Fits /Seizures. DESPERATE for HELP

[Darkly_Dreaming_Dex]

15yr old ISH (cruising) owned from 3 yrs old (also own half brother) had kissing spine op to snip ligaments 10 years ago, rehabbed back to full work. Went lame in January, couldn’t find anything wrong so just turned out in field. Mid February had first fit in field, fell through fence - staggered about for 10mins then seemed ok- vet came out, ran blood tests - all clear.
Decided box rest safer and today he had his 4th fit- they seem to be circa 3 week intervals ?- xrayded nose to tail- nothing ? finally got video footage today as instructed to by the vet - looks like may be epilepsy ?

think I need to call it but vet is very firm we remain positive until he’s had a neurologist look again at X-rays & video. This is a horse sho is only sound when in full hard work - not a retirement candidate?

just looking for similar experiences as happy to find hope but also understand it’s probably a call to the kennels ???

 

[meleeka]

Sorry you are going through this. i’ve no experience of epilepsy, but i’d want to know if there’s an effective treatment. unless the horse can go back to full work, as he’s not going to be suited to retirement, I don’t think you’ll gain anything by getting a definitive diagnosis. of course if he’s insured and you think it will help you in making the call, you could choose to see the neurologist and find out for certain. Either way, I’d be surprised if they can ‘cure’ him.

 

[Darkly_Dreaming_Dex]

Sorry you are going through this. i’ve no experience of epilepsy, but i’d want to know if there’s an effective treatment. unless the horse can go back to full work, as he’s not going to be suited to retirement, I don’t think you’ll gain anything by getting a definitive diagnosis. of course if he’s insured and you think it will help you in making the call, you could choose to see the neurologist and find out for certain. Either way, I’d be surprised if they can ‘cure’ him.

Agree- he’s not insured due to medical history meaning everything excluded but I don’t see a way back but also want to be sure we’ve investigated absolutely everything before I admit defeat

 

[shortstuff99]

Has he had any tests to ascertain whether it could possibly be a tumour? The management would be different if it was a tumour or epilepsy.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I have never known a horse with epilepsy but I did have a dog with it, I don't understand what your vet is playing at tbh. If the horse falls on you when he starts a seizure, you will either be seriously injured or killed. The horse is likely to severely injure himself, too, when you would have to pts as an emergency. There is no cure for epilepsy, treatment for people can be very hit and miss, you will never be able to ride the horse again, so if he can't be retired, the kindest thing is pts and even if he could be retired the safest thing is pts. It is unusual for epilepsy to start in a mature animal, so it possibly is a result of a tumour. I am sorry that you find yourself in this position but I certainly wouldn't let this go on for long.

 

[AmyMay]

I had one on loan that this happened to. I’m afraid after the third occurrence we called time. He was kept out 24/7 after the second episode for his safety and everyone else’s, so could potentially have had more episodes that we weren’t aware of at night.

 

[TheMule]

I'm so sorry for you and for the horse, but this is potentially very dangerous and hugely distressing for him too. I would undoubtedly have him PTS

 

[ycbm]

I put mine to sleep as soon as I realised he had fitted. He had been head bashing and self harming by it for years. Maybe coincidentally, he got a lot worse soon after a kissing spines operation.

I'm sorry you're in this situation but I'd be putting him to sleep sooner rather than waiting, because the chances of this being anything that can be safely controlled and managed seem very slim.
.

 

[Darkly_Dreaming_Dex]

Agree with all of you that it’s a PTS issue - we’ve had everything investigated so no tumours or liver problems etc - I just wanted to make sure there isn’t anything i haven’t tried etc as desperately sad but not stupid enough to keep a horse alive unnecessarily #bekind

 

[ycbm]

If it helps, mine was on double dose carbamazepine (Tegretol) at the end and it wasn't working.
.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Agree with all of you that it’s a PTS issue - we’ve had everything investigated so no tumours or liver problems etc - I just wanted to make sure there isn’t anything i haven’t tried etc as desperately sad but not stupid enough to keep a horse alive unnecessarily #bekind

No, I'm sorry, there isn't anything you can do. My dog had medication for her epilepsy but it changed her personality so much that I took her off it again. She only had 2 or 3 seizures per year which was manageable in a Labrador but definitely not in a horse. I am surprised that your vet is not encouraging you to pts for everyone's safety, including the horse's.

