Help Please, Rescue Pony Problems, With Video

[MrsElle]

Skinny Minnie joined us on Wednesday. She is underweight and has skin problems, but is a very sweet little pony. She is 3 years old.

Yesterday she had lumps on her nose and some on her neck. They are under the skin. A friend suggested nettle stings as there are some near the stream that haven't died off yet. The problem is the lumps on her nose are very even, almost as if they are tracking up from her nostrils.

Today, she is lame. She is dragging both hinds randomly, in that it is one or the other and not with every step. She always drags on the first step taken when she has been standing still. There is no heat in her legs, no swelling, no lumps, bumps or cuts. She also has some sores that have appeared around her lips.

She is eating and drinking well, happy in herself, alert and loving her fusses and cuddles She has no nasal discharge, no cough, and although she did have slightly sticky eyes when she came, these have pretty much all cleared up.

Has anyone come accross any of the ever growing list of ailments this poor little mare is suffering from? I know absolutely nothing of her history. I was aiming to get the vet out next week to give her a general check up, but do I need to get the vet sooner?

Here she is, sorry that I couldn't get more footage of her walking but she wasn't going to move from breakfast and I was on my own.

 

[be positive]

Has she come from a rescue centre or from a private home?

She looks very poor, the walking seems to be a slipping stifle, often happens in weak animals, she should improve as she builds up muscle.
I would get the vet to come and give her a general health check, take some bloods and do a worm count so that you can get her on the road to full recovery.
The swellings are probably all linked to her general condition, her immune system will be poor and anything can cause an upset.

Keep an eye on your boy as she could be riddled in worms and lice and you dont want him to get them.

 

[TicTac]

Agree with bepositive really. It looks like a locking patella which can happen in weak and under developed horses, mostly youngsters. Being out and moving about is the best thing for her and as she builds up strenght and muscle from general well being, she should improve. She seems very sweet.

it also looks like she's got vitiligo wich is a loss of pigment caused my an immunity problem but it's generally not a problem. as for the lumps and warts, if she has been out in all weather and unrugged it has obvioulsy taken it's toll on her. The little warts are usually caused by a virus and the lumps may be some form of rain scald which is a bacterial infection.

If she were mine I would get a vet to give her the once over asap, give you some advice on what to do and take it from there.

 

[MrsElle]

I got her from a lady who takes in rescue's, although isn't a registered charity. The pony had been with this lady a week and she had done a great job putting some weight on her in just a week, although Skinny Minnie is still very poor. I know absolutely nothing about the pony's history, the rescue lady is trying to find out for me, but she is very busy so it may take a bit of time.

She has been wormed and I am going to treat both of them for lice when the treatment arrives, better to be safe than sorry Fat Lad is also in quarrantine, I don't want him to pass anything on to his riding buddies, I can imagine being chased through the village by people waving pitchforks if he passed lice and goodness knows what to the local equine population!

Slipping stifles did cross my mind, will go and do some googling......

 

[Fairynuff]

she has 'spectacles!' In cattle its a sign of copper deficiency. Copper is important for connective tissue, nervous system and blood. I would give her a mineral lick and have the vet come sooner.