Unusually lethargic...

muckypony

muckypony

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My boy has become increasingly out of sorts over the last week-week and a half. Nothing has changed - feed is the same, routine is the same, ridden work is the same. He is just very lethargic and not his usual cheeky chappy self. In all honesty, he looks miserable :(

Is it worth me having bloods taken to see if something's up? Or is it possible that he is just feeling crappy... Do horses get winter blues!?
 
I'm with Kobi, could be a virus. I think AM comes on really fast and had he got that he would be down already. I would say keep him warm, loads of TLC and if he doesn't come around soon have some bloods done.
 
I'm with Amymay. Any change and I would take temp, resp and heart rate and if you already know what they should be for him, you can be very accurate with knowing just how "off" he is...but if you don't know what his normal vitals usually are, you can still tell a lot by how far out of the acceptable ranges they are.

Have you looked at the poos and wee? Noticed any change in colour, texture or smell? Have you seen any discharge from the nostrils on the floor outside the stable door or noticed any occasional coughs?

As it's been more than a few days, I think I would get the vet out to assess as it's obviously not able to sort itself out.

Hope he's ok xx
 
does he have pale gums/pale mucous membranes? It may be the change to his winter coat has made him anaemic. Ring your vet first thing monday if you're unsure. He may need an injection to help bring his levels back up. You could try some red cell if you can get any in the meantime.
 
My two are lethargic because they are too hot. I have to clip every month or they start huffing and puffing and move so so slowly. It has never been this way before I normally clip autumn, Christmas and spring so about three months between clips.
 
Oddly enough I had this end of Oct. Horse was not his usual self and nothing major had changed with feed riding etc. He wasnt interested in eating his hay even thou this time of year he normally strips a net on coming in yet overnight it had all gone. I rang vet and they advised to keep an eye on him, may have been hay he didn't like, teeth etc etc. He perked up of his own accord but I really think the mild weather with coat growth etc has an effect on them. I think poss he was fighting a virus and felt out of sorts, he is coming up 21 now. Hope your boy picks up soon but if in any doubt consult vet.
 
We've had a virus on our yard, a number of horses at different times have had a high temperature and being very sleepy and generally out of sorts. For most it clears in a couple of days, some have had antibiotics. The older guy next to my stable has struggled to shake it off and has been lethargic for longer. Bloods done bug nothing specific identified in any of them.
 
No I haven't checked his temp, will do that first thing tomorrow!

Its funny that some of you have mentioned about coat growth and getting too hot... This is his first year clipped so I have no comparison but I'm shocked at how quickly its grown back! He's been done twice already and could do with a third... I thought it was because he was getting cold so have rugged up a bit more.. Perhaps I'm actually overheating him :(

I will see how he is over the next couple of days and if no better I will have the vet out to take bloods.

Thanks guys :)
 
As someone has mentioned above, if you have any sycamore in the area I would blood test to check muscle enzymes arnt elevated.
I watched the rvc webinar on am and the vet stated they can get subclinical am where fewer signs shown and may just appear lethargic with raised muscle enzymes.
Hopefully just overheating or a virus. Hope he picks up soon
 
We lost one to EAM a few weeks ago, field was far away and as far as I'm aware there are no trees in my boys field but I don't doubt for a minute that the seeds will travel!

If it were subclinical am, will it just get worse? I don't want to think he's better if he's not, would rather have vet evidence. This whole EAM thing is just a nightmare :(
 
muckypony said:
We lost one to EAM a few weeks ago, field was far away and as far as I'm aware there are no trees in my boys field but I don't doubt for a minute that the seeds will travel!

