urgent pls help

[Sags_Deer]

my sis has 6mth foal found it down this morn thought it may have got cast, got him up bit wobbly on back legs kept an eye on him all day seemed to get worse and had to hold him up today on and off, vet came out late pm he is now in a sling in their barn to help him stand. im kind of thinking paralysis!! vet said could be where he had been lying down in the night. had anti spasmodic and pain killer. any ideas or heard of this

 

[PuddingandElla]

Oh no - i'm really sorry to hear that. But i can be no help at all i'm afraid! Thinking of you tho.

 

[jes_nibley]

have had a foal in a sling before, although for something different. my baby's fetlocks weren't strong enough to support her as she was born premature.

the only thing i'd say is make sure the sling doesn't make the chest (rib) area / belly sore, if possible remove sling for a bit each day.

other than that, best of luck, keep us posted. x x

 

[annie02]

Does he have feeling in his legs? Can you tell how much he has had to eat? My mares 3rd foal was a wild one, the vet always told us that when he is hungry he will eat...well he didnt. He would get so tired b/c of lack of food that he would literally just lay in his bed. We had to lock him up with his mom several times a day to force him to feed. He didnt ever get so tired he couldnt stand, he just preferred to lay in the bedding or grass.

The other thing it could be, if he was cast for a long period of time is muscle death or damage if the blood flow was restricted to a certain area. ( we had this happen to a goat). You need to massage the areas often for 10 min or so at a time and encourage use. Kind of like thearpy, move the legs for him or have him do it. Talk to your vet about things like this. Also do a blood test, they can test for lactic acid and other signs of muscle damage or low iron etc that could account for the condition. Soon, though, it can cause lasting damage.