Old horse off her food and reluctant to move

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MinskiKaii

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Minski my 30 year old appy, always comes up for her feed and until the ground got hard would gallop up for it. But on Saturday she just stayed at the bottom of the field and whinnied. I went down and had to really make her move to get her back to the gate for her feed and she wouldn't eat.

I got the vet out who did take a bit off her teeth, found nothing on an internal examination. He has given her an anti inflamatory injection and another antibiotic. She did eventally have a bit of grass. I went back in the evening, she was walking a bit better and managed to get her feed down her by hand feeding her.

The next moning I stayed for an hour and she wouldn't eat her feed I didn't see her eat anything and she only moved when she had to. In the evening I tried again with very sloppy food and syrup which I did manage to get her to eat it. But again, she just seems to stand there not doing anything.

This morning she was just stood under and tree in a bald patch of field and again only moved when I made her and did get her to eat half her breakfast eventaully, but she just stood there again.


Has anyone got any ideas? If she had been like this for a long time then I would had had her put to sleep, but she went from comming up for her tea, eating and moving one day and not the next.
 
She was already on a sacket up bute a day for her arthrtis and to cover for her not eating her food the vet gave her pain killer injection and she is still 2 days on not wanting to move, so I don't thnk that is the issue.

Wouldn't it be so much easier if you counf just ask them!
 
I agree she could be stiff. If she has been running around on harder ground she may have jarred herself. My old boy had arthritis and was often a bit stiff, particularly in the mornings. I had him on a Danilon a day for the last few years of his life and also green lipped mussel powder which mad an amazing difference to his mobility.
Oooops. Just seen your reply. Has she got a temperature?
 
No, vet says she hasn't got a temperature. Just been down to feed her and she looked a lot brighter, but won't eat her feed at all and made the horrid whinny/groany noise when I tried to move her like this morning.
 
have you not had the vet back out to re examine her? if she isnt eating properly then it wont do her gut functions any good.
 
Vet said he wasn't too concerned and to give her till tomorrow, if she sill wasn't better by then to give him a call in the moring. But obviously if she went down hill get him back out. So will be calling him first thing tomorrow.
 
I would have vet back out to blood sample and re-examine if I were you and to givemore pain relief iv (there are other drugs they can try if bute doesnt work as it often wont touch internal pain). Does she move in anyway funny? Arching back, wide behind, staggery? The last old horse I came across like this repeatedly tied up (she was living out 24/7 but showed muscle tremors and reluctance to move - CK/enzymes increased on bloods)and then her joints seized. Improved following ACp (as it is a muscle relaxant) and bute but re-occurred10days later. The only others I have seen sounding similar to yours were laminitics(and not necessarily fat) and an old TB with a hairline fracture of lumbar vertebrae (he appeared colicky day one, only moved about 6 paces in 4 days and groaned/arched back when moving - knocked over by field mate and completely broke his back - horrific.) I hope none of the above apply to your horse, but the point im trying to get across is that it is most likely pain related so getting vet out to give stronger pain relief is very important. Flunixin can also be given in paste form - ask your vet to bring some out with him so you can top her up without having to call him back out. Also make sure she's still well hydrated. x

ETA - the reluctance to move will be pain related but obviously there may be an underlying infection etc causing it.
 
She moves more shuffly. Stance hasn't really changed and no sign of muscle tremors . The vet did check for any signs resembling colic and said she wasnt showing any. He did take her pulse which was up and her digital pulse was up a bit, so he checked for abcesses.

They did give her anti biotics, which haven't helped. But obviously, it won't cover all infections. I did ask him to take a blood sample while he was out so that if she hasn't picked up they already have it for tomrrow morning when they and their labs open. So hopefully that should pick up if there is anything underlying causing this. Thanks for that, I will speak to him in the morning about tying up etc
 
Sorry hun, but if she were mine, 30yrs old, unable to move without strange vocalisation, pretty much not eating, no real improvement with basic non-invasive help, then I'd follow the route of better a week too early than a day too late x
 
I think I may be with you box_of_frogs.
OP hope she's brighter this morning, could be laminitis/infection. Awful predicament, but if she's hardly moved not sure I'd have waited to get the vet back. Keep us posted, you must be so worried
 
Thanks everyone. Got the vet visiting to re-examine her. She must be moving while I'm not there, because she is in different area of the 6 acre field. Will take the bloods a day or 2 to come back and I don't want her to carry on that long with no improvement. I will have another talk to him when he is don't. He has made no mention of pts at all. but obviously I don't her to carry on if she is hasnt good chance of improving. She does seem like she has had enough.
 
Box_Of_Frogs said:
Sorry hun, but if she were mine, 30yrs old, unable to move without strange vocalisation, pretty much not eating, no real improvement with basic non-invasive help, then I'd follow the route of better a week too early than a day too late x
Click to expand...

Yep, me too I'm afraid.

Are you monitoring her hourly OP??
 
Thanks everyone.

The vet has run the bloods they can do in house and all of those were ok. I have just been and syringed a couple of sachet of bute down her. Vet is comming up this afternoon as he has an appointment this morning , but has the whole after noon if she is to be pts.

He did mention laminitis and grass sickness as possibilities and he is going to sedate her and have a better look at her teeth.

I did tell him if it was laminitis, I won't put her thought treatment and unless there is a good chance of something that can be treated I don't want to make her carry on as she is obviously not happy. So I've got everything crossed for this afternoon.

I and OH have been going to check her a few times a day and I've been spending a good hour each time.
 
A quick update. Vet has had another go at her teeth, but said probably not the problem, test for grass sickness was clear, and he gave her a drench. But said he wants to find out what is wrong with her and she's ok going on as she is!!! He is going to see if he can get the bloods back before the bank holiday. I've told him if she hasn't picked up by Thursday I don't feel its fair and I won't make her carry on in current state.

She has improved loads, I'm assuming due the the drench. She ate her tea with out being forced and quater of a bucket of sugar beet then headed off down the field on her own stuffing her face!!!

So at least she is lots better. But, I am not niave enough to think that she is all better and am keeping a close eye on her and see how she goes.

Thanks loads for the help and support everyone.
 
So sorry to hear your lovely old girl has been a bit poorly. Know you'll be doing your best by her and i'm wishing you every luck and keeping my fingers crossed she's feeling better soon..xx
 
She took turn for the worse this morning and although we did manage to get some feed down her, she didnt want to move and really struggle when I made her. So I have spent the day with her and she has now been PTS. At least she is no longer suffering.

RIP Minski.
 
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Good night God Bless Minski. So so sorry to hear you lost her. Always a difficult decision to make but the one that shows how much you love them. Your post has made me cry as I lost my old boy April 20th last year at 31. My thoughts are with you. J x
 
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