Possible/Probable Neurological problems- maybe wobblers

[cavalier123]

Hi,
My pony is going to Leahurst in 2 weeks for a neurological assessment and xrays following a diagnosis of ataxia. Sorry it's long but here is a copy of the referral email:

There was a history of a fight with another horse in the field a month or so ago. Immediately, Charlie showed complete lack of tail tone and general "wobbliness" but by the time veterinary examination was performed at that point (by another practice) the signs had improved. Rest and NSAIDs were prescribed.

I was asked to give another opinion. Charlie appeared healthy but slightly quiet. He was happy to stand four square with no muscle fasciculation. There is still reduced tail tone and walking / turning revealed generalised mild weakness and ataxia with the right hind predominating showing marked circumduction. When trotted, Charlie was very short striding and apparently uncomfortable although there were no digital pulses and no hoof tester response. Hind hoof placement responses were slower than expected and definitely abnormal in the right hind.

Bloods were taken but revealed no abnormalities and no elevations in CK or AST.

There is a previous history of a "virus" in March 2013 although no other horses in the yard were affected. Subsequently, SPAOPD was diagnosed and there has been some concern regarding potential signs of skin allergy.

Whilst awaiting the appointment I am obviously monitoring him closely and tonight he didn't seem right, he seemed a BIT wobblier and definitely wasn't eating his hay like a welsh mountain pony should, still eating but not enthusiastically as usual. Anyway, the main thing that I am worried about is he had a lickit tub on the floor and as he was licking it it was moving so he was having to walk backward, but when he got his bum on the wall he didn't stop he really squashed his bum and back legs against the wall as if trying to keep moving - Am i worrying for nothing and is this just greedy distracted pony I really don't know? Any experience with the overall problem, or just somebody to tell me I am being daft and he was just greedy would be much appreciated. Many thanks - one very worried mum!

 

[Elvis]

I'm really sorry but I have no advice or experience to share. I just want to wish you all the best and I hope you get to the bottom of this. It's horrible not knowing whats wrong. Fingers crossed whatever is going on is manageable and hopefully can be recovered from.

 

[cavalier123]

Hi, thank you very much for your reply and best wishes. It is so horrible not knowing and the symptoms are not that obvious, so it's difficult to know whether I'm over worrying or if I need the vet. I did speak to the vet tonight and decided to continue as is for the moment. As you say, I really hope and pray he can recover from this and that at the very least it is manageable, anything else I can't contemplate.

 

[Tiffany]

I've no experience of a similar problem so can't help although, I really hope it's something yoru vets can sort out for you.
I understand you worrying and if you think he's getting more unsteady I'd ring the vet again.

Good luck, fingers crossed he starts to improve.

 

[Birker2020]

Hi,
My pony is going to Leahurst in 2 weeks for a neurological assessment and xrays following a diagnosis of ataxia. Sorry it's long but here is a copy of the referral email:

There was a history of a fight with another horse in the field a month or so ago. Immediately, Charlie showed complete lack of tail tone and general "wobbliness" but by the time veterinary examination was performed at that point (by another practice) the signs had improved. Rest and NSAIDs were prescribed.

I was asked to give another opinion. Charlie appeared healthy but slightly quiet. He was happy to stand four square with no muscle fasciculation. There is still reduced tail tone and walking / turning revealed generalised mild weakness and ataxia with the right hind predominating showing marked circumduction. When trotted, Charlie was very short striding and apparently uncomfortable although there were no digital pulses and no hoof tester response. Hind hoof placement responses were slower than expected and definitely abnormal in the right hind.

Bloods were taken but revealed no abnormalities and no elevations in CK or AST.

There is a previous history of a "virus" in March 2013 although no other horses in the yard were affected. Subsequently, SPAOPD was diagnosed and there has been some concern regarding potential signs of skin allergy.

Whilst awaiting the appointment I am obviously monitoring him closely and tonight he didn't seem right, he seemed a BIT wobblier and definitely wasn't eating his hay like a welsh mountain pony should, still eating but not enthusiastically as usual. Anyway, the main thing that I am worried about is he had a lickit tub on the floor and as he was licking it it was moving so he was having to walk backward, but when he got his bum on the wall he didn't stop he really squashed his bum and back legs against the wall as if trying to keep moving - Am i worrying for nothing and is this just greedy distracted pony I really don't know? Any experience with the overall problem, or just somebody to tell me I am being daft and he was just greedy would be much appreciated. Many thanks - one very worried mum!

My ten year old got wobblers after falling over onto his neck and couldn't raise his head higher than chest height for a few days. Immediately he was ataxic but the vet seemed to think he had EHV (Equine Herpes Virus) and he was swabbed for this which showed him to be a EHV carrier (this was just co-incidence as eventually EHVwas ruled out). Interestingly you mention a virus on your yard, could it have been EHV?? EHV 1 causes ataxia. Because he was wrongly diagnosed with this the vets wouldn't travel him anywahere in case he spread it!

Rommy was Grade 3 touching on 4 wobbler and he had C3, C4 and C6 (with C6 vetebrae being the most difficult to treat). He was eventually (on my insistence) referred to Liverpool and was PTS within 2 hours of arriving after receiving a much deeded diagnosis. He had three bad ataxic episodes and you could literally pull the horse off his feet by pulling on his tail. It was a very very sad thing and before he had his three episodes he displayed some strange gait in canter where his canter threw you out of the saddle upwards quite violently and his body appeared to concertina itself from nose to tail.

He also threw his hind leg out wide (circumducting??) on a circle and was very hoppy if you made him rein back.

