little_pink_piggies
Well-Known Member
Well got to willesley and explained the situation to Ollie, who watched him trot up etc. and said it def wasnt Kissing Spines, but maybe EPSM as he had tied up... but then decided it probably wasnt as he's practically pure TB and it's mainly seen in the more warmblood types?
So started pulling on his tail and making him walk and established that it was neurological (when he first said this there was a huge shock as - I dont know why- but i associate that with not good prognosis) and then went to fetch another vet - Richard Hepburn, who is the more neurological expert as opposed to Ollie who is more the ortho side of things...
And after watching him walk a few circles, trot and walk down a hill he was very quick to establish that there was either damage to the spinal cord up behind his brain, or further down in his neck as he had a very "sloping" gait infront and a "twisty" gait behind aswell, also he didn't seem to mind whether he stood square or not (and appareantly most horses pretty much stand square after 30 secs).. he didnt seem to have any trouble with his facial reflexes so it was definitely in his neck.
There were two possibilities, one that it was a degenerative disease, and the nerves in the spinal cord would continue to break down (about 5% chance that it was this). Or more likely that there was some arthritic problem, compressing the spinal cord, meaning that the sensory neurons were affected (not so much the motor ones) so that he had compensated spacial awareness...
Anyway xray confirmed that it was the latter... so big steroid injections inbetween the C5/C6 and C6/C7's form both sides... (4 injections in total!)
The vet really was in a class of his own compared to other vets of his age... V positive prognosis, he has to have 4 days off just to make sure that the injection sites aren't sore, then back into work- hacking out, hill work, flatwork and pole work to help improve spacial awareness. Re-assessed in a month, then back into normal work with any luck.
If you use the neourology scale (0 being fine and 5 being crippled on the floor not able to get up) he was 1 infront and 2 behind. With the treatment he's on (also on vitamin E and a really strong joint supplement) they would expect it to improve 2-3 on the scale, so they are expecting a normal horse within 2 moths
child feeling extremely lucky that her horse is going to be ok, and also that her horse is luckier... could have been making our way back to south wales tonight in a much more depressing mood!
So started pulling on his tail and making him walk and established that it was neurological (when he first said this there was a huge shock as - I dont know why- but i associate that with not good prognosis) and then went to fetch another vet - Richard Hepburn, who is the more neurological expert as opposed to Ollie who is more the ortho side of things...
And after watching him walk a few circles, trot and walk down a hill he was very quick to establish that there was either damage to the spinal cord up behind his brain, or further down in his neck as he had a very "sloping" gait infront and a "twisty" gait behind aswell, also he didn't seem to mind whether he stood square or not (and appareantly most horses pretty much stand square after 30 secs).. he didnt seem to have any trouble with his facial reflexes so it was definitely in his neck.
There were two possibilities, one that it was a degenerative disease, and the nerves in the spinal cord would continue to break down (about 5% chance that it was this). Or more likely that there was some arthritic problem, compressing the spinal cord, meaning that the sensory neurons were affected (not so much the motor ones) so that he had compensated spacial awareness...
Anyway xray confirmed that it was the latter... so big steroid injections inbetween the C5/C6 and C6/C7's form both sides... (4 injections in total!)
The vet really was in a class of his own compared to other vets of his age... V positive prognosis, he has to have 4 days off just to make sure that the injection sites aren't sore, then back into work- hacking out, hill work, flatwork and pole work to help improve spacial awareness. Re-assessed in a month, then back into normal work with any luck.
If you use the neourology scale (0 being fine and 5 being crippled on the floor not able to get up) he was 1 infront and 2 behind. With the treatment he's on (also on vitamin E and a really strong joint supplement) they would expect it to improve 2-3 on the scale, so they are expecting a normal horse within 2 moths
child feeling extremely lucky that her horse is going to be ok, and also that her horse is luckier... could have been making our way back to south wales tonight in a much more depressing mood!
