horse is suddenly acting weird, need help....

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Zoeypxo

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irish sports horse, normally very chilled, but likes to be worked. he is 14 and a gelding. mum is taking the vets advice to not have a visit, as she doesnt just want to waste £200 is its nothing. so we waiting a day or 2, to see if it goes down on its own.

Sorry i must have missed age and breed in your original post, woops!

What are you feeding him?
 

axe1312

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Have you changed his feed from what he was having at his previous home? A lot of his behaviours/symptoms sound like an allergic reaction to me and if he is OK in the morning but going 'off' again towards evening, that also sounds food related.
I would want a vet to actually look at him but I would also stop feeding him any bucket feed until what he has been eating with you is out of his system.
he is on the same chaff as his old home, but we changed the pellets, its the same brand, just cheaper and better for condition. what do i give him if i dont feed him? he has little grass in his field, the mud is just everywhere
 

axe1312

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Sorry i must have missed age and breed in your original post, woops!

What are you feeding him?
dengie, molasses free hi fibre chaf for leisure horses in light work. spillers Pegasus pellets/cubes. under a scoop of chaff and a small scoop of pellets, twice a day, with water
 

Sossigpoker

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No vet will refuse to come out to see a horse if the owner is concerned so I don't buy that part.
The vet would most likely first observe the horse , watch it moving and then do a hands-on examination to look for painful spots.
You need to get the vet out and take it from there , this horse sounds quite troubled.
 

axe1312

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No vet will refuse to come out to see a horse if the owner is concerned so I don't buy that part.
The vet would most likely first observe the horse , watch it moving and then do a hands-on examination to look for painful spots.
You need to get the vet out and take it from there , this horse sounds quite troubled.
the vet didnt refuse, she just said that its needed, but if we really want her, she can come out of £200. my mum isnt willing to pay £200 when 3 people with experience have said it isnt necessary. something feels off to me, but no one else seems to understand. if anything gets worse the vet will be coming out, but at the moment, his symptoms are changing morning and night
 

Sossigpoker

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the vet didnt refuse, she just said that its needed, but if we really want her, she can come out of £200. my mum isnt willing to pay £200 when 3 people with experience have said it isnt necessary. something feels off to me, but no one else seems to understand. if anything gets worse the vet will be coming out, but at the moment, his symptoms are changing morning and night
Call out fee is around £30-60 depending on part of the country.
It doesn't sound like any of these geniuses around you are helping the poor horse so guess the horse will just be left to struggle?
 

axe1312

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Call out fee is around £30-60 depending on part of the country.
It doesn't sound like any of these geniuses around you are helping the poor horse so guess the horse will just be left to struggle?
we chose the best vet in my area, admittedly the most expensive. and im letting him struggle, im doing my best. its not fault that im not rich. i want my boy to get better, but everyone is telling me it will heal on its own. i know something is off, i just cant find out whats wrong. im sorry, ok, but i really do love him, and i want the best for him, but unfortunately, we cant get the vet out today or tomorrow. and his symptoms arent always there, its like he has 5min flare ups.
 
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Gloi

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Who told you they were the best horse vet?
Maybe someone on here who knows the area can recommend a horse vet for you who can examine him and hasn't got a £200 call out fee. Ours charges £45 but the yard gets a free non emergency day a month.
 

Sossigpoker

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People who can't afford veterinary care shouldn't have horses.
Sick and tired of seeing animals suffering because people are too fecking irresponsible.
 

Upthecreek

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I cannot understand how anyone who knows anything about horses doesn’t think this horse need to see a vet urgently. And I cannot imagine any vet saying a visit isn’t necessary for the symptoms described. I also don’t know any vet that charges £200 for a call out fee.

I’m sorry you’re in this position aged 15 and not able to make decisions for yourself. Horses are expensive. Is the horse insured for vet fees?
 

Melody Grey

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I wonder if there has been confusion with the call out cost quoted? I can imagine £150+ potentially being out of hours, dire emergency situation. As opposed to £50-£60 ish being for a call out at some point that day to fit in with other calls?
…or is it a £200 upfront payment because the OP isn’t registered/ have account history. I know a lot of practises do this for new clients- my money is on it being that and not the actual call out fee.
 

