cauda equina syndrome - desperate for help

Toraylac

Toraylac

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 May 2010
Messages
129
Location
Derbyshire
Visit site
I have a beautiful and very talented mare who we have brought back in to work after being a broodmare and who has excelled in dressage. We have noticed in the last couple of weeks signs of her being "off". Nothing in particular, so we had everything done, back, teeth etc. Last Thurs she developed what we thought was colic but actually turned out to be that she couldn't poo and was very uncomfortable. She is now at Oakham as she hasn't improved and has paralysis of her tail, rectum and partly her bladder. The only prognosis I have is awful Has anyone any ifo? PLEASE?:(
 
So sorry to hear about your mare. :-(

The cauda equine in horses is basically a wide region of nerve roots and the last part of the spinal cord, and it supplies the innervation to the rectum, tail, bladder, muscles of the back legs and lots of other structures. In CES there is inflammation of this area, which then causes paralysis of these nerves. It's thought that this inflammation is due to some kind of immune reaction, possibly secondary to viral/bacterial infection.

Unfortunately, as I'm sure your vets have explained, it has a poor prognosis because the nerve roots are usually irreversibly damaged by the time a horse starts to show true signs. You can manually remove poo from the rectum and put a catheter in the bladder to make the horse more comfortable, but the disease will usually progress further despite this.

Sorry I can't give you better news - really hope that the vets find another cause for her problems that might have a better outcome.
 
Thankyou Murphy. I know I am clutching at straws now. It just seems so unfair as we have done absolutely everything to get this girl at the peak of health and condition. There really aren't any early warning signs.
 
I am afraid I don't know about this in horses but in people cauda equina is a medical/surgical emergency in which part of the spinal cord is prolapsed or compressed causing paralysis/numbness and problems with bladder and bowels - so very similar. The cure is emergency surgery to relieve the pressure and if not done soon enough then the problem will be long term. Recovery depends on how well the compression is relieved and how long the problem had been left untreated. It sounds as if it is a similar thing in horses and I have to say I cannot see how they could do similar surgery and follow up physio on a large animal. :(
So very sorry for you:(
 
Dear Misst, Again thanks for your time. I have been searching everywhere trrying to find out more info and sadly everything written is gloomy if it is CES. Just waiting for a test for EHV and a biopsy on the affected areas. I suppose the vets have to go through all the hoops if i am to claim on the insurance????
 
So sorry it looks so desperate for you. I know how hard it is waiting even when you know the outcome is almost certain. ((hugs)) thinking of you and your girl x
 
Fabi, my mare was put to sleep at 4pm today, but not without a terrible fight with my insurance company (NFU). They wanted to keep her going for 2 months to see if she coud make any improvement despite my vets being categoric in their belief that no improvement was possible and that prolonging her life and subjecting her to twice daily manual evacuation of her rectum was non tenable. After an awful lot of phonecalls thankfully NFU agreed to her being put done:( Thank you to everyone who contacted me and offered support.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top