The vet said my horse has wobblers!!!!!

[Amy4444]

i have my 10yr old Dutch warm blood gelding up for sale, I have owned him two and a half years and could put good money down on him passing a 5 stage vetting, he's never lame, sick or sorry ever!! The vet came to see him, trotted him up once, walked him twice, pulled his tail over too one side, he did not trip or fall just stepped sideways as all horses would the vet then said he had a mild form of wobblers, with no diagnostics what so ever, did not continue the vetting, put off the potential new owners and left!! I know my horse, he does not have wobblers!! I am not bothered about him failing and not selling, I will keep him I love him too much, but If this was my business I would have lost out on a lot of money due to one vets ridiculous opinion!! Do you think I should contact the vets?? So that they are aware of this vet mis diagnosing???

 

[Goldenstar]

The purchaser paid for the vets opinion it must have been pretty clear cut for the vet not to continue the vetting .

You should consult your own vet for advice .

 

[Moomin1]

i have my 10yr old Dutch warm blood gelding up for sale, I have owned him two and a half years and could put good money down on him passing a 5 stage vetting, he's never lame, sick or sorry ever!! The vet came to see him, trotted him up once, walked him twice, pulled his tail over too one side, he did not trip or fall just stepped sideways as all horses would the vet then said he had a mild form of wobblers, with no diagnostics what so ever, did not continue the vetting, put off the potential new owners and left!! I know my horse, he does not have wobblers!! I am not bothered about him failing and not selling, I will keep him I love him too much, but If this was my business I would have lost out on a lot of money due to one vets ridiculous opinion!! Do you think I should contact the vets?? So that they are aware of this vet mis diagnosing???

You don't know that your horse doesn't have a mild form of it. That's just your opinion, as opposed to the vet's opinion. If that were my horse, I would quite simply just get another vet to give a second opinion. If they agree with you, that your horse doesn't have it, then the likelihood is that the first vet is wrong, so I would then consider making the practice aware.

 

[Amy4444]

I called my vet straight away, I was mega paranoid! She knows my horses very well, she was a little puzzled as to why he would say that. The vet rang the potential buyer first to see if they wanted to carry on the vetting, obviously they said no.

 

[Moomin1]

I called my vet straight away, I was mega paranoid! She knows my horses very well, she was a little puzzled as to why he would say that. The vet rang the potential buyer first to see if they wanted to carry on the vetting, obviously they said no.

Has your vet ever looked for Wobblers in your horse though?

 

[Amy4444]

I immediately called my vet, who has dealt will all my horses, I will call another vet as I'm curious to what they will say I spoke to a lot of people on the yard and they were all quite stunned as they know the horse very well!

 

[Goldenstar]

And when did the vet last examine your horse , wobblers can develop at any time .

 

[be positive]

Chalk it up to experience, I had a vet "diagnose" an arthritic spine, knees, hocks and feet in a sound horse with genuinely no history of lameness, he did not "fail" the flexion tests on the day or take a lame step, as I was selling on behalf of a client we got our vet in to check him over he found no evidence or reason to suspect any of the areas the vetting vet had condemned, his feet were xrayed just in case but they were totally clear so he went back on the market and sold to a lovely home.
Some vets seem to have pet things they target and if there is any sign that there may possibly be an issue they will flag it up in a way that puts the buyer off, I have had sound horses fail then pass, have bought some that failed never to have a day off, if they fail on something that I am unsure about I usually get my vets to double check then put the horse back on the market knowing at least that bit should be ok next time.

 

[Amy4444]

No, he has no 'obvious' symptoms of wobblers, I'm getting another vet out to have a look as I am paranoid.

 

[Amy4444]

He hasn't got wobbly back legs does not trip, can easily do flying changes and does on a regular basis, the vet based it on the fact he can pull the horse sideways by its tail in walk, he passed the flex ion tests too! I have a good relationship with my vet and she saw me riding him only a week previous

 

[brighteyes]

They aren't supposed to move towards the pull, is the only suggestion I can offer. They usually resist or lean against it.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Brighteyes is correct, a normal horse will resist the tail pull, you shouldn't be able to pull it sideways. It sounds like it would be worth getting your Vet over to properly look at the horse and run through all the basic neurological tests. I hope it turns out to be a false alarm.

 

[ycbm]

He hasn't got wobbly back legs does not trip, can easily do flying changes and does on a regular basis, the vet based it on the fact he can pull the horse sideways by its tail in walk, he passed the flex ion tests too! I have a good relationship with my vet and she saw me riding him only a week previous

My ten year old warmblood was doing three time tempis. He started to refuse to do them. Three weeks later he was semi paralysed. And he was born with it, the x rays were quite clear. Wobblers is not uncommon in older horses, it just doesn't get recognised. It often gives them a brilliant trot with huge suspension.


The tail pull is not a normal part of the vetting procedure, the vet had probably already spotted other signs before he did it.

