Neurological problems, should i PTS, HELP????

italylyns

italylyns

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My horse was diagnosed with Neurological problems today!!

I have been told he is unsafe to ride and that he will get worse with time!

I know i now have to make the decision to have him put to sleep as i cannot afford to keep him in the field as he is and i obviously want a horse i can at least ride!!

Has anyone had this before, i am sooo upset and am finding it so hard to deal with!!
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If this has been properly diagnosed with tests by your vet I think for your safety and the horses welfare it is better to pts before he goes down hill.

I am sorry for your situation and understand the turmoil you must be feeling.
 
i had a horse that changed alot over a couple of months, after numerous tests/consultations/etc it was agreed that she had nuerological problems but it wasn't 100% certain. anyway the people i loaned her from took her back and were able to let her be a field ornament (they had their own yard/business). she is still with them but still has bad moments/days. if it was a private/individual person then i think they would have had her pts, same as i would have if she had been mine.

if your vet is sure then it would be the kindest thing to do and also the safest thing to do for anyone who handles your horse and for your horse (and field mates!).

i know how hard it must be for you and only you can decide on what's best though.
 
I'm guessing that it's a permanent problem not something like herpes ? my mare had the neuro strain of herpes last year so was off work for a couple of months, in the 3 days waiting for the blood results to come back tho all sorts of awful things went through my mind. she'd lost her sense of balance so really wasn't safe and if it had been permanent then i would have had no option but to have her PTS.you can't have 17hh of horse not being able to balance:eek: As it was the tests came back positive for herpes so all she needed was time off until it was out her system. A very worrying time tho:(
 
Sort of.

I'd have him put to sleep now. It's horrible, but at least he is still your horse. After he's gotton worse he will be a creature you don't know.

Worse, horses with neurological problems CAN turn violent. You won't be able to risk turning him out with a companion or letting anyone else handle him.

You said it's permanent and he'll get worse. There's no other option imo.

*hugs*

It's horrible having to have a horse PTS who in all other respects is healthy. I'll never quite get over it.
However, our vet said how refreshing it was to see someone being responsible and dealing with the issue sooner rather than later.
 
I have never experienced this but I would say my decision would have to be made on what the actual diagnosis is/was and whether it was manageable or treatable to a degree. I think there are varying degrees of neurological problems so it would depend entirely on what it was. I would hate to see my horse getting distressed or confused or injuring itself or others as a result so I would then have to be brave and make the decision. It certainly is not easy so I think you have to weigh up all the possibilities really.
 
Thank you for your replys and i know the best thing to do is have him pts and after much discussion with my hubby i had now made the decision!

He is very unstable on his back legs and sways around when standing in the field. He has moments where he just quivers for no reason too. He is no spring chicken at 18 and he is so kind i would hate for him to get worse and suffer.

What a horrible time :-(
 
Aw hugs to you.

You have made the right decision for him and he will not suffer.

It is always a horrid decision for us to make but you have made it for the right reasons

xx
 
Starla suffered neurological damage as a result of a head injury. Despite how hard I KNOW she tried, she couldn't stop herself from falling on the vet as he was trying to administer the sedative prior to the anasthetic.
I know our situations are different, but I think you are absolutely doing the best and safest thing for you and your horse.
Huge hugs to you X
 
Hi,
Firstly, i so sorry to hear your news and fully understand what your going through as im going through the same myself.

What has your horse been diagnosed with as sounds similar to my boy who has Wobblers. He has been graded a low 3. TBH allthough gutting as we have just a short journey im glad i know whats wrong as appose to not, questioning my riding, saddler, farrier etc.

I know theres no fix and its progressive but after weighing up the options Bob went in for Tildren about 6 weeks ago which slows it down and makes him more comfortable. He also has arthritus in his hocks. Bob trips on the front, sometimes a little trip, some time a stumble and a couple of times flat on his knees.

I was going to retire him but the vet suggested that might distroy his sole being a field ornament as he's a proper workman like cob. So under vet hack him out twice a week for half hour in straight lines in walk. And now i know what it is I manage it (no uneven ground, hard ground, let him go at his pace) Im lucky i get a warning with a trip and get off but know some their back end completely goes. I also wear body protector and he wears knee boots.

I know the day will come and ill have to make the decision but at the moment whilst he's happy and comfortable
Please pm me if you like as they sound similar and best wishes with which ever way you go.
Dx
 
I think you're doing the right thing. From the sound of the symptoms you have described, he probably has no understanding of what is happening when the symptoms start and in itself, that may be causing him some distress. It's a hard decision, but I think you're doing the right thing xx
 
I am really sorry to read this, but I think you know what the best thing would be.

Truly sorry for you, you have my sympathies.
 
I'm sure you have made the right decision, hard as it is.
I think we have to remember that in the wild no horse would be able to carry on at less than 100% fit - it would be caught and eaten. This means that horses do not have the capacity to cope with being incapacitated. In some cases their companions can't cope with it either - they feel that the ill horse is a threat to the safety of the herd and turn on them, to keep the herd safe.
 
Sorry to hear about your boy. I made the heart breaking decision last year, to have my 5 year old PTS after being diagnosed with wobblers.
He was unsteady on his feet and would lose his back legs, he was only going to get worse and was becoming unsafe to handle.
 
What has he been diagnosed with??

My mare has wobblers, but grade 1, and i was advised to turn her away for a year or two, and to see what happens. Shes not on any medication and is completely field sound. Im hoping to bring her back in to work soon :) I dont think shel ever make a full recovery but im crossing my fingers that she will be hackable.

Shes happy as anything and is often seen galloping around the field like a complete loon and terrorising all the other horses :) She comes trotting to call every day and we did some trotting poles last week that she cleared perfectly :)

However, shes a 6 year old.

I just think you need to make sure what you are doing is right. Just because i was advised my own vet to pts. I nearly did. Then i went to see one of the leading neuro vets in the country that actually filled me with hope and a year later i have a horse that people cant understand why i dont ride!! Im convinced shell be safe. However i have never seen her quivering. She trips on rough ground...but so does my other boy. She will wear knee boots though when we do come back in to work properly!!

Im so sorry that this has happened to your boy and i completely unerstand how devastating it is. I think if lex had been 18, i would have made a very different decision. But i would advise, if hes field sound, to leave him out for a few months, just to see what happens.

Have you had x rays etc??

Please PM me if you want any further details :)
 
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