Very sick horse

[Aces_High]

Changed the batch of hay yesterday - this is quite long so might take me a while. Basically had a quad of wrapped hay (isn't haylage as Max colics on it) and is as dry as normal hay. Max and Aces High (2 yr old) were eating it happily and then stopped. Max is fussy with his hay so I kept on chucking it out and giving him new to eat but he'd only pick at it. Aces High who's a complete piglet hasn't eaten any hay since Friday. I thought maybe there was a little more grass coming through in her bare paddock and she's been feasting on the very good barley straw in her field shelter. Anyway been researching EVERY disease known to mankind in horses that gives them ataxia symptoms. I removed all of their hay yesterday and gave them the new stuff. Max ate 3 sections last night as did A-H. A-H is fine in herself maybe a little quiet but nothing untoward. Max seems slightly better this morning but is more pronounced in his staggering movement on the right hand side than his left. He also has full flexion through his neck and can get a polo from both his left and right shoulders and to his chest and to the floor. He is crossing his hind legs correctly when being turned on himself. He will also put his feet back in the correct position when you put on hoof on the other. I now have scientists on board at the moment as well to look at investigating hay/pasture so will see what comes from that. I am struggling with all the waiting and would like answers now as well as some sleep. Just want my horse back to his old self.

 

[Ted's mum]

could it be wobblers? hope he is getting better....positive vibes coming your way. x

 

[irish_only]

You haven't got lots of red clover have you? High in arsenic I think.

 

[Aces_High]

No we haven't any red clover in the paddocks or in the hay. Him being a "wobbler" has been ruled out as well. He was bright at lunch time but still hyper sensitive. I took him for a little walk in the paddock for a pick of grass where he felt like he wanted to take off. It turned into a short pick of grass! He's still eating and drinking well. Nothing else has come to light at this stage. I think we can HOPEFULLY be slightly more conclusive if there is improvement in his haematology and biochemistry reports from the blood we'll draw in the morning. Just good to know if the current meds he is on are helping him.

 

[fatpiggy]

Your description of good limb awareness but still staggering suggests to me that neurologically he is fine, but the staggering could be a muscular problem, as though they aren't strong enough to give him control. I have a problem with my neck at the moment, with a bone spur on my spine irritating the nerves down my left side. The early symptoms were huge cramps and loss of muscle control in the fingers of my left hand. It was as if the muscles were exhausted very quickly and I couldn't wiggle them as fast as usual, or as long.

 

[Aces_High]

FP - we've decided it's not neurological as you suggested he isn't showing the clinical signs for that. I will mention to my vet this evening about what you've said above. Just so frustrating not having any answers at this point but I guess it's still very early days. 20 mins left at my desk then off to see the patient for more glimmers of light.....

 

[jojo5]

Have been reading all posts and thinking of you. Not sure if your neurological conclusions rule this out but have you considered stroke? My first mare had an initial stroke and then a series of small ones similar to transient ischaemia. She certainly had balance problems, was still eating at first, but did become more vague (due to continuing strokes as above). So some symptoms like your boy but not all. Just a thought as I guess any suggestion may be of use. Hoping for good news for you.

 

[Boxers]

Glad to hear he is improving in some ways and that the new batch of hay is getting eaten. Obviously something awry with the last lot if your other horse wasn't eating it either.

Hope he continues to improve and that you and your vet can get to the bottom of this.

 

[suzi]

Sounds like a nightmare and not sure I have any other suggestions to add.

How's he doing this evening?

Keeping everything crossed for you.

 

[Louby]

Glad to hear theres some improvement and fingers crossed for him to continue improving.
Just wanted to add this, we bought half a barn load of hay between me and my friend from a someone local. My horse had an allergic reaction, as in lumps all over and red hot to touch, never thought it could be hay so on vets advice we stripped her of rugs, washed in hibiscrub, she was fully clipped and it was minus degrees, no improvement over a few days so I thought what I had changed and the hay was the only thing. I stopped it and the lumps went, friends horse was fine, so a bit unconvinced, gave her some more and the reaction came back.
I know this is nothing compared to what your poor horse is going through but maybe it is something in the hay, seeing though they both dont like it??