 

[Spiritedly]

A normal horse wouldn't move with the pull like a Wobblers horse which as well as moving with the pull will then over correct and sway to the opposite side when righting themselves. Did the vet also see your horse turn as there are also signs that show when doing this. My mare has just been diagnosed and her symptoms are more obvious but when she is fit and working she is more 'stable' and has only just started to occasionally trip in walk.

 

[Amy4444]

A normal horse wouldn't move with the pull like a Wobblers horse which as well as moving with the pull will then over correct and sway to the opposite side when righting themselves. Did the vet also see your horse turn as there are also signs that show when doing this. My mare has just been diagnosed and her symptoms are more obvious but when she is fit and working she is more 'stable' and has only just started to occasionally trip in walk.

Yep he turned some tight circles and saw him go backwards, he said that was fine, he also said he was fine in trot.

 

[Spiritedly]

Yep he turned some tight circles and saw him go backwards, he said that was fine, he also said he was fine in trot.

The tight circles would possibly have shown something which is why he did the tail pull. It may be his 'fine' was an acknowledgement that he'd seen enough rather than meaning there was no problem.

 

[ycbm]

Yep he turned some tight circles and saw him go backwards, he said that was fine, he also said he was fine in trot.

You may have interpreted him as saying it was fine but he clearly didn't think so. The tail pull test is not normal in a vetting, it would only normally be done if the vet saw something he didn't like. 'Fine thanks' in the middle of a vetting only means 'I've seen enough, thank you, and you can stop doing that now'. It doesn't mean the vet thought everything was fine.

If your horse is really pulled off balance by a tail pull, then by definition, he is a wobbler ,albeit obviously a mild one. I'm told that many dressage horses are.

 

[be positive]

You may have interpreted him as saying it was fine but he clearly didn't think so. The tail pull test is not normal in a vetting, it would only normally be done if the vet saw something he didn't like. 'Fine thanks' in the middle of a vetting only means 'I've seen enough, thank you, and you can stop doing that now'. It doesn't mean the vet thought everything was fine.

If your horse is really pulled off balance by a tail pull, then by definition, he is a wobbler ,albeit obviously a mild one. I'm told that many dressage horses are.

I had one come here that I had immediate concerns about, my physio did the tests and agreed so we got the vet, who had very recently vetted him, to come and give him a thorough check, he declared him fine even though he nearly pulled him over with the tail test, he also had a lateral walk and a 4 beat canter along with a suspect temperament when under the slightest pressure, so in my mind there was something amiss, wobblers being the most obvious but the vet reassured the owner he was perfectly fine, I always had my doubts and felt he was covering himself for missing the signs at the vetting, not the first time a horse he passed went wrong immediately one of the reasons I changed to another practice.

I had not realised that the tail pull was a definitive test until you posted it here, I thought it was only partial, or that is what that vet told us.

 

[wyrdsister]

I don't think the tail pull is definitive. LP, who is chronically crocked in all sorts of ways, has wavered on the tail pull test. I had her tested because she'd slipped over a couple of times in quick succession, losing her quarters each time. She sailed through the other tests. Turned out she'd strained her SI on the first (unlucky) slip & was guarding it quite badly. She's fine with all the tests now it's settled again. OP, I'd suggest getting your horse checked over by your own vet, but don't panic yet.

 

[dixie]

He hasn't got wobbly back legs does not trip, can easily do flying changes and does on a regular basis, the vet based it on the fact he can pull the horse sideways by its tail in walk, he passed the flex ion tests too! I have a good relationship with my vet and she saw me riding him only a week previous

My horse has been diagnosed with arthritis in his neck which is impinging on his spinal cord - the tail pull was a significant part of his initial work up, he also moved sideways, they should not do that - his x-rays have confirmed it. He can also do flying changes very easily and passed the flexion test. The only reason why I had him checked out was that his performance was slightly erratic in the ring and he sometimes dips behind the saddle otherwise you wouldn't know. Wobblers might be a bit extreme but there might certainly be a problem there.

 

[dixie]

http://www.rossdales.com/downloads/nodg_report_feb_12.pdf

Page 2, first paragraph of this explains about the tail pull part - obviously its not the only test though just a small part of the procedure.
I wouldn't panic yet though, as you are already doing you are getting your own vet out to assess.

 

[Amy4444]

My vet has been out this morning, to cut a long story short, my horse has no clinical signs of wobblers, the tail pulling test suggested some weakness behind, but not neurological? My vet said that the vet doing the 5 stage would have come to the conclusion of wobblers because he plaits behind, but straight as they come in trot, canter, backwards and in tight circles.

 

[Amy4444]

http://www.rossdales.com/downloads/nodg_report_feb_12.pdf

Page 2, first paragraph of this explains about the tail pull part - obviously its not the only test though just a small part of the procedure.
I wouldn't panic yet though, as you are already doing you are getting your own vet out to assess.

