anti cast roller, supplements, and a bit of gentle exercise should help.
Click to expand...

yes ..he has lost condition and weight but to be honest he has done for the past few years. His loses his summer bloom and drops a bit of weight and then stabilises through the winter. Ive got him on joint supplements.I think he might be a bit stiff to be honest as he retired to the field after his tendon injury.My gut is telling me something is grumbling with him but all his obs are normal and he is eating. Bright eyes,pricked ears,still nips me when putting up his hay net....
 
Think the thing I found hardest with having an old boy was being able to read the signs. With the girls now I ride them so I see things when I change rugs, tack up etc but most of all I can "feel" issues even if it's just a gut feeling. Once I stopped riding Ru I had to rely on how well I knew him. This was fine 99% of the time but then I'd go into basket case mode and stress because he was sleeping too much, pooing too much, not pooing enough........
I cried buckets over the old man and most of them prematurely. Even last week when I lost him I turned him out not realising it was going to be the last time. He came in lame on his weight bearing leg (he broke a rib earlier in the year) and that was the end. We'd had many false alarms before then that he always came back from. Trust your vet, trust your gut and take it one day at a time.
You are welcome to Pm / call me although I can't promise I won't end up sobbing with you x
 
If only we could control Father Time.

Be guided by your vet and by the horse himself. I had two old boys (27 and 30). The grey struggled to rise and I found him stuck in his box. I regret to say I probably left him a day too long, the other one had a series of mini strokes, he could get up but was disorientated.

As owners, getting it right at the end is the worst decision we ever make but also the most important one. Your final words of 'bright eyed, pricked ears and still nipping' is the one you want to remember.

Hopefully the old boy is having a blip, good luck and many of us know exactly how you are feeling, what your mind is doing and the heartbreak you are feeling.
 
I am with Thistle on this one I'm afraid. My neighbours horse went down this May in the field, he was 28 and I think had been there at least several hours, if not all nigh,t as he'd poo'ed where he layed and had loads of thrash marks in the ground and was exhausted. The look in his eyes was pitiful.

With some manouvering we got him on his feet again, but he was pts the next morning. I wouldn't like to think a horse was lying like that all night and would be seriously considering his future.
 
So sorry this is happening. I'm afraid I would be going the PTS route now, as things may only get worse, and it must be very distressing for a prey animal to not be able to get up. x
 
When I read the title I thought he was getting stuck in a fence or round a tree or something but as he cannot get up when he is laying on one side and its on a reguler basis I would be letting him go while he is still feeling good in himself rather than having to wait for a vet on the day that he is down and unable to get up at all or he goes down overnight and you find him in the morning. really sorry for you though as its a horrible call to make but you have given him a good life and retirement and letting him go with dignity while he still feels well but before he is distressed is the last act of love anyone can ive their horse.
 
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