PipsqueakXy22

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we spoke to the vet an

what type? could he have flu and just no be coughing?
End of the day no one here can actually diagnose your horse let alone tell you what type of virus it is.
Have never heard of a vet not coming out especially to horses with these types of symptoms so clearly not the best in the area . Please speak to you parents and tell them to ring another vets first thing and get a proper vet treatment
 

toppedoff

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Worse comes to worse and thar £200 fee is true, that £200 will mean nothing if its worse case scenario. Please find another vet, some have an emergency, just explain the situation with other vet and find someone who can come in OOH.
 

Pearlsacarolsinger

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he is on the same chaff as his old home, but we changed the pellets, its the same brand, just cheaper and better for condition. what do i give him if i dont feed him? he has little grass in his field, the mud is just everywhere
Just give him plenty of hay and if you are sure the chaff us the same as before, you can give him that but do stop the pellets.
In general better for condition means more starch and sugar, which are probably what has upset him. What brand are you using?
 

Mrs. Jingle

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Please can you show this thread to your Mam?
I agree this might be a very good idea. So far your worries are being dismissed by your Yard owner and your mother, or at least discouraging you from getting the horse checked immediately.

The call out fee is frankly either totally untrue, who told you this is the charge? The vet themselves or your mother? Go through your local telephone directory, I lived very near you for many years there was and still is, several very long established and experienced equine vet practices in your area. And they do NOT charge 200 call out fee!

If this is a genuine thread then I urge you to ask your mother to read this thread and find another vet first thing tomorrow and get them to come out immediately to check your horse over. It would be cruel and neglectful not to do so.
 

mini-eventer

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He sounds like he could be really unsettled to me, but your yard manager should be able to tell if that is what it is.
He's moved home. Not been worked regularly as you have no saddle and you have put him on a higher energy feed.

He is on very short grass which can make horses grass glands blow up.

Does he have company when in the stable?
 

Squeak

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Just adding, OP I feel really sorry for you that you're in the position you're being dismissed and not listened to. It sounds like you're absolutely right to be worried and think there's something up.

I agree with all the others who think you need a vet out asap and am also surprised that your vet didn't think they needed to come out and that their fee is £200. Hopefully it's actually that it was their out of hours fee or an upfront holding deposit for a new client rather than their fee. I really would urge you to find another vet though purely from the fact that these ones aren't taking you seriously with the symptoms you've described. I've known people to swear by certain vets and say they're the best when they're so bad they've been banned from most of the yards in the area.

OP if you're still not being listened to, please do show this thread to your Mum. You're very right to be concerned.

Also something else that hasn't been mentioned yet and hopefully wont be relevant but if any of these are conditions that pre-existed when you bought him and he was drugged or something to cover them up then the longer you wait until you have a vet, the less likely you will be able to prove they were then when you bought him so if you're Mum is worried about money then it could end up costing a lot more than the £200.
 

Melody Grey

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Also to add that if you have vet cover on your insurance, there is often a period at the start where you’re not covered-don’t leave this to fester into a more serious and expensive problem….besides, the horse needs attention.
 

MuffettMischief

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swollen cheekbones, is very jumpy at nothing, his back legs sometimes tremble, he circles in his stable, he bites the walls, he yawns alot, is sticking his tongue out alot, paws at the ground, taking off in the arena, not eating from my hands anymore, turns away from me, stares at nothing.

