I think my gelding is dying

MissTyc

MissTyc

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I am so upset writing this.
I bought a compact little Irish sports horse when he was 3 years old, about 9/10 years ago. After some years, a wonderful young rider fell in love with him and ended up taking him on full loan off to university. That was 3 years ago. I saw him regularly and also followed their adventures on Facebook. Over the winter he colicked a few times and dropped more weight than he should. His loaner kept me informed every step of the way. He was scoped, then treated, for ulcers and his management changed to be out 24/7 with friends on ad lib hay. He seemed OK and the vet reckoned he would pick up the missing weight in spring. He didn't pick up much but has been OK - was discussed that maybe recovering from a virus, can take a while, etc. Horse seemed cheerful enough.

Over the last two weeks he's just gone downhill like I've never seen. Four weeks ago we were talking about me bringing him "home" to turn him away properly, now he's on a drip at the clinic and we are considering calling it a day. He has had every test under the sun; bloods of course and they've scanned and scoped and poked. Found nothing! He doesn't want to eat and now dehydrated as well. No diagnosis, and I think we're losing him. He's only 12 years old and was eventing BE90 this time last year, ready to step up to 100. The vets can't diagnose anything and suspecting some anomalous chronic grass sickness :(.
 
That is so incredibly sad. IMO all you can do is make his remaining life as comfortable as possbile and try to remember the best of times.
 
Really sorry to hear that.

It must be awful to have him in the horsepital and still have no answers.
 
How distressing for you. Very sadly all you can do is trust that the vets are doing their all for him, which of course, they will be.

The research into grass sickness goes on and hopefully one day the vets will be able to treat it successfully.
 
So sorry to read this OP. There is nothing more sickening than seeing your adored horse hooked up to fluids sad in hospital. Will be thinking of you xxxx
 
Chronic Grass Sickness IS SURVIVABLE! I know it may not seem like it now or when Grass Sickness is mentioned as it is mostly a death sentence but it can be survived! Having recently been involved in bringing a horse through it and out the other side it is hard. It will break your heart. But it can be done! She started off the same. Losing a bit of weight, sparodic colicking, not interested in anything or any food etc. The hardest part is getting them to eat. If they eat they want to live, their survival instinct has kicked in. Feed him whatever he wants - mixes, mashes, herbs, fill it all with mollasses, warm water soaks it quicker and makes it smell nice. This one became ill at the end of April, seriously ill a few weeks later and now - after A LOT of blood sweat and tears she now looks absolutely fantastic! She is an obnoxious cow of a horse and stubborn as a mule which helped her fight it. In the long run we don't know how much damage is permanent and how much she will get out of in time. At the moment she still can't regulate her own temperate, she sweats at the drop of a hat so we can't rug her. She will do nothing but stand in a field until next year until we know that everything that is going to settle down has settled and we know what we are left with.
 
EKW said:
Chronic Grass Sickness IS SURVIVABLE! I know it may not seem like it now or when Grass Sickness is mentioned as it is mostly a death sentence but it can be survived! Having recently been involved in bringing a horse through it and out the other side it is hard. It will break your heart. But it can be done! She started off the same. Losing a bit of weight, sparodic colicking, not interested in anything or any food etc. The hardest part is getting them to eat. If they eat they want to live, their survival instinct has kicked in. Feed him whatever he wants - mixes, mashes, herbs, fill it all with mollasses, warm water soaks it quicker and makes it smell nice. This one became ill at the end of April, seriously ill a few weeks later and now - after A LOT of blood sweat and tears she now looks absolutely fantastic! She is an obnoxious cow of a horse and stubborn as a mule which helped her fight it. In the long run we don't know how much damage is permanent and how much she will get out of in time. At the moment she still can't regulate her own temperate, she sweats at the drop of a hat so we can't rug her. She will do nothing but stand in a field until next year until we know that everything that is going to settle down has settled and we know what we are left with.
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I have lost 2 and saved one EGS case. The one that survived lived a further 19 years and led a full life. The care of a sick horse is heartbreaking and hard work but sometimes, just sometimes, you win.
I know you will do the best you can for your horse. Sending support and hugs.
 
