HELP Please Sick Pony

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SCassin

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My 2 year old Welsh C gelding went off his food 3-4 days ago, altho picking at his food seems to be struggling to swallow it and drops lots sort of mouthing it more than eatting. He is hardly drinking. He has not been to toilet since Friday - wee or poo. The vet came on Friday, he has no temperature, his stomach altho sounding a little slow but probably coz there is nothing in it sounds fine, his heart and lungs all sounded normal. He is no coughing and no nasal discharge. He is laying down a lot. He will get up unaided when I go in and stand in his stable but as soon as I leave or walk away he goes straight back down. He at present isn't dehydrated his eyes bright and clear. When he does stand he tends to fidget from leg to leg and shiver or judder like muscle tremors. Does anyone have any thoughts? He has been given broad spectrum antibiotic by vet, bucospan and pain relief as he is teething.
 
If he has not improved by tomorrow I would personally get your Vet back out again.

The fact that he is lying down a great deal would be a worry for me.
 
I don't like the sound of the muscle tremor and dropping food.
He won't be weeing or poohing much due to not eating anything.
It may be that he has colic due to the teething and a pony on our yard was exactly the same.

I did also wonder if it could be atypical myopathy, due to the muscle tremors, not eating or drinking. But I thought that AM was a fast acting illness and wouldn't have expected the onset to have been four days ago.

Is the horse sweating?
 
Perhaps struggling to swallow isn't exactly what I mean its more he is mouthing the food and dropping it without sort of attempting to swallow - so hard to explain - the way I described to vet was its like when you've been to the dentist and mouth is still semi numb. I was wondering about botulism
 
twiggy2 said:
I would be phoning vet now not tomorrow, struggling to swallow, not eating/drinking, laying down and muscle tremors CAN all indicate grass sickness
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That's what I thought, well Atypical Myopathy which is very similar. But the onset of the disease and the progression is very quick. Wouldn't the horse be dead by now if it were either of these things?

I think its the teething causing the problem
 
applecart14 said:
That's what I thought, well Atypical Myopathy which is very similar. But the onset of the disease and the progression is very quick. Wouldn't the horse be dead by now if it were either of these things?

I think its the teething causing the problem
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with acute grass sickness the horse would be dead within 48hrs but sub acute a small percentage survive and chronic a large percentage survive-the survivors only do so with lots of medical support and careful care.

It could be teething but not passing any dropping or urine for 48hrs would be an emergency call to the vet for me
 
rang vet for chat. Explained it all again and what other vet did Friday and they have advised me to continue as we are at present and vet will call out tomorrow morning. Said im to try and get him to drink warm sugary liquid if I can with molasses, treacle etc in it to try and increase his sugar intake.
 
twiggy2 said:
with acute grass sickness the horse would be dead within 48hrs but sub acute a small percentage survive and chronic a large percentage survive-the survivors only do so with lots of medical support and careful care.

It could be teething but not passing any dropping or urine for 48hrs would be an emergency call to the vet for me
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Oh I see. The droppings I can understand as no food is going in so there is nothing to come out, but the urine is puzzling. I more and more think its to do with teething. The young pony at our yard looked really colicky. It was its teeth coming through the vet said. That's not to say it wasn't colicky due to the stress and pain.
 
I would be insisting a vet came out whether they thought it was an emergency or not! I wouldn't be happy at all with a horse that hadn't wee'd or poo'd since Friday regardless....
 
That is not a tooth problem. I have a horse who has had terrible teeth problems and gut problems at same time. You need a specialist equine vet today. If pony is insured ask for a referal to vet hospital. Not weeing or pooing and muscle tremors is serious. Ive no experience of grass sickness thankfully but i would wonder if its chronic grass sickness.
 
As others have said I would personally be wanting the vet out ASAP, in the absence of that I would be trying horse quencher sachets - my mare would not drink in the hottest days of the summer and the only thing to get water into her was using a sachet of that stuff! Also, thinking if it is a teething issue I would be inclined to get a bag of 'fast fibre' (or other forage replacement style feed designed for those who can't chew very well).It needs to be soaked in any case but can be made super sloppy so increasing water consumption too and you could make it a bit more attractive with adding treats / molasses, etc. to try get something in their belly. I am wondering if the muscle spasms / tremors could be related to the horse lying continuously for long periods in the same position and it only getting up when you arrive - not sure if it is just having them when it gets up initially or is doing it whilst down? Just a thought, hope you see some improvement soon!
 
I have lost a pony with acute gs and it doesn't always progress as quickly as expected. She became ill (with very similar symptoms to this pony) on a Saturday morning and was treated at home by an equine vet until 1am monday morning she went downhill and was admitted to Liphook. She was pts on the Wednesday. Your vets do not sound as if they're taking you seriously as all the symptoms you describe point to gs. Before anyone says its the wrong time of year, I can confirm 2 friends lost their ponies to it 3 weeks ago on separate yards :( good luck op hope its not as bad as it sounds x
 
neddynesbitt said:
I have lost a pony with acute gs and it doesn't always progress as quickly as expected. She became ill (with very similar symptoms to this pony) on a Saturday morning and was treated at home by an equine vet until 1am monday morning she went downhill and was admitted to Liphook. She was pts on the Wednesday. Your vets do not sound as if they're taking you seriously as all the symptoms you describe point to gs. Before anyone says its the wrong time of year, I can confirm 2 friends lost their ponies to it 3 weeks ago on separate yards :( good luck op hope its not as bad as it sounds x
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I am so sorry for your loss, it must be an awful time for you xx
 
My first thought was grass sickness also.

OP, I hope the vet today can shed some light on things for you and set your pony on the road to recovery.

On a side note, have you tried soaking some sugar beet really well? Give a bucket with the soaked beet and in a separate bucket, the extra water used when soaking.
 
My lad had chronic GS as a 3yo and his symptoms were exactly as you descibe OP. The vet messed about for a week thinking he was teething, then colic, then a viral infection. Another vet came after a week and rushed him straight to their hospital and onto a drip. I'm happy to say he survived and is still with me, but I still regret not pushing that first vet for more action. Please keep us up to date x
 
Vet now he should have pony on a drip to get fluids in to him, if it is AM I understand they can usually save the horse if they get fluids in quickly, do not delay
 
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