Help with ideas for mare with idiopathic auto immune issues

[PodsandPonies]

My mare has idiopathic auto immune issues so idiopathic we aren't really sure what is happening therefore it is hard to treat.

At the moment we are having bouts of swelling and pain in her tendon sheath on her hind legs, particularly the one which was checked initially for sepsis of the tendon sheath( she had scopes in and the joint was thoroughly flushed out) before we realised it was auto immune. We can't find any triggers or pattern and therefore it is very difficult to manage.

At the moment she has just come off six weeks of steroid treatment which has reduced the pain and she went from walking very poorly on her hind legs and shuffling to tracking up fully. Two weeks on I notice her near hind is bothering her again and she is moderately lame. The swelling is up and down and not necessarily relevant to her lameness( she is often swollen and yet no lameness or heat).

From a welfare point of view I am happy she is comfortable enough being a field ornament for now but wondered if I could help support and protect her tendon sheath......

If she has lasting damage to her tendon sheath so that minor traumas just add to the damage already done how can I treat it, if it is a minor flare up of her autoimmune do I keep her on low grade steroids indefinitely( her last dose was £50 a week for six weeks.) Do I medicate the pain and ignore the auto immune for now knowing we are enjoying her whilst we can?

Lots of questions!

I'd love to know of anyone else dealing with a horse with autoimmune issues

 

[Silverfire]

Why do they say its auto immune? Does she have any other problems?
Not the same as yours but my young horse has something going on at the moment, she has a hypersensitivity reaction to just about any drug she has and vet says its immune mediated, possibly Auto Immune (Erythema Multiforme or Pemphigus) or possibly Vasculitis which i think is an immune thing anyway. She's had a lot of antibiotics over last two years and a few weeks Metacam for teeth problems. When she's on antibiotics her coat goes really short like she's clipped and then starts to regrow after she's been off them 3 - 4 weeks. She's got lumps on the right side of her abdomen which she has had since January, a scab on each hind fetlock that won't heal on its own although steroid cream is healing them slowly (on third week!), they have been there since December. She has a few crusty scabs on her forehead and is itching her head, neck and bottom. Since having three weeks of Cimetidine (finished 18 days ago) for gastric ulcers she has had slightly swollen pasterns and fetlocks, also bit swelling up back of tendons on hind legs and at times really strong digital pulses although most of the time her hoofs are cool. Her lips also turned red and chapped after the Cimetidine, almost gone now, and she had a few lip ulcers and red spots in the corner of her mouth on lower jaw. Her legs are quite scurfy but rest of her coat is really good. She's also been moulting non stop for the last two years, either short hairs when on antibiotics or long hairs rest of the time, but mostly only over her back, loins and rump! A lot of what i have read for treating Auto immune diseases is to feed Omega fatty acids and Vitamin E. I already do this with my horse (micronized linseed), don't know whether that would help yours?

 

[PodsandPonies]

I am so sorry it has taken so long to reply.

TBH it is all guess work with my mare.
We now believe her flare ups of her tendon sheaths may be a chronic injury however any literature I have read regarding surgery has had a very guarded prognosis so I have no idea if I will put her through it.

My mare pretty much changed as soon as her ovaries were removed so I can only presume it was linked to problems with her ovaries.

I really hope your youngster will be ok
xxx

Why do they say its auto immune? Does she have any other problems?
Not the same as yours but my young horse has something going on at the moment, she has a hypersensitivity reaction to just about any drug she has and vet says its immune mediated, possibly Auto Immune (Erythema Multiforme or Pemphigus) or possibly Vasculitis which i think is an immune thing anyway. She's had a lot of antibiotics over last two years and a few weeks Metacam for teeth problems. When she's on antibiotics her coat goes really short like she's clipped and then starts to regrow after she's been off them 3 - 4 weeks. She's got lumps on the right side of her abdomen which she has had since January, a scab on each hind fetlock that won't heal on its own although steroid cream is healing them slowly (on third week!), they have been there since December. She has a few crusty scabs on her forehead and is itching her head, neck and bottom. Since having three weeks of Cimetidine (finished 18 days ago) for gastric ulcers she has had slightly swollen pasterns and fetlocks, also bit swelling up back of tendons on hind legs and at times really strong digital pulses although most of the time her hoofs are cool. Her lips also turned red and chapped after the Cimetidine, almost gone now, and she had a few lip ulcers and red spots in the corner of her mouth on lower jaw. Her legs are quite scurfy but rest of her coat is really good. She's also been moulting non stop for the last two years, either short hairs when on antibiotics or long hairs rest of the time, but mostly only over her back, loins and rump! A lot of what i have read for treating Auto immune diseases is to feed Omega fatty acids and Vitamin E. I already do this with my horse (micronized linseed), don't know whether that would help yours?

 

[Silverfire]

Hows your mare doing PodsandPonies? My mare Silverfire, now 5yrs old is still having strange reactions to drugs.

 

[Dollope]

Hows your mare doing PodsandPonies? My mare Silverfire, now 5yrs old is still having strange reactions to drugs.

Ella is doing very well ( with good management and an awareness she is unlikely to get better) though she again had a reaction to her vaccination however I thought it was far better than she had ever reacted as it was certainly a smaller reaction. However the vet was horrified!

No other reactions since my last post apart from above but then again she has needed no further drugs or treatment thankfully. I also don't change her supplement feeds or peripherals.

Have you had her tested for day to day stuff? Ella definitely improved with immunotherapy however you can't do that for drugs or at least I am not aware of if you are able to do so.

Good luck with your mare hope she grows out of it or you manage to control and manage her well. Having a vet to help certainly makes the journey easier.

 

[Silverfire]

Ella is doing very well ( with good management and an awareness she is unlikely to get better) though she again had a reaction to her vaccination however I thought it was far better than she had ever reacted as it was certainly a smaller reaction. However the vet was horrified!

No other reactions since my last post apart from above but then again she has needed no further drugs or treatment thankfully. I also don't change her supplement feeds or peripherals.

Have you had her tested for day to day stuff? Ella definitely improved with immunotherapy however you can't do that for drugs or at least I am not aware of if you are able to do so.

Good luck with your mare hope she grows out of it or you manage to control and manage her well. Having a vet to help certainly makes the journey easier.

Good to hear you are able to manage your mares problem. No she's not been tested for anything, I did ask about it but was told she would need to go somewhere and stay over can't remember practice name but it was intradermal testing I think, is that what your mare had? My mare has other problems and stress's very easily so I didn't want to leave her anywhere plus I think I was told it would cost about £800 which I couldn't afford on top of the cost of her teeth problems. It is only really drugs (for her teeth!) or lotions/potions she has a problem with so I try to avoid anything which is known to cause a problem but its difficult with drugs if they really need them.