Continual problems

[chrisharri]

Hi All,
My lovely big cob has in the past 4 months become very reluctant to load. He has started to plant his feet and just not want to load. Once he's in there, he travels fine.
The trailer is the same trailer he travels in 3 times a week, same car for towing, same driver, basically going to the same places. Trailer is 3 years old, and just serviced in May, and totally fine.
He did fracture his splint bone August 2018 but that's fully healed, had numerous x-rays and all clear.
He also struggles to collect his canter, and tends to motorbike around corners, no matter who's riding him.
So, I got my equine sports massage/physio out to check him over. She said his back was fine, back was fine, but his whole back end was tense, sore, and stiff. She also noted that when walked and trotted on the straight, he noticibly landed heel first in a clumsy manner.
So I got the vet. Vet watched him on the lunge and a video of me riding him, and said that he looked uncomfortable on all limbs and none of them where perfect. So we did a bute trial, to no avail. No change. Farrier came today, and said his feet were fine but felt his back legs where camped under the horses belly, and there was resistance in lifting hind legs.
I know he needs to go in for a lameness work out, which he is booked in for W/C 23/6. I'm just wondering if anyone has any ideas?

 

[ycbm]

PSSM

Breed and symptoms sound like a shoe-in for it. A lot of heavier horses have it and vets often don't look for it or know enough about it.

You could stick him on 10,000iu of natural vitamin E a day (Equimins oil cheapest by quite a margin). If you don't see a rapid improvement, add 10g of alcar (eBay)

If no improvement then, look elsewhere.

I hope it's that easy!

 

[chrisharri]

PSSM

Breed and symptoms sound like a shoe-in for it. A lot of heavier horses have it and vets often don't lok for it or know enough about it.

You could stick him on 10,000iu of natural vitamin E a day (Equimins oil cheapest by quite a margin). If you don't see a rapid improvement, add 10g of alcar (eBay)

If no improvement then, look elsewhere.

I hope it's that easy!

Wow, thanks for the reply, I've never even heard of pssm. I shall Google it now, thank you!

 

[ycbm]

You're welcome

Lots of us on here with experience of it to help you if that's it. If you get the vitamin E immediately you might feel you can cancel the workup if it's the answer.



.

 

[chrisharri]

You're welcome

Lots of us on here with experience of it to help you if that's it. If you get the vitamin E immediately you might feel you can cancel the workup if it's the answer.



.

Yes I will get some tomorrow. Do most feed stores stock it, or do I need to go to Holland and Barrett? Or just online? This is fascinating.
I just love learning new things about horses. Hopefully my lovely chap will respond to the vitamin e, if he does that's fab! I've just read that I can send a sample of his mane away to be tested for pssm1, might be worth doing also, but honestly, I've read a few articles and he has 90% of the symptoms! Thank you so much and I'll keep you posted

 

[ycbm]

Best place for that volume is Equimins in a bottle, but it's £100. Forageplus is next cheapest, powder in smaller quantities.

Don't feed the tack shop stuff they only ever sell it with added selenium and for the amount you need you will overdose selenium which is extremely toxic.

.

 

[bubsqueaks]

Our cob was standing with her feet camped under last year & it turned out to be a virus, which you cannot treat but just rest & slow recuperation work together with ensuring full vit & min spec.

 

[Goldenstar]

Camped under is a classic sign of suspensory problem in the hocks and that might explain the sore back as well .

 

[chrisharri]

Camped under is a classic sign of suspensory problem in the hocks and that might explain the sore back as well .

Yeah I had considered that problem. I'm assuming suspensory problems can be picked up at a full lameness work up?

 

[chrisharri]

Best place for that volume is Equimins in a bottle, but it's £100. Forageplus is next cheapest, powder in smaller quantities.

Don't feed the tack shop stuff they only ever sell it with added selenium and for the amount you need you will overdose selenium which is extremely toxic.

.

Yeah I've just been into a tack shop and they only sell vitamin e with selenium. So I'll not waste my money on that!

 

[Diddleydoo]

This is the stuff YCBM refers to

https://www.equimins-online.com/en/all-products/772-equimins-vitamin-e-oil.html

It's a great product and you will see results very quickly in a pssm horse

 

[SEL]

The hair test for type 1 pssm with Animal Genetics UK is cheap and has about 10 working days turnaround. I would get a sample over to them before your lameness work-up because if its positive then you won't waste money on vet investigations. They can often turn a sample round quickly if you ring them.

 

[Shay]

I had a cob type like this on trial. Stiff behind, camped under but unable to collect, reluctant to load. Turned out to be the very early stages of wobblers. Ycmb is right there are a number of folk on here treating for PSSM - but please don't assume that it is just beccuase that looks like it might be an "easy" answer. Do the hair test. And also even if the horse does have PSSM it doesn't rule out also having issues with suspensories, spinal impingement, neurological conditions etc.

 

[ycbm]

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