 

[Darkly_Dreaming_Dex]

No, I'm sorry, there isn't anything you can do. My dog had medication for her epilepsy but it changed her personality so much that I took her off it again. She only had 2 or 3 seizures per year which was manageable in a Labrador but definitely not in a horse. I am surprised that your vet is not encouraging you to pts for everyone's safety, including the horse's.

He’s in a large stable, padded walls & cctv on 24/7 plus my work desk window means every time I look up I see him, so as safe as can be - the four times he has had fits, he lies down very slowly then whole body is twitching with his head curled back to the girth area - not violent thrashing so not an issue to get out of the way - that said I wasn’t aiming to keep him indefinitely this way - we were just making sure it wasn’t triggered by something treatable eg head trauma or liver disease - if they’d found a tumour then he’d be gone already

 

[southerncomfort]

I'm so sorry DDD. I well remember how deeply distressing and traumatising it was to see my old girl having a seizure.

In our case, my mare was in her mid twenties and I was advised that the most likely cause was a brain tumour.

Their was no treatment so I had her put to sleep before she hurt herself or someone else.

 

[Darkly_Dreaming_Dex]

Just returning to the thread to say we managed to medicate hard & break the cycle of fits and he went nearly two months, gradually weaning off medication - he was so happy & well that we were cautiously beginning ground work again.(KS meant he needed work to stay even field sound) Then he had a violent cluster fit 12 July and got stuck under the post & rail fencing , smashing his head between the rail and ground ? called it a day and Grafton Bereavement gave him a fast & dignified end (couldn’t recommend highly enough )

Utterly devastated RIP Harry ?

And just when I thought I couldn’t take any more pain, my beloved Dexter colicked in grief at losing his friend, spent a week fighting to save him, my vet virtually moved in , finally found that he had developed ulcers so omeprazole. Small amounts of grass and hay are keeping him comfortable but dear God give me a break please ?

 

[milliepops]

Very sorry to hear about Harry. I hope Dexter makes a good recovery, they are such a source of worry aren't they

 

[southerncomfort]

I'm so sorry to hear this.

I'm hope Dexter continues to improve.

(Hugs)

 

[ycbm]

I hope you get the break you deserve very soon. Fingers crossed for Dexter.
.

 

[Fjord]

I'm so sorry, I hope Dexter is fully recovered soon.

 

[Bernster]

Liked your post but obv I didn’t ‘like’ it, very sad news but I hope dexter pulls through.

 

[AmyMay]

Sad news.

 

[SEL]

I'm so sorry - hope that Dexter bounces back. I think we can sometimes underestimate how traumatic it is for our horses to lose a friend and this is a painful reminder xx

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I'm sorry for your troubles but absolutely certain that you made the right decision for Harry. I hope Dexter makes a full recovery.

 

[Brummyrat]

Im late to this but just wanted to add my condolences, my beloved boy of a lifetime (in my avatar) developed seizures at 23 when he was still so well, I thought he’d live forever but I called time as it was so distressing for him, you couldnt have saved him and its totally the right decision.... crossing everything for Dexter now and sending love and hugs to you xx

 

[Dappled dreams]

My almost 7 yr old mare is currently in hospital to investigate her seizures.

She passed a full neuro exam, heart is healthy etc but he kidneys do not look good from the bloods and looks to be kidney failure at the moment. The vets are running more tests today and I should get an update in a few hours with more info.

Please feel free to pop me a message.