Quite an interesting read!! Ty

 

[applecart14]

i have my 10yr old Dutch warm blood gelding up for sale, I have owned him two and a half years and could put good money down on him passing a 5 stage vetting, he's never lame, sick or sorry ever!! The vet came to see him, trotted him up once, walked him twice, pulled his tail over too one side, he did not trip or fall just stepped sideways as all horses would the vet then said he had a mild form of wobblers, with no diagnostics what so ever, did not continue the vetting, put off the potential new owners and left!! I know my horse, he does not have wobblers!! I am not bothered about him failing and not selling, I will keep him I love him too much, but If this was my business I would have lost out on a lot of money due to one vets ridiculous opinion!! Do you think I should contact the vets?? So that they are aware of this vet mis diagnosing???

My 10 year old WBxTB had late onset wobblers following a fall in the field onto his neck and was diagnosed with xrays at Liverpool. He was pts as he had serious problems and could not be operated on. He was grade 3/4.

There are various tests that can be carried out:
This is the best link:
http://www.equinewobblers.com/diagn...cle/equine-neurological-disorders-signs-11614

I would ask your vet to come back and carry out a proper neuro examination.
Then if there is still a problem I would ask for him to be referred to a large equine clinic with a good xray machine so he can be assessed and a diagnosis reached.

A small portable xray machine commonly used by vets does not have enough power to give a good result as their is an awful lot of muscle on the neck and when the vet used his portable we got a false reading and I was told he did not have Wobblers. It wasn't till he got to Liverpool and the gap of 51mm that should have been present in his spinal cord was shown as being 17mm which caused compression on the nerves and cord which led to the ataxia he suffered from.

You need to get this resolved. Wobblers horses are very dangerous. Mine could not be kept alive as he could have fallen on anyone at any time. As it is a progressive disease it will only get worse, although you still have options open to you including drugs and surgery if it does show your horse as having wobblers or CVM.

this is a fantasic articel on the subject:

http://www.equiworld.net/horses/horsecare/erc/wobbler.htm

Antonio Cruz in a top surgeon at The University of Guelph and I emailed him after my horse was PTS and he agreed with the diagnosis and said in his case nothing could have been done. He gave me lots of info and was really helpful.

Good luck.

 

[applecart14]

Sorry I have just read your most recent post so ignore my previous reply.

 

[Nudibranch]

The tail pull is absolutely not a definitive test and on its own, with no other signs, and having been carried out once, tells you nothing. It seems quite bizarre behaviour from the purchaser's vet. Did he not mention anything else at all? Maybe it is one of those pet things...mine is obsessed with shoes
I am glad your own vet has found him ok. But it doesn't help for future sales!

 

[sianny87]

My horse has been diagnosed with arthritis in his neck which is impinging on his spinal cord - the tail pull was a significant part of his initial work up, he also moved sideways, they should not do that - his x-rays have confirmed it. He can also do flying changes very easily and passed the flexion test. The only reason why I had him checked out was that his performance was slightly erratic in the ring and he sometimes dips behind the saddle otherwise you wouldn't know. Wobblers might be a bit extreme but there might certainly be a problem there.

This is exactly what my horse has been diagnosed with. She's still able to move correctly and do lateral work etc. X-rays taken and showed arthritis in the neck, only slightly. Interestingly, we only looked at the neck because of a back problem, but the whole spine was x-rayed.

 

[applecart14]

This is exactly what my horse has been diagnosed with. She's still able to move correctly and do lateral work etc. X-rays taken and showed arthritis in the neck, only slightly. Interestingly, we only looked at the neck because of a back problem, but the whole spine was x-rayed.

Yup, my horse was still competing Discovery level and we didn't have a clue what was wrong with him. And then the one night I went out for a hack and reined him back so my friend who came with me could get her horse out the stable and i can remember saying out loud "blimey Rommy you feel drunk" as he felt all over the place but I just put it down to one of those things. Probably an eigth of a mile into our hack I had to get off him as he was swaying so dramatically and even leading him he felt like he was going to go over.

He was fine after this for a few weeks and then one day I was competing him and he took off with his front end but not his back end, and went straight through the jump, we watched in on video time and time again, incredible.

 

[applecart14]

The tail pull is absolutely not a definitive test and on its own, with no other signs, and having been carried out once, tells you nothing. It seems quite bizarre behaviour from the purchaser's vet. Did he not mention anything else at all? Maybe it is one of those pet things...mine is obsessed with shoes
I am glad your own vet has found him ok. But it doesn't help for future sales!

It is not a definitive test and I didn't say it was but if your horse cannot revert back to walking in a straight line whilst its tail is pulled then I would say that this would be serious enough to suggest there is a problem of some kind, not necessarily wobblers - there are other reasons why this might happen.

 

[dixie]

This is exactly what my horse has been diagnosed with. She's still able to move correctly and do lateral work etc. X-rays taken and showed arthritis in the neck, only slightly. Interestingly, we only looked at the neck because of a back problem, but the whole spine was x-rayed.

Butting in on this discussion but what has been the outcome with your mare please. Its still very early days for my lad, only 10 weeks after his medication and whilst he is jumping very well he's still dipping behind the saddle when out hacking. Not come across anyone else whose had this problem.