 

[LoNatalie]

just read this post.. huge vibes to you, i really really hope you find out what it was and he improves ASAP!


big vibes....... xxxx

 

[irish_only]

Oh dear, you#ve definitely got us all thinkling of you both. Went to bed last night thinking about the symptoms and had a light bulb moment, which I hope for you is wrong.
A number of years ago I found a yearling down in the field, unable to get up. Eventually with some medication she managed to stand up but was very wobbly and unco-ordinated. After a trip to RVC for wobbler x-ray which was negative, conclusion was she had an aneurism. She's still with us as a 7yo, gait has improved a lot but not that you could contemplate riding.
Really hope this is not what has happened in your case.

Also, do you think the hay problem and the wobbly problem could be un-related, and just an unfortunate coincidence which has clouded diagnosis.

 

[Mike007]

Has a middle ear infection been ruled out. Ear infections can certainly affect ballance and coordination. I am a bit sceptical about the hay theory.Could she have been eating any fungi in the field. It is the right time of year and weather. Hope she is better soon.

 

[Gingerwitch]

How is the paitent this morn? - have you wormed at all in the last week or so?.... just had read about some horses having a reaction to a wormer not long ago?

What about spraying near by and with the winds we have been having is it possible he could have drank from contaminated waters (thats is another avenue possibly have you any running water on or around you or any broken sewers - very often these are laid accross fields and sometimes the pipes fracture - i know been at a yard this happend on - and it was horrid) or have had wind blown spray on him? - also apparantly we have a horse on my yard that was allergic to a batch of straw....10 days at liverpool and they nearly lost him - but fine now but just hyper sensative to loads of things

 

[Aces_High]

Morning all,

Max seems to be turning a corner which is wonderful but we are certainly not out of the woods yet. His gait has improved and he's now able to follow the same tracks. He is still exaggerating his gait more on the off side. He is still eating and all his general signs are normal. We have drawn more bloods off him this morning so I should have his results within the hour. I spoke to my farm manager and nothing has been sprayed around us recently so we've ruled that one out. Everything is just so inconclusive which is frustrating. We've had the top specialists in Europe looking at his case and still stumped. Just hope that his inflammatory response which was high on his last bloods is down today due to the antibiotics etc which he has been on. He's also going onto Mycosorb Equine Formula today (worth Googling if your interested in mycotoxins etc) and continuing with the current management. Might just turn out to be one of those unexplained things. Need him to continue in a positive way...... We've ruled out ear infections and he's not showing clinical signs of an aneurysm. We haven't ruled out toxins within the hay as yet. I know his bloods didn't read with that but he's an A-Typical horse which about says it all!! Thanks again to everyone for all of your support.

 

[Chellebean]

Glad he is showing signs of improvement

 

[Daffodil]

Haven't posted before but have followed your poor boy's case. So glad he's maintaining progress and all fingers and toes crossed for him. xx

 

[Old Bat]

Wow, they do know how to stump us, don't they? I'm so glad he is improving, he's obviously in the right place with you. Can you trace the origin of the batch of hay to see if it received any unusual chemicals? And as Mike says, we have a load of odd fungus sprouting around us at the moment...could he have eaten something like that?

 

[Dizzydancer]

So glad he is improving even if it is slowly. Fingers crossed for good blood results.
Keep us updated and ((((hugs)))) to both you and Max

 

[Aces_High]

He's been on really good grazing and stabled at night and I haven't seen any fungi (I do pick up the droppings twice a day) and I am very vigilant. Also his bloods don't read right to a toxin such as a fungus. Very strange. I have seen some fungi on the muck heap but he doesn't have access to this. I just hope that the corner we've turned continues. Has made me question why I have horses but then what would I do without them!! I'm heading out of the country early next month for a few months for a sabbatical so want him to be as close to 100% as possible or I'll never be able to enjoy my trip.

 

[fatpiggy]

Another symptom I have with my irritated nerves is I feel sort of edgy all the time. Imagine you know you are going to sneeze any minute, but it never quite happens - that feeling! Apparently the nerves are being hyperstimulated. Do you think he is in any pain? I'm not hurting but it is a horrible feeling and it is 24/6 I can't help but think this is a virus which is doing something odd to the nerve endings - ever had Shingles? Virus' are weird things and can appear out of nowhere. A friend of mine had a veteran pony which died of the horse equivalent of AIDS. No other horses were affected.

