MORE wobblers questions!!! The wobble was back...

Switchthehorse

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darcyandme.wordpress.com
.. for an hour or so!!

I posted before on here about Wobblers, 2yo was diagnosed as mild but x-rays were clear, i have never seen any symptoms, and couldn't see what the vet was seeing frankly… but got a second and third opinion which were both no she isn't a wobbler and x-rays are indeed clear. She passed all tests including blindfold etc.

Call from yard on friday, she can't walk behind she keeps losing her back end, completely out of the blue - when they took her out of box to turn her out, then staggers and rights herself, but made it to a pen and grazed happily there all day. Vet called, i couldn't make it, failed all tests and didn't know where back legs were when blindfolded.

By friday evening she was absolutely fine, and has been fine ever since but put on steroids just in case. Sunday was a complete witch and spent some time standing on back legs waving at me when bringing her in (youngsters eh!!) so they seemed to be working fine :)

Can wobblers be so intermittent? Vet wonders whether there is actually an injury in her neck causing mild nerve impingement as both times she has displayed symptoms she has got loose the day before with lead rope dangling and gone for a hoon round the field. His suggestion see if it happens again in the next month or so before PTS decision.

Apart from these 2 episodes she has never displayed any other symptoms and is a normal horse, and was a normal horse very quickly afterwards. I know her full breeding history and pretty much all her siblings and none of them have any history - there is no history in the bloodlines.

I appreciate onset of wobblers can be dramatically quick but can it come and go so drastically? anyone any experience of neck injury causing similar symptoms? vet mentioned something about loose ligaments in neck whilst they grow… would welcome any feedback/thoughts/input…

Thanks in advance!
 
Didn't want to read and run, no experience im afraid, but if the vet suspects neck can you not x-ray- perhaps at a time you can be present?
 
Thanks for your reply. Have had neck x-rayed and all looked clear. He mentioned something about growing horses having looser ligaments or something. I just don't know enough tbh, I just can't find much evidence wobblers being so intermittent and them recovering so quickly, but maybe I am clutching at straws!
 
My friends horse has wobblers and vet thinks his is caused by arthritis in the neck so wouldn't surprise me if an injury can cause it.

I've personally never heard of it being so intermittent, it's usually degenerative and once they start showing symptoms they tend to stay showing them.

The only way you can tell if a horse has wobblers 100% is by a myleogram (think that's how you spell it lol)
 
I have friend who lost her youngster to this, she is on the forum. Ill ask her to take a look at your vets comments and hopefully reply to you.
 
My boy has wobblers and he has some days where he's much better than others but def not as intermittent as yours sound!! Some days he just looks slightly lame compared to others when he's almost sound!
 
I will pm.........unfortunately this sounds very similar to my yearling I lost that was eventually diagnosed with head /neck injury from possible fall.

Started intermittent and progressed quite aggressively, initial tests proved negative and 'growth plates' kept being mentioned - unfortunately it wasn't.
 
sorry to be doom and gloom but my bob had wobblers. Some days i could ride him and he'd rip my arms out wanting to go. Other times he couldnt even walk and looked drunk. The bad episodes were more frequent and stoped riding completely. he was a proud boy, and i made the decision of a week to early as appose a day to late.

Hope the outcome is positive for you xx
 
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