Neurological damage

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estherthreadkell

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Hi

I’m new to the forum but I’m hoping someone has some ideas about my horse.

I have had my horse for about 4 years now, He managed to damage himself not long after I had him. He came in from the field a completely different horse. The vet thinks he has damaged his cranial nerve, that’s the main nerve into his head. His symptoms are as follows; His eye lashes on his right side point down, nearly against his eye. He also doesn’t react if you put your fingers in his ears like any normal horse would. He also reacts strangely to noise, it’s like he can’t tell how far off sound is. I think he also has limited or intermitted sensation in his face as he reacts to wind and fine rain. I also thinks he has space awareness problem, like he can’t tell how far his head is away from the stable wall when trying to get something like a carrot. The problem is that he gets to his stable sticks his head in and then won’t go any further. He looks panicked and in some cases rears backwards. The problem is that we go through months of him just pausing and then walking in perfectly fine to spells where we just can’t get him in his stable. There seems to be not logical reason, weather his worked more, the weather, the light. Once his in his a chilled out boy. I’m at a complete loss! It’s really frustrating, we have tried bullying him but this just gets dangerous. The trouble is he is a big horse 17.2HH. Has anyone had a simpler problem or can suggest any ideas. Anything welcomed. Thanks
 
It sounds to me like he has problems with his site with the spatial wareness problems and other cranial nerve defeceipts. Does he ever touch the door frame with any part of his body as he walks through? Big horses often do and he may be finding it hard to figure out if the door way is big enough for him. I would reccomend checking his vision and make sure he doesn't touch the door frame with his sides or point of hip as he walks through. I think your right not to try and bully him - like you say it is dangerous and only going to make him more aprehensive, good on you for trying to understand him. Do you have other narrow spaces you can try walking him through to make sure he is okay with that? If you do it with a thick rug on him it won't hurt him if he does brush against the sides. You could get a dually halter and school him to go through with that but if it is the doorway thats the problem bearing in mind his neurological problems it may be fairer in the long term to widen the doorway! I will explain more about cranial nerves tomorrow - there are 12 - but its a little late for that now. Good luck
 
Are you absolutely sure he's not blind/partially blind in one or both eyes? The carrot he could try to locate by smell. You could set up some obstacles in a safe place and try walking him in hand past/over them to observe his reactions. Poor soul - it sounds as if almost everything in his world is scary for him. I don't think any form of bullying is right or even ethical for a "disabled" horse. It must be very frightening for him. I understand what you say about everything being bearable for him for months but I do wonder about the quality of his life if he can't make sense of his surroundings any more.
 
Hi Guys thanks for all the suggestions and support.

My vets had an open day yesterday so I had a chance to ask two vets their opinion. They said no amount of treatment/ referrals would be any good as he would need an animal equivalent of an MRI, they were very much of the opinion that if it’s nerve damage there is very little medically that can be done. To top it all off I just know I wouldn’t be able to get him into a horse box. My friend works at the Animal Trust and she has spoken to eye specialists, they think his ‘bad’ eye is down to the damaged nerves not then allowing the eye to clean the dead layers away and the eye gets a build up causing it to go cloudy. I have since got some steroid eye drops to use to help the eye clean better. This being the case he perfectly fine, clam boy and enjoys life, we still are able to do everything, even jumping. The Vets last night said if he had damaged eyesight then he wouldn't be able to jump?!? Not sure if I quiet agree there thou! The stable he is in are massive, with really high doorways and they are plenty wide enough for him.
 
It sounds like you need a second opinion, and even better, a whole new vet! Of course one-eyed horses can jump. They learn to adapt, that's all. My horse wacked herself just above the eye on a redundant metal salt-lick holder and her eyelid went totally droopy, plus she hardly blinked that eye. My vet advised me to massage the area every day and although it took about a year, you wouldn't know there had ever been anything wrong. Nerves do regrow but it is a slow process, and the more stimulation you can give them the better. Definitely keep the eye as clean as possible and check it frequently for the lashes rubbing the eye surface which is excrutiatingly painful, and any infection or ulcer forming under the lashes.

Make sure that his buckets are well away from the wall so that he doesn't knock his face on the wall, and be very patient with him. Always line him up for the door so that it is a straight run in, no short cuts and going in on a curve. Assume he is blind on that side and act accordingly.

Incidentally, did the vet give him any antiinflammatories when the problem first showed up. If not, he should have as swelling could further damage the nerve. Sounds like the poor chap had a fall in the field and landed on his face. The big ones do tend to be rather more clumsy.

How about alternative therapy? Accupuncture could well help him.

Good luck and don't take no for an answer!
 
I would get him referred for an MRI scan so you know exactly what is wrong with him. You cant treat something if you are not sure what it is, especially something like this.

MRIs are expensive and generally insurance only covers half of them, but i would want this done to find out exactly what is wrong.
 
You can't be refered for an MRI anyway as no where in this country can scan heads and theres no point refering for cranial nerves because the tests to assess these are so easy you can do them yourself. His eye is really concerning though if it is now regularly getting cloudy. It is at risk of getting cumulative damage that may not be preventable. Horses can definately jump with just one eye.
 
hi,

ok well for one I would ask the vet to do a phenylephrine test. this is a drop put into the "effected" eye and if there is neurological damage the eyelids will lift to a more normal position. If its muscular cause then it wont.
If i remember correctly it is mainly used to help diagnose grass sickness......... but basically it identifies that it is a neurological problems not (for example) a muscular problem!

Is there any other signs? (like nose bending slightly to one side....) on the effected side if you flash your fingers towards that eye does he blink?
Just things like that show that its 100% neurological..... if it was a muscular problem he will try to shut the eye (but may just move the globe instead as unable to)
 
As fatpiggy says, of course 1-eyed horses can jump! And do well in dressage tests! They manage amazingly well. Sunny had his right eye removed after chronic conjunctivitis (previous owner) flipped over into superficial keratitis, an auto-immune disease. If what you're currently doing for him keeps him happy for most of the time, then I guess that's the best you can hope for. My concern is he might have distorted vision in both eyes in which case I wouldn't be surprised if occasionally everything frightened him. Take great care putting drops into his eye as one jerk from the horse at the wrong time can cause terrible damage to the cornea. If your horse has a cloudy cornea, that is a clear indication that the cornea has been damaged somehow. Keep a careful watch for signs that the horse is in pain. An ulcerated cornea is terribly painful and your horse may need more than bute sachets to help control the pain.
 
Sorry BOF the drops I was on about were vet drugs that can ONLY be administered by the vet (and obv only if they feel it is a worth while test, but droopy eye lids are often examined using this test to see if it is neuro or musc) so please I aagree dont go putting anything in the horses eyes!

And I know many horses who jump who have either impaired to no vision in one eye....... both eyes would cause a problem obviously! But one eye they adjust to and can obviously do quite well in (I know an ex Grade A show jumper who can still clear top of the wings who had a full cataract in one eye!) but u just need to give them the time to adjust!
 
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