poorly old girl - any ideas?

pootleperkin

pootleperkin

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hi everyone - I just wanted to have a pick of the HHO collective's brain to see if anyone has any ideas as to what might be happening with my old girl. Put it in here instead of veterinary as thought more people would see it.

She is 24 years old, quite likely has a touch of cushings, as she has curly coat and associated slopy pasterns etc and vet agrees. Had the vet out around a month ago as she was carrying an overtly wide and deep belly (looked like she was in foal, but defo. isn't). She isn't wormy and so the vet decided that the most likely reason for her shape was that a she has aged, the muscles on the sides of here stomach have lost their tone, so just another aging thing, like a slightly dipped back.

Last week she came in from the field and looked slightly lame on her off hind, overtly pointing it in the stable. No heat or signs of trauma, but I gave her some bute as it was obviously sore. Similar symptoms for the next few days, but she went outside everyday and rolled happily etc. On Friday she went out ok, then I went away for the weekend leaving my Dad in charge. Apparently she didn't touch her feed on Friday, and Dad got the vet out as he was worried. Turns out sh had lost the range of motion in her neck and ate loads when her bucket was held up to her. Vet concentrated on her neck and didn't really notice her back leg, as Dad didn't have her history. Gave her pain killer i/v, and she perked up massively.

When I saw her on Sunday night, it was obvious to me that she didn't just have a neck problem, but a neurological one, and her neck and leg problems were linked. I got vet out again on Monday morning as I was worried about her leg pain - still pointing back foot and most obviously holding up her tail head and it was shaking.

Vet suggested she might have equine motor neuron disease, as she was showing many symptoms of the disease, including muscle tremors, voracious appetite, a little weight loss (not too much though), and limb pain, but if so, it is progressing very quickly. Tonight I think she is a bit more depressed, but is still eating well. She is defo more uncomfortable on legs, holding front fore up occasionally. She has lost a bit more range of movement in her neck.

I'm thinking that we are on a road to nowhere and that she probably isn't going to be around much longer - the vet has told us to put her on vitamin E supplement and if it is EMND, then it might help. I'm not convinced that is what it is, but just wondering if anyone has seen it before, or has any other ideas?

Muchos doughnuts if you have got this far. Poor old girl, she was absolutely fine a week ago and is still happy in herself
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Oh poor dear, I have no idea what to say. I haven't seen this before, I hope someone can help you. Give her a hug from me, one to you as well.
 
Vet said he really isn't sure as he hasn't seen it before; some of the symptoms certainly fit, but others don't. I have no doubt she has neurological disfunction though.

She is getting lots of things that she loves to eat and hugs.

We thought she was going to keep going for years yet, and we would have to put up with her scowling at us and shrieking when we took her 'babies' (my gelding and our coloured youngster) and out of the field! I have had her since she was 3, so as long as she is comfortable we'll keep going, but boy, these decisions are hard! Without a diagnosis, it is difficult to know what to do.
 
Poor pony.
I don't want to be rude about your vet but can they refur you to a specialist? Lucy had a mistory symptoms in oct last year Lumps and bleeding from various places. My vets piddled about for weeks trying to get a diagnosis. But once she went off her feed i demanded she was refurd to Liphook and they ran tests and i had a diagnosis in a week.
Just a thought. I wish i had Lucy refured earlyer (not that it made much differance to the outcome but i just hated not knowing what was wrong and my vets kept saying it could be this or it could be that and i just wanted to help Lucy one way or another)
Hope you get some answers soon. Sorry i've never seen that before but lots of (((((((((vibes))))))))) it's nothing serious and ((((((((((hugs))))))))) for you.
 
Hopefully she has had a fall in the field!

My old lady has had all the symptons you are describing - and she had fell on the ice a few weeks ago and she is 25.

I turned her out, gave her pain killers and basically left her alone. The old girl also could not "bend" down to eat, and had to be fed from a bucket balanced on a couple of bales of hay and she had a hay net. Its been a month now and she is fine. She had done the same last winter and the vets diagnosed arthritus of the spine and wanted her zoomed off to hospital for various test etc. I refused and got a phsio in who confirmed she had a neck trauma- at this point she was walking like a bannana and crossing her front legs when she walked - i really thought it was the end and was preparing for the worst, but again a couple of weeks on and 2 treatments from the "back lady" had her as right as a 24 year old with arthritus and a fall could be!

