'twitching' in flank area?

stargirl88

stargirl88

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Just bought my mare in and as I was picking out her font hoof, I could feel twitchy movements from where the side of my arm was against her. I looked her over there was obvious random twitching movement in both her flanks.

I run my hand over her, pressed into the flanks and around the area but she didn't respond. She let me pick up her hind pick to pick them out as normal.

I put her in her stable where she had her dinner and started eating her haynet.. and it seemed to slow right down.

I kept poking and prodding (not harshly!) and feeling her over for some sort of pain indication but just didn't respond, and she was happy to lunge at the horse next door to her when he poked his head over the frame as normal.

ANY ideas? She's never had anything wrong with her and so I'm sitting here panicking.

few extra notes: new bag of normal feed 2 days ago, she hasn't been ridden in months so not related to riding, there was a new horse in her field today & she did seem very stroppy this morning in her stable - however she has had stroppy on and off days as long as I've known her (4 years)


Sorry it's long, would really appreciate any responses
 
Cold is very probably the reason, but it's worth you being aware of the symptoms of EAM (Equine Atypical Myopathy). We lost 1 horse to it at our yard and have had 1 that recovered (and only because her owner was aware of the symptoms).

One of the symptoms is muscle twitching. Here is a link to a 30sec video of the muscle twitching on Facebook, ask the join the group if you can't see it without being a member.

https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tn...79169675&set=o.162319723868273&type=3&theater

Check up on the other symptoms, because EAM is curable if you act without delay in getting the horse diagnosed and treated.
 
Thankyou hollyB, she didn't display the other signs. It's still an eye-opener though, I will be looking out for them when I go up tomorrow.

I didn't think it would be the cold, as she was in the same rug she spent all winter in (including the snow!) but it has been raining all day. Though she has lost a bit of weight so that's another to think about too. Thanks.
 
3 horses came in shivering tonight because of the cold, it could be they've just got used to the warmer weather. Alot of ours are already losing their winter coats.

Don't want people to get paranoid about EAM, but well worth being aware :)
 
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