The more I read the more I do wonder if he may well just be unsettled but I do think it’s a good idea to get the vet just to have a look as you say yourself you are a little inexperienced so better to be safe than sorry. The £200, was the vet contacted out of hours and that would have been the fee at that particular time? I’ve never known a vet to be £150 just for call out unless on a Sunday night emergency so I would double check that.
One of mine is a stress head and if I change his routine, he will come in spinning around the place trembling from adrenaline after getting himself in a tiz, pawing and calling. Circling the box/biting the walls/yawning (releasing tension) could all be pain responses OR stress OR both . You have experienced people on the ground that have seen this horse themselves and they are not concerned so I would try not to get yourself stressed out. When you bring him in, is he coming in on his own/all his mates still in the field? You have to appreciate he’s just moved, just getting used to his new people and horse mates and he may be feeling vulnerable when you bring him away from them. If he’s absolutely fine when he’s in the field surrounded by buddies it could well be that. Couple that with not being ridden (and you say he needs riding often is that right?) + Pegasus conditioning cubes….he sounds like he has a lot of pent up energy, unsettled in a new home and add spring grass, you may well just have a super stressed horse. The swollen cheeks (are they on the sides of his face?) are likely just grass glands but impossible to know without seeing them so don’t take that as gospel.
It could be a multitude of things and a lot of the symptoms you mention have been known to be signs of ulcers for example (amongst many other things!) so I think what I would do is - ring your vet again and check that call out, if it really is £150 for a standard call out then ring around as that’s ridiculous unless your in the middle of nowhere and no vet for miles around. Get a video of this behaviour when you bring him in later and send to a vet. If you still aren’t happy it is ALWAYS better safe than sorry so insist the vet comes and looks at him. Take him off the Pegasus cubes, he shouldn’t need them at the moment if he has plenty of forage, is in good condition and is doing no work at the moment. And take a big deep breath and don’t get yourself stressed.
It sounds to me like he’s just stressed out but no one on here can be sure as none of us have seen him. Horses like to worry us on a daily basis but you there are solutions so just try not to worry too much until you have a plan in place.
 
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Rowreach

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If "Three people with experience" have seen this horse in the flesh and don't think there's a need to get the vet, might this not just be a case of an over anxious inexperienced new owner (we were all that once) and a stressed horse who's emerged from his initial slightly shut down response to a yard move and is now dealing with new place/new owner/new routine/ change of hay and feed ...

I may have missed it but does he have company in the field? Is he stressed because he's alone, or being bullied by a companion, or reacting to being separated from one?

I'm not sure that sending a young person down an internet rabbit hole looking at all the dire things that people on here who've never seen the horse think it might be is really helpful.
 

JBM

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I think if your vet is gonna charge 200 which is ridiculous just call another vet. I have a vet about an hour away and their call out is 80 to cover the fuel so I would call another vet with good reviews as I can bet there’s more than one
No good being “the best vet” if they don’t actually come anywhere near the horse
 

OrangeAndLemon

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If "Three people with experience" have seen this horse in the flesh and don't think there's a need to get the vet, might this not just be a case of an over anxious inexperienced new owner (we were all that once) and a stressed horse who's emerged from his initial slightly shut down response to a yard move and is now dealing with new place/new owner/new routine/ change of hay and feed ...

I may have missed it but does he have company in the field? Is he stressed because he's alone, or being bullied by a companion, or reacting to being separated from one?

I'm not sure that sending a young person down an internet rabbit hole looking at all the dire things that people on here who've never seen the horse think it might be is really helpful.
Agree.

She said he had the company of a young colt in the paddock with others around.

Not sure if he has company in the stable.

ETA: our vet's call out fee is around £60 but our yard gets free call outs and only pay the fee for emergencies. However, a call out fee, an assessment fee, sedation and some routine bloods would quickly get the bill to the £200 level which is what the cost being referred to is about
 

Rowreach

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It's entirely possible that the (locally accepted as the best) horse vet in the area has spoken to the OP's mum, unpicked the symptoms described and the general situation, and advised, as many do, to monitor things and call back if needed.

I think the £200 call out is a misunderstanding/Chinese whispers thing.
 

J&S

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Have you checked your paddock for any plants that could cause allergy or poisoning? Do you know where your horse grazed before? Might there have been a lot of ragwort , for instance?

I am only asking this because you say he " circles in his box" . Are these circles really tight ?
 

ponyparty

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Just to throw something else into the mix, could he be having a reaction to his jabs? My friends horse, who I ride, had a terrible reaction to his jabs this year - never had a problem before. And I’ve heard anecdotally of a few others the same (I have no stats to back this up).

He needs to be seen by a vet. £200 is nowt in the grand scheme of horse ownership and vet fees, I’m afraid. Is he insured?
 
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