Had the vet out today.....Gutted.

marmalade76

marmalade76

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Due to my having two small children, my horse has not done a lot in the three years I've had him, until recently, when I met Hobbitpony on here and she became his sharer.

What with Hobbitpony riding him regularly, we have been able to do some mini hunter trials. He has always been a very strong and keen horse, and at an HT four weeks ago, he stormed round. Then the following week, he was a lot more steady, but still willing and was, TBH, a much nicer ride. I put this down to the regular work and the freshness wearing off.

Hobbitpony also took him cubbing a couple of times, the first time she could hardly hold him and the second, he was much more chilled and relaxed.

Then, last Sunday, we took him to another mini HT, and traveled him with a partition for the first time in over two years and he did not travel well. He did two rounds, and was strong at times, but when allowed to go on, he seemed to tire. Afterwards, he seemed rather miserable, and I was begining to think that there might be something wrong, but when we got home, he perked up no end, ate all his dinner and was his usual self. I took his temp anyway, and this was normal, so I put the sulking down to the uncomfortable journey.

Hobbitpony took him hunting yesterday, and he was happy to go along at the back on a loose rein, very unusual. Then they went up a steep hill, and he struggled with this, so I called the vet as soon as Hobbitpony had reported back.

He has been diagnosed with a heart fibrillation. Vet said that quinine may or may not work, but I have looked it up on the net and it can have some nasty side effects, such as colic. The vet is going to speak with a heart specialist vet and said that he could do more tests and may know of new drugs/treatments, but this is likely to be expensive, and as the horse is 17, his insurance only covers him for accidental injuries.

So, my lovely lad, as he is ATM, is at best a light hack.
frown.gif

Looking back now, there were occations in the last year that he did not seem 'up for it', but I had put this down to hot weather/hard ground/lack of fitness.

Does anyone have any experience of this, good or bad?
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No experience of this condition but just wanted to say so sorry for you.
I did have a pony on loan once who was diagnosed with a heart murmur after I had her - she took a couple of funny turns with us that were thought at the time to be azoturia but may actually have been her heart. She was about 8 when I had her but lived on till well into her 30s including continuing to race though she was not in regular hard work.
Hope they can come up with a course of treatment for him as he sounds like he has lots still to give.
 
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So Sorry to hear your news. It's hard not to but try not to beat yourself up about not noticing sooner. We have all been there but atleast you have found out now and you can make the right choses on how best to help him. Lucy has just been diagnosed will a bad ilness and i wish i had known earlyer but now i have to consentrate on helping her through it as best i can. So i know how you feel and there's prob not much anyone can say to make you feel better right now. Just make the right desitions for your boy he'll thankyou for that. Good luck with whatever you deside i hope you have a happy outcome.
 
Very sorry to here that about your pony. I am glad to say that mine has never been pushed, no one has got after him, niether of us carry a stick on him so he has not done anything he has not been willing to do, but this does not stop me feeling guilty. Thankfully, we had only been doing small classes, 2'3 - 2'6, because he had done very little jumping in the last two years. Apart from after the last hunter trial, he has not seemed unhappy atall. He loves jumping and has never stopped. He came away from all of those hunter trials with a rosette and even won one.
 
Sorry to hear your news. I think there is a treatment that involves injecting them with quinine but it is risky - and probably expensive. I also think that this is the treatment Denman has succesfully but one of Louise Bell's very prolific Working Hunters died during the same treatment.
Good Luck with your poor boy whatever you decide.
 
A friend of mine had a warmblood ,are that developed this problem, she was in her teens too. They opted for the quinine treatment, and afterwards has been absolutely fine. She was only complaining a while ago that Gis' had been flirting with the new neighbours all day long, and she is in her twenties now. It is a big decision to weigh up, but I'm sure you will instinctively know what it best for your horse. Big hugs!
 
HH did a report on arterial fibrillation about 3/4 weeks ago

The treatment is very expensive depending upon how much the horse needs over a 12 hour period.

The drug is administered whilst the horse is attached to a heart rate monitor and the vet or vet nurse watches until the heart goes back to a normal rhythm.

My lad is 20 and has a very regular irregular arterial fibrillation! I have the ECG here-it is very interesting. Basically long periods of galloping/cantering are out especially up hills! But we go out playing and galloping quite happily and I pull him up before he starts to breathe heavy. WE can still go out and compete but I limit it to locally, only a couple of classes and home again. Hacked out daily and we do fast work as well as schooling everyweek.

The side effects of the drug is that it can actually give the horse a heart attack whilst having the treatment.

Quite a few of the racehorses get treated in Newmarket.

You will have to decide what is best for your horse but its not the 'end' of your horse far from it! Just curtail and limit what he does and he will continue on.

good luck
 
Many thanks to all who have responed to my post, especially to Foraday, who I have been exchanging PMs with.

Having done much reseach on the net and spoken to my vet at length, I have decided that the quinidine treatment is out of the question. If it was low risk, I would go for it, but it is not and it could end up killing him.

My vet said it is ok to carry on riding him providing he has regular check ups. I will be investing in a heart rate monitor and will ask my vet what I should be looking for when using it.

Obviously, things like hunting are out of the question, but there is no reason why I cannot continue doing most of the things I have been as long as he is happy and coping well. I took him for a short ride on Sunday, he was very keen, marching and jogging along and he even took off with me up a hill, so I don't think he is ready to be a field orniment just yet!
 
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