Equine Ataxia

If you search 'wobblers' (common name for ataxia) you will find some recent posts on the issue.

I had a mare with it and probably stemmed back to a sj accident prior to purchase. Her canter became more and more un cordinated, and was confirmed by X-ray.

Occasionally horses can be operated on, but most people with ataxic horses do not have a good outcome. Sadly mine was pts as although I would have happily kept her as a field ornament, was warned by the vet that as the condition progressed, she may go down in the field and not be able to get back up.
 
Thank you. Sorry to hear about your mare x

My 32" mini Shetland has just been dignoased with it. His only 4 1/2.

Was there anything you could do for your mare to help her at all before she was pts?
 
My sisters horse had medium level ataxia, due to compression of the spine c6 and 7.

He had has lots of treatment but is on the mend, hopefully.
He is only just 6 and this issue has be on going for over a year but It's not a dead end.
 
No - my vet could see no way forward for her as too severe.

I am no expert in ataxia, but imagine it would be quite unusual in a mini - I always assumed it was a condition that affected larger/competitive horses as more prone to traumatic injury….

Keeping everything crossed for your little fellow x
 
We had a 31 yr old mare who became ataxic - the vet felt that the most likely reason was a tumour in either spine or brain. Needless to say she was pts. The whole thing, from everyone thinking that her odd gait/lameness was caused by an abscess but not being able to find one, took 6 weeks.

I hope you have a better outcome.
 
I have a 23yo who was diagnosed with Wobblers in November 2010. His is caused by arthritis in C5 and C6. At the time he had moderate ataxia. On box rest the ataxia became very severe.

Now over 4 years on, you wouldn't know he had an issue at all unless he'd had restricted movement and you knew what you were looking for. On a day to day basis it's not noticeable and he would be safe to ride.

More detail; He is out for approximately 4-5 hours a day (8 hours in summer, at the minute we're trying to get more feed into him) plus walked in hand. I don't ride him due to other issues he has. He is not on any pain relief but he is on a joint supplement (Cortavet) which does make a difference to his hocks which are also arthritic. The vets didn't do anything to medicate the issue due to where the arthritis is. He has regular Bowen therapy plus Scenar and Bioresonance and I credit the fact that he's still here and so well to the lady who does these treatments.
 
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Yes my old horse had this. He started swaying about like a drunk one day and had trouble getting up, he used to sit up like a dog and then sometimes couldn't get any further without me pushing. He did I improve but not enough for me to ride. Vet thought it was probably pressure on nerves in his spine .
 
Richard Hepburn is worth talking to - he was at Willesley in Glos last time I spoke. He spent a lot of time in the USA where they seem to inject C6/7 and op more commonly than here.
 
To save me typing all this out again I've done a search on this forum and altered my text accordingly.

My ten year old WB gelding developed wobblers following a fall in the field onto his neck which caused excess calcium deposits to grow onto his spinal column which impinged onto his nerves leading from his spinal cord. In short the horse developed ataxia which is the 'drunken' state that horses can sometimes be seen in. There are a number of causes of ataxia, EHV (Equine Herpes Virus) displays these symptoms therefore it is very important a vet is called immediately, especially if you have youngstock or pregnant mares as ataxia can be contributed to this. Alas as my horse was so badly affected (this was determined at Liverpool Equine Hospital by the use of xrays) my horse could not be saved and it was for his benefit (as well as ours as he could have fallen at any time on someone) that he was humanely destroyed immediately. Very sad. Previous to this I was riding the horse BSJA and apart from a strange canter and once when Dad filmed him jumping with his front end but dragging his back end through a jump it wasn't entirely obvious until it reached critical stage. He reacted to most if not all of the neuro tests at the hospital.

Normally you can tell as a horse with wobblers will bring is outside hind leg out in a wide arc when you turn him in a circle? When ridden they may have a strange bunny hopping type of canter? These are excellent links http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/...fo_wobbler.htm
http://www.uky.edu/Ag/AnimalSciences/pubs/asc133.pdf

. A horse is NOT ataxic because he is big and gangly or careless with his legs. Horses are ataxic for a reason and this reason should be taken seriously and throughly investigated. Starving a wobblers horse will not make any difference. Prolonged box rest and a sensible diet has been shown to help in a small percentage of cases but the best thing for the horse (depending on the degree of severity is to either be PTS or operated on). The operation is to stabilise the vetebrae by adding a thing called a bagby basket but this was not an option in my horses case.

Ataxia isn't always CVM or wobblers and can be contributed to another neuro deficit or virus, ie. EHV. If you have a lot of pesticides sprayed in nearby fields, or even if the horse has ate a large quantity of red clover in his field (which contains cyanide) these things can cause ataxia.

It is more usual for WB/Quarter Horses and Shires to get wobblers, and gelding are more prone to mares, as are horses with long necks. But this is not always the case.
 
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