 

[irish_only]

So glad he looks like he is improving. Fingers crossed. x

 

[Aces_High]

Hi FP - he is hypersensitive but he's not in pain. He's on a lot of pain relief IV twice a day. I walked into his stable this morning and he flew (sort of) to the back of his box. His eyes etc are all good so it's not sight related. Like you've mentioned he has trembling in his neck, head and muzzle. They do seem to be SLOWLY subsiding unless I am getting used to them. I will post his blood reports and progress after lunch as off to see him. I hope you've all taken out shares in Polo's prior to Sunday as I'm going through a lot - I will tell you before I stop buying so you can quickly sell them!

 

[Aces_High]

Max seemed much perkier at lunchtime. He'd eaten all his hay and has been drinking his water. He's also had a LAY DOWN and managed to get up which I am thrilled about. Took him out for a pick of grass. The look in his face is I want to go and charge off to speak to my pals. Unfortunately at this stage it's not allowed as he's a bit of a liablity to himself. He seems to bring in his mind but his legs are not following through yet. I am slightly concerned that if I was to let him have a pick on his own he'd charge off and might just end up stuck against the fence. Depending on his progress and the weather over the next few days I will let him have supervised half hours in a nursery paddock. His lunch has now been cut out as he's been eating very well and I don't want him to get too fat and he also has his strength back enough to hoist his weight up from lying down. His WBC and RBC count are at the lower end of normal but improvement on Sunday's bloods. His Bio-Chem is now reading normal having been hugely inflated due to the the viral or allergic reaction he has. I still want to see marked improvement as he's still staggery in walk and once this has been seen I will think about a sigh of relief. He did have a "goat" moment about going back into his house. All these things have to be good signs.

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

it may be that he will get better and you will never know what it was, my chap had a long running virus but it was recurring like ME, it didnt go away for several years completely, RVC were mystified by it.

Hes now rising 18 and fat and shiny

 

[oscarwild]

Aww thats good news that he seems to be getting slightly better and no worse.
I wonder if he will get better and you will never find a cause to the problem. I had that will my boy earlier on in the year. Altho the symptoms etc were much different we still dont know what caused my Oscar to be ill but he made a good recovery. He too had bloods done for weeks that came back with slight variations etc but never anything significant to cause the issues that we had. We reckon it was a viral infection and it took him months to fight it and had other issues at the time too which didnt help.

 

[Maisy]

I am very glad that Max is showing signs of improvement.....I wonder how long it will be before you get a good night's sleep! ......I often wonder why we have horses!!! So much heartache and worry!

Fingers crossed he continues to pick up over the next few days!

 

[Funkymunk]

Maybe Ulcers! I had a horse that had similar symptoms and was riddled with them.

 

[Aces_High]

We seem to have gone around another corner and his progress is continuing to improve. The edema under his tummy has dispersed and the one on his jaw is slowly changing shape and moving. Temp, heart rate etc all good again and he seems to be reacting well to the antibiotics. He's been double dosed with his drugs from Sunday and as of today he's going on to normal dose, so fingers and toes crossed he continues on the up. We are running some more bloods tomorrow in the hope that his white and red blood cells are properly in the normal range and that his fibrinogen levels are stabilising. Other than that nothing else to report. Aces High is feeling very unloved at the moment as Max is getting all the attention. Maisy - I have been questioning that very question re having horses and when I'll get some sleep!! I went off quickly last night, only one check but then my pussy cat decided biting my toes and charging around my bedroom was a great idea.....

 

[Aces_High]

Has anyone here had a horse who's been very staggery? If so how long approx does it take for them to regain their normal gait? Just wanting to hear a bit of feedback on it. Took him for a quick pick at lunchtime and he was fine and then had a big wobble. Doesn't concern me as much now having spent 5 days (feels like 14+) but the person I was chattering too was very concerned. Going to give him a good groom this evening and I even felt confident enough in his balance to pick his feet out.