stumped - odd symptoms (also in vet)

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ThePony

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Hi guys,

(also posted in vet incase anyone hangs out there who doesn't venture in here)

Totally stumped with the symptoms both our mares developed today so was wanting to see if anyone has come across anything similar.

Both are on same food/hay/water/grazing. When I look my mare's lightweight rug off this morning to ride she started stomping as if they had a fly around their back legs that wasn't budging (I checked and nothing there), then swinging to bite her back end. With my mare I wondered if she had an itchy tail (she has sweetitch well managed by wearing her sweetitch hoody 24/7) as she can act in a similar way - so I put her in her stable so she could rub her itchy bits. She was very worked up in her stable and kept rushing around and throwing herself down to roll. Because of the rolling I was worried about colic so went to try and lead her out. She started rearing and bucking inhand (utterly unlike her) and I just couldn't lead her safely so I turned her back out so I could watch her and work out what was going on. Back in the field our other mare was bothered that I had taken mine away so we took her turnout off too as I was worried she would break out. As soon as the rug came off she kept on bucking on the spot. The both of them then spent the next 5 mins or so bucking, galloping and rolling - to the extent that they got tangled in the electric fence (they are normally wary of it and give it a wide berth). Not in a 'joys of spring way', both mares looked anxious and bothered. At this point we just decided to get them back in and get the vet out as they were both destresed and we were really concerned about them hurting themselves. Managed to get them in and got the vet straight out. While we were waiting one of them kept bucking and throwing herself around the stable. When being examined by the vet she fell down as she was bucking so hard.

Both were sedated, bloods taken and steroids given - which seem to have taken the edge off and they are calmer now. If the yard is silent and no-one around then they seem ok (v v tired though), but as soon as someone comes on the yard, we check quietly over the door etc then the tail swishing/stomping/kicking and biteing of flanks/bucking starts again. They are eating their hay now and are calmer, but look incredibly tense around the back/quarters/flanks - really uncomfortable.

So upsetting seeing them so uncomfortable or in pain that they don't even have self preservation. Has anyone seen anything similar? There are other horses on the yard on the same grazing/hay/water and our girls have been on there food for about 4 months now with no ill effects.

Thanks for any insight you guys can give!
 
I've seen something very similar in an old pony of ours as a reaction to biting insects. He has become hyper sensitive and had a bad reaction. A steroid injection calmed him down. Is it possible they have disturbed wasps and been stung?
 
My old boy was hooning round the field until he got sweaty and everytime he stopped he was shaking. Every noise made him go mad again. Turned out to be a bee sting : /
 
Sheep do crazy stuff like that when they get fly strike. Are these particularly hairy horses? It def sounds like some sort of insect attack! Maybe even lice?
 
Have you checked thoroughly for ticks? Under dock, between legs under belly etc? (be careful!) also maybe check field for wasp nests or ant hills they may have disturbed?
 
I have had exactley the same with my mare a year or so back total hyersenative even to look at it was her ovaries hormones to pot ,needed hormone treatment odd its two but you never know have a scan done maybe x
 
Thank you so much for all your help guys, really helps to get lots of heads thinking about it!

Fortunaty they are very much improved this evening, initially while we were waiting for the vet we were worried we might loose them as their symptoms and reactions were so incredibly severe. Our kind gentle girls couldn't be lead, and we couldn't enter the stable, they had totally lost their heads because of whatever was happening to them. One of them had to be restrained from over the stable door to try and prevent some of her kicking and slamming into the walls of her stable.

The two likely contenders at the moment are pin worm (?) and lice. They were treated for pin worm yest as the practise has seen quite alot of resistant cases just recently with extreme itching as the symptom. I found a louse (I think) on my mare yesterday and we have since found 2 on each horse. They are off to the vets tomorrow to see what they are. Fortunatly the jabs given for pin worms will kill them too, and we have given an insecticidal bath too. The improvement this evening is incredible. Our two girls are back, though incredibly tired, and showing some war wounds which we will start sorting out tomorrow when they are calm enough to handle.

Has anyone had any experience of lice or mites on horses? What was the reaction, do you know how they got them and what was the treatment (was it effective)? No experience of this at all, and we are so very careful with them, they haven't even been off the yard competing this summer! No idea how they might have caught them. Fortunatly nothing else on the yard is showing symptoms and we have sealed up all our rugs, made sure people know what is going on so they don't borrow stuff, and cleaning everything like mad. Big soaking bucket going on!

Thank you guys, great to know you are all here to help when everything is going mad!
 
Interesting that someone else mentioned fly strike! Saw the aftermath of it in my friends mare when they went for her dock! Apparently its not that common in horses thank goodness as it was revolting!! Glad your girls have settled down now
:)
 
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