Muscle wastage hind limbs / quarters

[blitznbobs]

I have an ish who is changing shape very quickly … muscle is just dropping off his back end (i have purely field ornaments with much more muscle than he has. ) he is basically a field ornament due to an intermittent lameness issue in his hocks which has been investigated injected and is currently sound on … he has other issues as well so just hacks which the vet is happy with and he seems to enjoy (anything involving engagement sends him lame quickly but he seems to enjoy walking hacks ) … i hate hacking and only do so with him because he seems to like getting out a bit (- i would be happy for him to do no work but the vet suggested walking either in hand or under saddle to stop him getting stiff - he is a 10 y o) but its weird that despite no change of life style over the past year the muscle is suddenly dropping off him … im thinking something neurological or metabolic … the vets suggest a full lameness workup but tbh as his legs arent insured and hes pretty useless if i thought he was suffering id pts… dont want to do that at present as he seems happy in himself— just wondered if anyone had seen anything similar??

 

[Cragrat]

My older TB (17) was in a decent amount of work, and suddenly started losing his quarters and top line. No one could see any lameness, but a good body worker found a problem in one hind quarter, and also in a the opposite jaw. 3 weeks later there is a marked improvement.

 

[Caol Ila]

Cushings? 10 is young for that, but it's possible.

 

[paddi22]

Any sudden muscle loss ones I have have been down to either cushings or an issue with gut bacteria (so the horse wasn't absorbing food). has the horse been on antibiotics at all?

 

[paddy555]

muscle just dropping off doesn't sound like a bit of wastage. Mine had muscle dropping off and it was cushings. He was also 10 . Prascend and vit E got it back on.
He tested neg on ACTH test twice and was trialled on prascend. Might be difficult to get a positive ACTH test on a younger horse and if I had to do it again I would TRH test to try and get a more accurate answer.

 

[Lucky Snowball]

My horse was diagnosed with cushings at 10 also. Prascend made a massive improvement and she returned to full work after a very long nasty bout of laminitis.