Help needed, vet baffled :(

[aregona]

I'm really hoping someone on here may have some advice or direction to send us in next.

25Yr old mare, CBxTB very head strong, greedy and generally full of spirit. Wintered out until November when i noticed she'd dropped some weight so i started to stable her and noticed she had loose droppings.
Boxing day she was reluctant to come in from the field, when she came in she was cold and wouldn't eat her hard feed (very out of character)or hay. The temperature had dropped and i assumed she'd got a chill. The following day gave her a warm fast fibre and she went back to eating.

Fine for about 2 weeks then same again, not eating. I rung the vet. Vet found a large oedema and suspected liver failure so bloods taken. Heart and lungs checked with nothing found. Bloods came back with no liver issues. Liver function test done to be sure but functioning normally. Negative cushings test. Wormed with equest pramox.

The oedema is more to one side, left pectoral muscle is bigger than the right.

blood results; LDH -results invalid
GLOB - 4.0 g/dL
everything else within normal levels.

This weekend shes off her food again. She's quiet in herself. condition has improved though, still needs to gain topline but her coat has improved and she's started to shed her coat. Droppings now back to normal and drinking normal amounts of water.

We are absolutely stumped. The vet is coming back on friday to start her on steroids to try and help with the swelling. Does anyone have any other ideas? thank you, from a very worried owner.

 

[shortstuff99]

Has she had a cushings test?

 

[aregona]

Has she had a cushings test?

yes, came back negative

 

[be positive]

One of mine recently had similar, I am in Carms so there could be a link, no oedema but other symptoms were more dramatic with very watery droppings, stopped eating, low temp yet he had no reason to be cold, bloods showed some type of infection but nothing obviously awry, faecal tests were fine, so he had everything thrown at him, pain relief, steroids and antibiotics and gradually improved and after 6 days was just about back to normal, various things were considered but we still have no definitive answer, possibly a form of coronavirus was one suggestion, but as he is now ok so carrying on as normal.
I think it was the steroids that really made the difference so would probably crack on with them asap.

 

[aregona]

One of mine recently had similar, I am in Carms so there could be a link, no oedema but other symptoms were more dramatic with very watery droppings, stopped eating, low temp yet he had no reason to be cold, bloods showed some type of infection but nothing obviously awry, faecal tests were fine, so he had everything thrown at him, pain relief, steroids and antibiotics and gradually improved and after 6 days was just about back to normal, various things were considered but we still have no definitive answer, possibly a form of coronavirus was one suggestion, but as he is now ok so carrying on as normal.
I think it was the steroids that really made the difference so would probably crack on with them asap.

Thank you for that, that's really helpful ?

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I would imagine that it probably is a virus of some kind but if you had the ACTH Cushings test, I would ask for the TRH Stim test just to be sure. We have had one have perfectly normal ACTH readings and then a TRH Stim test come back 8 ties the upper normal limit.