He started rubbing his hind fetlocks together, the farrier came out to make the inside of his hind shoes higher and he was fitted with a sausage boot. The physio came out twice as the farrier failed to make headway and even in his worse symptoms I was told the horse was not a wobbler!

The whole thing was a nightmare. Anyway in the end I got a phone call on a bank holiday to say the horse had had a very bad ataxic episode and could hardly stand in the stable. The vet came out and stabilised him with finadyne and I INSISTED on referral. He got referred when he had stabilised four days later to Liverpool. The stupid groom of the horsebox company we hired to pick him up and take him for us (we had a trailer but were scared he would fall in the trailer) collected him but refused to unload him without his chifney and as a consequence on arrival they unloaded him, he rushed off, they pulled on his headcollar and he went straight on the fall and couldn't get up. I will never forget that poor sweating animal struggling to get up off the concrete floor with legs that didn't work and a brain that couldn't make them. He cut himself to ribbons that day.

There are various neuro tests you can do yourself. TEh most obvious one is the sway tail test. Put your horse in the menage or other soft surface, get someone to lead him forward in walk in a straight line and pull on his tail whilst you stand 45 degrees to him. Be very careful he doesn't fall on you. Normal horses will move towards you but then be able to stabilise themselves so they cannot be pulled towards you. Wobblers horses do not have the stability to do this and you can easily pull them towards you. Turn on a tight circle. Does the horse swing his outside leg wide? That's another symptom.

There are many reasons a horse can be ataxic and its not just down to CVM or Wobblers. Excess clover in the field can cause ataxia, so can certain poisons, and crop sprays.

Even if your horse has CVM or wobblers it can still be okay if it can have an operation. But if there is too much damage (as in my horses case) then sadly there is not much they can do. Rommy was pts on humane grounds as I was told this would be appropriate under BEVA guidelines as the horse has poor prognosis and unfair to keep alive as unethical and inhumane.

Also Rommy's spinal column had 17mm gap to allow the spinal cord and nerves to go through, normal horses have a gap of 51mm. The huge difference obviously had devastating effect on his spinal cord which led to the ataxia and this was thought to have come from the fall on his neck.

Finally long necked thoroughbreds, Warmbloods, Shires and Quarter Horses are breeds most affected and there is more prevelence in geldings/stallions.

 

[Lucky Lady]

God applecart, your poor horse!! How is he now?

Back to the post, get a chiropractor out and if you don't know of one, I know someone who is utterly brilliant and can PM you with his details. He travels up and down the country. My yearling fell over when being weaned, in the stable as they didn't put enough bedding down. She was straight and perfectly correct beforehand and I was livid that this should of happened. Vet came out and thought she was a wobbler, did x rays and thank god she was ok. Still very odd in the way she walked and stumbled and had physio on her but she would go back to where she was. Heard about this chiropractor and first visit there was notably a huge difference and after second visit, she was more or less perfect. As I was insured I had him out again to make sure she was staying correct and she was. The chiropractor was so gentle and kind with my filly and you could see the pain going from her with the expressions she was showing in her face. She now is a year older and is still correct and I have been told to show her and enjoy her before she becomes a racehorse! Do let us know how you get on.

 

[AdorableAlice]

God applecart, your poor horse!! How is he now?

Back to the post, get a chiropractor out and if you don't know of one, I know someone who is utterly brilliant and can PM you with his details. He travels up and down the country. My yearling fell over when being weaned, in the stable as they didn't put enough bedding down. She was straight and perfectly correct beforehand and I was livid that this should of happened. Vet came out and thought she was a wobbler, did x rays and thank god she was ok. Still very odd in the way she walked and stumbled and had physio on her but she would go back to where she was. Heard about this chiropractor and first visit there was notably a huge difference and after second visit, she was more or less perfect. As I was insured I had him out again to make sure she was staying correct and she was. The chiropractor was so gentle and kind with my filly and you could see the pain going from her with the expressions she was showing in her face. She now is a year older and is still correct and I have been told to show her and enjoy her before she becomes a racehorse! Do let us know how you get on.

Read applecart again. The horse was lost.

 

[Calcyle]

God applecart, your poor horse!! How is he now?

Back to the post, get a chiropractor out and if you don't know of one, I know someone who is utterly brilliant and can PM you with his details. He travels up and down the country. My yearling fell over when being weaned, in the stable as they didn't put enough bedding down. She was straight and perfectly correct beforehand and I was livid that this should of happened. Vet came out and thought she was a wobbler, did x rays and thank god she was ok. Still very odd in the way she walked and stumbled and had physio on her but she would go back to where she was. Heard about this chiropractor and first visit there was notably a huge difference and after second visit, she was more or less perfect. As I was insured I had him out again to make sure she was staying correct and she was. The chiropractor was so gentle and kind with my filly and you could see the pain going from her with the expressions she was showing in her face. She now is a year older and is still correct and I have been told to show her and enjoy her before she becomes a racehorse! Do let us know how you get on.

No. No therapists until you have a diagnosis - and then make sure they have a thorough talk to your vet before touching the horse. (I realise you did already have the all-clear from CVM Lucky Lady, but this is not a obvious distinction in your post.) No therapist who values their job will touch an ataxic horse without a diagnosis. Ataxia is a symptom, not a diagnosis.

OP, I hope you have a good outcome. I too would be very concerned, but it is impossible to guess at a cause, and there are many things that cause ataxia, and not necessarily something as devastating as Wobblers. A combination of neurological deficit and greedy distracted pony would certainly cause the scenario you described. Just take care when handling him, and I hope the next week passes quickly so you can get some answers.