Seizure?

[lou1]

My friend's horse suffered what appeared to be an epileptic fit type seizure yesterday. It went down in the stable and legs started cycling, teeth clenched. When back on feet he began frantically weaving and was then exhausted and not eating much. Has since seemed to have made a full recovery and appears back to normal. Has anyone else experienced this with their horse and if it was a fit what would the prognosis for the future likely to be?
Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

 

[popularfurball]

I would obviously have the vet outinitially.

And then monitor for a repeat - keeping a diary to identify triggers.sadly ime the prognosis is retirement as its too dangerous to ride if they might collapse and have a seizure

 

[ameeyal]

I had a horse do this to me many years ago, it was his liver in his case.

 

[fatpiggy]

Hi Lou1 my mare has epilepsy. I'll PM you shortly.

 

[lou1]

I would obviously have the vet outinitially.

And then monitor for a repeat - keeping a diary to identify triggers.sadly ime the prognosis is retirement as its too dangerous to ride if they might collapse and have a seizure

Thank you. Much appreciated. I believe the vet has gone today for a blood test and an ECG will follow.

 

[lou1]

I had a horse do this to me many years ago, it was his liver in his case.

Thank you. I think my friend thought this a possibility and the vet has taken a blood test today.

 

[pastel]

Hi
we are a retirement home but have horses here from 6yrs to 40yrs, we have experienced these type of fits across the range of ages, occasionally Cushings syndrome causes the fits and in some cases we may have a perfectly fit and healthy horses but as soon as you do something in their mouth such as worming or the dentist they also fit ( start to go wobbly and fall over) this last a few minutes.
We have a 40 yr old Shetland who fits quite badly we have warning signs when he is going to fit as his ears twitch and his eyes roll then he wobbles, foams at the mouth. he can sometimes fall over and stay in this fit for up to an 30 mins but when it finishes he just gets up and walks off as if nothing has happened. There is no regularity in his fits sometimes they would be 2 a month now they are getting less maybe 1/year.
Seizures can be liver damage, we also experience strokes which can be heartbreaking..........

 

[fatpiggy]

Pastel, there is usually a trigger for a seizure (it can take some finding though!) and you'd be surprised how many cases have being bitted or the dentist as theirs. Is your Shetland a Cushing's sufferer?

 

[pastel]

No Toby isn't one of the Cushings, my vet is mythed by it seems to be something to do with the association of movement of the head in the ones that fit with the dentist or worming, not many but one or 2 over the years!

 

[fatpiggy]

One of the tests for seizures is to push the horse's chin up and make it reverse - this can trigger a seizure. Alot of horses raise their heads when you come to put the bit in, and certainly when the dentist produces the gag! I have another little Shetland in my record collection (local to me) that was elderly and had occasional seizures. Only when he was frightened though (Bonfire Night was not much fan apparently) until bless him, he went deaf. But again, what do frightened horses do? Up goes the head!