If it were subclinical am, will it just get worse? I don't want to think he's better if he's not, would rather have vet evidence. This whole EAM thing is just a nightmare :(
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that, its an awful disease.
I dont remember exactly what he said in relation to I getting worse but said that any horses in a field that has had one diagnosed with am should have the other horses blood tested to check and all horses removed from the pasture immediately.
He said the time the toxin stays in their system I relatively short but I assume if they are not removed from the pasture and they are diagnosed with subclinical am via bloods then they must surely be at massive risk of getting full blown am as they may consume a larger amount of toxin at a later date (that's just my musings not his).
His reaction was basically if they test positive they need to be removed from the pasture immediately and monitored, possibly being given supportive treatment by vet I required until its out of the system.
The problem is they know very little about it so probably dont know much about the long term effects on the muscles/organs of a horse with subclinical am that survives.
If you have any doubts I would move him off the pasture.
 
Needing to clip again now is not unusual at all.

Take his temp in the morning and if it's raised then unfortunately you're looking at a Sunday call out. Bloods may be taken, but in the first instance I'd expect bute and broad spectrum antibiotics to he prescribed.
 
as I've already said check mucous membranes. From what you've just said about how quickly his coat has grown back it may be anaemia which is causing the lethargy. We have a cob at our yard who gets it every winter without fail as he puts all his effort into growing his winter coat. His coat still looks shiny and healthy, he's still eating and drinking normally. Nothing has changed but he has to have red cell every year at the start of winter to help keep his red bloodcell count up but this year that alone hasn't worked so he had a b12 injection as well
 
It sounds as if it is going along with coat changes. This happened a few years ago with one of ours and after having a full blood profile done with started him on Pro Pell Plus. This worked so every year from November to March all ours get the Pro Pell Plus.

If it is a virus then the Pro Pell Plus will help.

Check his Heart rate , Temp and Respiration rate. The normal range is H/R 28-45bpm, Temp 36.9c-38.3c (98.5f-101f) Resp rate 12-20rpm. Also check the Mucus Membrane which should be a healthy pink not pale.
 
Do you feed magnesium?
We feed 3 on it successfully but the 4th, the Draft mare, responded well to it at first and even lost a bit of weight but then became lethargic. It was as if she had needed a boost of mag but then she had too much of the stuff.
I was quite worried about her until we realised that we needed to stop her magnesium. She soon regained her equilibrium.
 
Have you cleaned his bits?! My boy was like this for a week or so had bloods checked, came back normal but transpired he had an infection down there and was feeling uncomfortable. Cleaned him up every other day and he's back to normal. Might be worth a look/try?!
 
I was at the rvc atypical myopathy lecture and I'd be getting mine tested for raised muscle enzymes ASAP if they were showing signs of lethargy.

It may well just be a virus or infection so definitely worth checking temp and heart rate too. I'm just a little paranoid about AM and would be wanting to rule that out ASAP!! Especially as it's not an expensive test (according to the vet who did the lecture!)

Interestingly with AM they see raised heart rates (as it affects the heart as a muscle too) and low temperatures (as the muscles are not working properly so energy and heat aren't being created).
 
Muckypony - if you have had a case of EAM on the yard get blood tests done asap. Hopefully it's just a virus. HP was quiet but not lethargic for a week after Jason died. The watch period is meant to be 3 days so we thought he was just missing his field mate - he was staying as close as he could to his neighbour. Day 8 he was lethargic & went downhill fast.
Hopefully though it's another one of the plethora of things it could be.
 
Hi my boy has been the same for past couple of week. Have had vet who found nothing clinically wrong. Waiting blood results back. Fingers crossed your horse improves OP x
 
He did seem better today, temp was normal and he was kicking seven colours of cr*p out of the stable door at any opportunity! However he wanted to come in from the field after hardly being out long at all. I wonder if he's fed up with the rain and lack of grass - I have asked the person who brings him in for me to get him in earlier to see if that makes a difference. This is only my second winter with him so difficult to tell but I don't think he's the usual hardy Welsh pony, he would ratherbe in eating hay! Would be right with him seeming better today as yesterday he wasn't out as long as usual.

Will be keeping a close eye and keep you updated :)
 
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