Thanks for your thoughts. He has two people who care a lot. His loaner is devastated, wondering if she missed something, if it's her fault .. but he's had the best of everything. It's this sudden declines that is so frightening. This morning he is "holding his own" and they're now looking into equine motor neuron disease even though none of the "risk factors" are present in his case. (i have now read every article I can find, however, and it seems that there are many exceptions to the risk factors even though it's not a common ailment. It makes little difference as the prognosis is not good but it does give some hope as there are treatment options to try)

He won't eat. Nibbles grass, rejects anything else on floor, in bucket, by hands. Makes me wish he was more stubborn and greedy but he's never been a big eater and also a total pushover!

The vet clinic is excellent and I know they'll be straight with us about what's what. We're all fighting for him; I just wish he'd fight for himself as well.
 
MissTyc said:
Thanks for your thoughts. He has two people who care a lot. His loaner is devastated, wondering if she missed something, if it's her fault .. but he's had the best of everything. It's this sudden declines that is so frightening. This morning he is "holding his own" and they're now looking into equine motor neuron disease even though none of the "risk factors" are present in his case. (i have now read every article I can find, however, and it seems that there are many exceptions to the risk factors even though it's not a common ailment. It makes little difference as the prognosis is not good but it does give some hope as there are treatment options to try)

He won't eat. Nibbles grass, rejects anything else on floor, in bucket, by hands. Makes me wish he was more stubborn and greedy but he's never been a big eater and also a total pushover!

The vet clinic is excellent and I know they'll be straight with us about what's what. We're all fighting for him; I just wish he'd fight for himself as well.
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It's so hard when they don't want to fight. I really feel for you, and him.
Practically, can you get hold of hydroponic grass (H2O Farm near Windsor may be able to help http://www.h2ofarm.co.uk/) or fresh alfalfa. I nursed a horse with chronic grass sickness many years ago, and it was just luck that he would eat fresh alfalfa, which they grew there to cut for alfalfa hay for the event horses. At his sickest, we were blending alfalfa with yoghurt in a magimix, and syringing it down him. He pulled though, eventually.
 
Auslander said:
It's so hard when they don't want to fight. I really feel for you, and him.
Practically, can you get hold of hydroponic grass (H2O Farm near Windsor may be able to help http://www.h2ofarm.co.uk/) or fresh alfalfa. I nursed a horse with chronic grass sickness many years ago, and it was just luck that he would eat fresh alfalfa, which they grew there to cut for alfalfa hay for the event horses. At his sickest, we were blending alfalfa with yoghurt in a magimix, and syringing it down him. He pulled though, eventually.
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That's a great thought. I know a show jumper who grows something like that ... Depending on the outcome of today's tests we will see if feeding is the way to go. Since everything is so hypothetical and guesswork in terms of diagnosis we need to make sure we take the vet's lead. I'll be honest, I can't quite keep up with the vet at the moment. Yesterday morning it was kidney failure, then wait maybe not (kidneys don't seem good but could be secondary to whatever else is going on), maybe grass sickness, now maybe motor neuron ... I think, in reality, they really don't know right now!
 
Having been in a similar but different position with 2x 11yr old horses (completely unrelated and different illnesses), i really sympathise and am wishing you, the loaner and your horse all the best.
It really is awful when the vets can't work out what is wrong.
 
Really keeping everything crossed for you....
I am sure you have looked but just a thought.....does the horse have a mouth/throat issue that may keep him from eating/swallowing? Have they taken a look?
Horses do not always present pain in their mouths.
Best of luck.
Bryndu
 
Another chronic grass sickness survivor here. It took a week for them to diagnose mine, but that was in 2010. It was a horrible few months, but he's 11 now and almost fine, just a few little foibles I have to be aware of. Hope they get to the bottom of it and you can help him x
 
He's staying in ICU for the bank holiday weekend.
Liphook have reviewed his lab results and don't think it's grass sickness. No further along. Still not eating.
 
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