Good luck
 
Thanks Gingerwitch - it was my first thought that she had tweaked something in her back or her arthritis (which she also most likely has) was playing up. I'm just a bit worried that she seems to be tremoring all over and seems very uncomfortable on her feet and getting a little worse all the time.

How much bute were you giving yours per day?
 
Neck arthritis in older horses is very common and could explain all the symptoms you have described, I'm suprised your vet didn't mention it! By far the most likely explanation. As you describe the hind leg symptom developing first I would suggest that it has come on over several days/weeks and then been agrevated. It is a bit chicken and egg - she may have fallen over because she is getting slightly wobbly and then tweaked her neck causing a flare up or perhaps just slipped over. If you are still riding her you should probably get it confirmed - neck xrays/scintigraphy because the neck joints can be medicated with steroids to improve the condition and she may not be safe to ride any more. The neurological signs appear because of boney proliferation around the neck joints (arthritis) making the spinal canal smaller and causing compression of the spinal cord. This causes ataxia (inco-ordination) which is present in all four legs but worse behind. Unfortunately it is progressive but usually slowly. Long term anti-inflammatories like bute as for arthritis in other joints can greatly improve the quality of the horses life. All other joint supliments for arthritis may help just the same. It really becomes a problem if horses with the condition (cervical vertebral myelopathy if you want to look it up) start falling over or struggling to stand up when it is usually time to call it a day.
 
I was just reading your post OP & it is very similar to what my Old TB (25yo) suffered at the begining of December.

He had a mad hoon around in the field & was fine when brought in however symptoms came on overnight. The next morning he was extremely Ataxic walking in permenant Traver to the right was suffering neck problems & extreme Muscle tremors. I though it was nurological & so did Vet as horse couldnt balance to pick hind legs up when asked, yet could walk yet in this crab movement to the right.

He couldnt stand still as the muscle tremours seemed to prevent him from locking his legs to stand still, so he box walked, sweated & tremoured. It was horrendous.
Vet put him on Metacam & unfortunately prescribed ACP the ACP had a severe reaction with the horse & he collapsed despite only being given 10 tablets.
Anyway we made it through somehow & by the 5th day the tremours stopped.
He has picked up a lot since & can eat off the floor, roll in the field & even rears little sod. However we still have him walking slightly in Traver he hasnt been perfectly straight for years but this is obvious.

We are now doing Cartrophen injections as where 100% sure that he has torn muscles & possibly damaged the hip joint we have obvious cracks in the hip & the neck that where not there before.

I really hope your mare improves,atm im looking at giving my boy a lovely summer & letting him go before next winter. Saying this though my boy is showing some straightness now so im hoping as he's so bright & very well in himself, no weight loss at all.
 
Thanks all of you for your replies - it's given me a bit of hope - I was getting quite depressed thinking the end was nigh....I guess it might be yet but Dressage crazy and Sam, it looks as if I should keep her pain meds high and just see what happens and speak to the vet again. They are good vets, specialise in horses, and are open minded. I'm thinking I should get a back person out to her too.

I can't afford to get a barrage of expensive tests done - at the end of the day, she is a retired, 24 year old mare who I love dearly, but am not prepared to re-mortgage my life for, and given the diagnostic ideas here, it is unlikely that we would be able to make her better if she can't do so naturally with intermediary aid of steroids and pain killers by the sound of it. I'll do my best by her though, as we have looked after each other to the best of our abilities since she was 3 years old, just off the ferry from Ireland and was so ridiculously wormy and underweight she was nicknamed Bones!

God, it's awful watching an ill horse......had enough of it when nursing Gully through grass sickness!
 
Thats really sad...Im afraid I have no idea what she has and Ive never seen it before, but if she does have cushings the new ,edication is great so it might be worth trying to do something for that too as it does bring their mood down an awful lot and some feel quite depressed. Hugs to both of you x
 
If it is down to arthritis I give my two 29 and 25 a measure of linseed each day.
I hope your horse makes a quick and full recovery.
 
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