Its a mystery - maybe grass sickness??? Chronic Grass Sickness?

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cariadssogreat

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My 5 year old mare didnt thrive over the winter - but I put it down to being the first winter in work. We all assumed that she would pick up in the spring - but she hasnt. She was getting 1/2 bale hay a day (16.1 wb) and a recommended amount of fibre feed.
I worm when indicated, worm count and poo pick.
Mare has slowly been dropping off for a while, become tucked up in the last 10 days, colic symptoms in two bouts last week - but not colic. Vet has been involved but we are scratching heads.
She does have an increased white blood count, she does have irregular gut sounds, has lost appetite, is generally depressed, does have muscle tremors - although bizarly only been seen in the morning.
Its really hard work to get her to eat - unless out on our hay field!! Wont touch any alfalfas/beet. Will eat pellets in moderation. Not that fussed with nice haylage and no interest in hay.
Oh - will eat carrots!
Any thoughts - experiences.
Last wormed a month ago as double dose for tape. Last egg count Mar with a count of 150. Has just been done with equest pramox at the request of the vet as the tapeworm blood test is taking for ever to come back!
HELP please.
 
Grass sickness would certainly be on a list of possibilities (higher or lower depending on your area) but there are many others as well that could cause similar symptoms. I think that fairly aggressive diagnostic action is warranted, for example, peritoneal fluid sample, rectal biopsy, abdominal ultrasound, glucose absorption test, gastroscopy, duodenal biopsy. Some of these are specialist procedures so it depends on your funds how far you go, but peritoneal fluid and rectal biopsy are fairly simple, not overly expensive and can be done at a yard.
 
hi
we have been going through very similar to your horses symptons for the past 4 weeks(16.2hh TB) stopped eating/drinking ,muscle tremors, tucked up, high heart rate,dropped weight off quickly,laying down more showing signs of mild colic but would eat grass when turned out
vet was thinking liver at first but then suggested scoping for ulcers

we had her bloods taken and all was fine--we got a specialized equine mobile vet in(rather than stress her out travelling over 2 hours to an equine hospital )who had all the equipment to get a full ultrasound of liver , kidneys,lungs and heart and scoped the bladder and stomach -- she had grade 3 ulcers but all her organs were functioning correctley thankfully


she was put on gastroguard but no improvement showed so she was also put on antibiotics as she was straining to wee as though she had cystitus(sp)

sample of urine showed high protein levels,

she as just this week turned around a little thankfully she is back eating small amounts of her feed and hay and is looking brighter in herself

if you would like to ask any questions please pm me if i can be of help
 
My chap had a recurring virus with high white cell count. It kept coming back and he was skin and bones at the worst point. Got somewhat better and then we moved up to Scotland and he had a really bad attack. Vet initially thought GS but it wasnt. Gradually attacks have reduced massively in frequency, just down to occasional mild colics.Vet has allowed us to have store of bute as one or two as he starts to stop eating can often nip him in the bud.

Things that have really helped him (he is a porker now :-))

- pink powder in feed to help him make best use of whatever he's being fed
- when poorly, an iron/vitamin tonic - there are quite a few on the market, helps build up the bloods again. Most are palatable too so he liked it on his feed
- never ever doing annual jabs anywhere near timing of worming, that's what triggered my chaps downfall, vet doesnt give him flu jab at all since.

Edited to add Im a bit concerned at the Pramox for a horse who is poorly :-((- it is a real blast to their systems and definitely not something i would be doing with a horse who is already compromised. Much better to treat the different worm types with targeted single wormers eg Equest has the same redworm ingredient as Pramox and there are tapewormers with the same tapeworm ingredient. Hopefully horse will cope ok with Pramox.
- feeding very good quality forage, we use high fibre horsehage and really lovely oatstraw (the latter because he loves it and his colic risk isnt from blockage initially, it's from going off his food and not eating at all).
 
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How about a foreign object stuck in the gut? I find all sorts of rubbish in the field when I'm poo-picking.
 
There was a post (or article in H&H) cant remember...? of a horse with unexplained illness with symptoms you mention that went on for
Months. Owner had horse PTS in themend, and autopsy revealed the horse had ingested the wire from a chinese lantern.
Hope you get to the bottom of it soon
 
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