transient ischemic attack??

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amarief

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Last weekend my usually very fit veteran horse collapsed twice in what looked like a dizzy / fainting episode. My vet could not find any physical cause and took bloods which did reveal my mare to be anaemic which could have been a possible cause. If the attacks continue my vet has suggested a possible neurological problem which would mean she would have to be retired. He talked about cholesteral granulomas on the brain and the possibility of her suffering transient ischemic attacks which could only be confirmed with an MRI scan. We don't appear to have had any further problems but are simply monitoring the situation one day at a time. Has anyone else had any similar experiences that could offer any advice????
 
My elderly Highland started to do this without any warning
I did have him put down as I was afraid he would drop on a child
He was showing strong signs of Cushings though
 
Thanks for the replies.
So far since the two attacks last weekend we have not had any more and have no obvious side affects. My vet has told me to monitor the situation as it still could maybe be a combination of anaemia / heat exhaustion as she was VERY hot at the time. So fingers crossed, time will tell.
It is so difficult when you are not sure what you are dealing with!!!!
 
What a worry, you must be besides yourself.

Have to admit, I have never heard of this. Star is our resident HHO vet along with Ann-Jen and others and Im sure they can shed some light for the rest of us.

You talk about heat exhaustion - are you in a hot country or is she heavy coated? Is your vet an equine vet and has he taken bloods to check the liver?

Can you tell us a little more about her, i.e. routine, hard feed, turnout and what the pature is like, breed etc. Is her breathing deep or erratic, was her temperature up and what was her heart rate when the vet came? Are you bringing her in during the day?
 
Our elderly mare had a TIA about 9 weeks ago and was recovering well then suddenly she had another really bad one. The kindest thing we could do was to put her to sleep.
She was very unsteady, almost totally blind and wouldn't let anyone near her but she ate very well.

It's a tough call particularly when you've owned them for many years but you have to feel privileged that you are able to do something to stop them suffering. It's much harder with people when you have no choice other than to watch them suffer.

I hope your litle horse is Ok. Rest assured that when the time comes to do something you will know and surprisingly you will cope. The fear of the unknown is the worst part. Trust me when I say that it will be easier than you imagine.

Good luck.
 
Similar thing happened to my tb mare, she collapsed while I was actually riding. Previous to that she had been "sinking" when doing up the girth, which was wierd but it only lasted a couple of seconds. Then later she just completely lost consciousness and crashed to the ground.

Anyway vet thought it was either narcolepsy or vaso-vagal syncope, which is a basically fainting. It can be fairly common in tb types apparently and seems to be related to "doing" things to the horse, e.g. adjusting the girth, grooming, asking for certain movements and so on.

Sadly my mare was instantly retired as she was also suffering from progressive arthritis - there was an option to have her sent to Edinburgh for investigation but whatever they found, she'd still have to be retired. Hope you get to the bottom of it, these things can be difficult to pin down but push for whatever tests and investigations you can. Also, I might be wrong about this but I thought TIA's had other symptoms than just collapsing, are they not more like strokes?

Good luck and keep us updated, I'd be interested to see how you get on.
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TIA is a medical term for a stroke. I've had two myself so know what they feel like. You feel vacant and as if you're drifting away and then over a few days, with treatment your mind returns to normal but there is always the possibility of physical damage.

The problem for horses is the actual cause. In our mare's case it is believed to have been related to a sudden reaction to the sugars in haylage. Apparently that can happen in older horses. The other possibility was a brain tumour, again something which happens to aged horses.

There's only one way to find out and that's a post mortem. If it were a young horse with a big insurance claim then fair enough but no one wants to know that desperately. It's bad enough that you've just lost your horse. MRI scans are possible if the horse survives but for what reason?
 
Thanks for everyones replies. Just a quick update and some more info to Llwyncwn's post above. Jade is around 25 years old, 14.2 Welsh sec D. Until these attacks last week she was fully fit and healthy, although slightly arthritic and stiff at times, and ridden 3-4 times a week, including jumping which she loves. She lives out during the summer months but has currently been coming in overnight just so we can monitor her. She is currently been fed twice a day, including Top SPec senior feed balancer and blood supplements for her anaemia. She is kept in a barn style stable which was extremely hot on the day of her first attack, and she felt hot to touch, especially as she has always had a thick coat. She had two attacks last weekend, both times when she was getting herself excited over being fed - she has always been a VERY greedy pony!!!!! We had a good week with no obvious problems and no side effects to what the vet said could have been narcolepsy, heat exhaustion, or even a mini stroke. Her bloods have come back clear apart from being anaemic. We had two monir episodes yesteray and today, again both times were when she was getting "worked up". The first was when she was having fly spray applied, the second sun block!!!! She has always been a bit stroppy about being messed with but has never experienced such episodes before. She is not collapsing but comes over a bit dizzy and breathes quite erratically. Within about 30 seconds she is calm and back to normal!!! It is very bizarre. She is well in herself though seems slightly panicked by the episodes. Is it a heart problem, Is it neurological, Is it something else??? I have no idea and neither do the vets at the minute. I keep being told to monitor the situation to see what progresses. I guess time will tell!!!!!
AM.
 
Im pretty flumoxed by this. If it was me, I would e-mail Prof. Derek Knottenbelt at Liverpool University. What he doesnt know isnt worth writing on a match box and, if he doesnt know then he will find someone who does. Go to the experts right at the top hun. If you need a mail addy, PM me x
 
Given the link with "doing" stuff, I'd guess the vaso-vagal syncope may be a possibility? From what I can remember the vagus nerve is affected and this in turn affects the heart/blood vessels, resulting in the collapse. So it's both neurological and heart related. It can kick in when they get worked up. I'm afraid I have no idea what you can do about it though...
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My friends horse - a bouncy x-eventer - 19yrs old had an episode before xmas. we went out hacking and she is always in front bouncing. this time she gradually fell behind and her breathing rate was up and she was really sweating. my friend dismounted and we walked her home. when we got back she collapsed in her stable. we called the vet and by the time (20mins) she got there the horse was OK. she had a slightly irregular heart rhythm but when the cardio specialist came out (10 days later) to do a scan she was fine. they have no idea what happened but think she got into respiratory distress and overworked her heart causing the heart irregularity and her collapse. she had some time off and is now out and about hacking etc without issue. it was all very bizarre but she is totally fine there.
good luck
 
What you describe doesn't sound much like TIA. Sounds like the best advice is to speak to an expert.

Our mare's blood tests were normal but her temperature was raised and her gut was very gassy. The vet described it as a mild spasmodic colic associated with symptoms like intoxication. There was evidence that something had fermented in her gut which was what made him think it was haylage. On both occasions she was calm, quiet and had been just grazing in the field or in her stable at night. She only got het up after the attacks and they also didn't pass off quickly.
She was 27.

I hope your horse is going to be ok. It's such a worrying time.

Keep your chin up.
 
Thanks for all your comments and concerns. Jade is still doing ok but no further forward with any answers. I will keep you all updated.
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