Update on horse with ataxia/KS - things are much worse

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Booboos

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Another desperate plea for ideas please.

For those of you who didn't see the earlier threads Rusky has been exhibiting some weird symptoms for the past year plus. It started with an odd collapsing of the hind leg and has progressed to extreme muscle loss. His bloods are showing severe muscle problems indicative of a degenerative condition but we don't have a diagnosis yet. We were just about arranging a muscle biopsy, but now Freddy is showing the same weird back leg collapsing thing.

Full threads here:
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=602940&highlight=ataxia

At first we thought it was KS but KS might be a secondary problem from the muscle loss or just another issue. We concentrated on the ataxia before thinking further about the KS operation.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=607185&highlight=ataxia

I am, of course, in constant contact with the vet but they are currently baffled. We are looking at something contageous, (toxic? parasitic? viral?) any ideas most welcome as I just can't take it anymore.
 
Probably not much help but anything is worth a try. Sycamore trees are believed to be linked strongly with EAM. They think there is a mycotoxin in sycamore seeds and leaves and EAM causes huge amount of muscle loss and my horse had ataxia. I'm not suggesting its EAM as most likely your horse still wouldn't be here if it was but maybe if you have sycamore trees (or any trees in the same family) he's having a funny reaction to that?

Sorry it's not much help, really hope you find a cause soon.
 
amymay: we are going to test the water, is it likely to be anywhere else?

Kokopelli: thank you for the suggestion it's all worth considering. We have a huge number of trees around, including sycamore trees. The only thing I would say is that the previous owner kept horses here as well for 20 years with no problems, including letting them eat all the trees, whereas we give ad lib hay.
 
At the yard where we lost my boy there were a good 20 horses in the field and only 3 ever got ill, I think lots of horses are affected in different ways.
 
Hi, again Booboos.
I am trying to make some sense of all this.
I am so sorry to hear things havent improved after our last conversation.

What I am trying to say is,for the benefit of people offering suggestions, your horses are not native to the area in which you live.

Have you asked in the Overseas section of this Forum?

The horses that lived there before may have had a resistance to local conditions.

I thinks its really wise to test the water, although I have no other useful ideas,
I wish you well once more. please keep us updated.
JC
 
Amymay: always been grazing land, it's a park full of lovely (and potentially lethal???) trees. I will get the soil tested as well thanks.

Kokopelli: Thanks that is useful to know. I am not familiar with EAM but the web seems to suggest that onset is more severe and not all the symptoms match up.

jcwhite: yes the horses moved here from the UK 3 years ago. There are 3 horses and 1 pony. The two horses in work are showing symtoms although the early symptoms are more obvious when the horse is ridden so I wonder if the other two are somehow affected but it hasn't been as obvious (my big lad has lost a lot of muscle in the last 18 months but I thought it was because he is now retired. He doesn't look bad, just a bit unfit).
 
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