Emily91
Well-Known Member
Hi,
I was hoping for some advice on my very poorly little pony.
About a month ago she had an episode where she stopped eating for a few days and looked really uncomfortable. We called the vet out straight away as this is most unlike her. Her heart rate was slightly up and she a slight temperature but vet could not find anything else. So she decided to tube her fluids and electrolytes as was concerned that she hadnt eaten for so long. The vet noticed that she was very hard to tube, and that it seemed like she wasnt able to swallow. However after the fluids she picked up and was back to her normal self again.
When we brought her back into work we noticed she had started coughing when asked to exercise (a really harsh cough that seemed to come from her guts!)
She was taken into the vets for an endoscopy which apparently showed nothing. And then went back the next week to see a specialist who did a full work up and found that she had an infection of the larynx and that this was stopping it from functioning as it should meaning she couldnt breathe properly when exercising and swallowing was hard nd painful. Having found this she was put on strong antibiotics and painkillers for 4 weeks to try and clear it up. In between all this she had full bloods done which showed a slight increase (up by 1 or 2) in WBC but nothing else.
And this is where our problems start....
About 3 days before the antibiotics finished she went downhill. She came in looking really weak and uncoordinated. She wasnt eating much and she just generally looked very depressed. She had muscle tremors, was lying down at least 5 or 6 times a day ( its rare to catch this pony lying down usually) and she has been a lot of weight within a few days since she got worse. And lastly she had swellings in the grooves above her eyes (temporal fossa I think there called) and what look like raised veins down one side of her face.
The vet was called out again and she took some more bloods to check for liver enzymes. These came back all clear and so the vet started to talk about neurological conditions, MRI scans and tracheotomy, at which point I freaked out.
I had problems with this as she is too weak to go under GA for an MRI. I dont understand why the tracheotomy? as she can breathe well enough when she is ambling round the field or in her stable. But the vet was not very clear at all at explaining. (Plus unfortunately we are not always there when she comes out as the pony is on loan to another family and they have been dealing with a lot of it)
So I have asked the vet to take a step back for a few days while we try and get her stronger. And of course am wondering if I have done the right thing now.
Does anyone have any thoughts about what might be going on with my little mare? Any experience of similar symptoms? I am at my wits end at the moment. She is a very precious little pony, and I cannot even begin t think about losing her.
Thanks for reading! Sorry it was such a long post!!
Emily
I was hoping for some advice on my very poorly little pony.
About a month ago she had an episode where she stopped eating for a few days and looked really uncomfortable. We called the vet out straight away as this is most unlike her. Her heart rate was slightly up and she a slight temperature but vet could not find anything else. So she decided to tube her fluids and electrolytes as was concerned that she hadnt eaten for so long. The vet noticed that she was very hard to tube, and that it seemed like she wasnt able to swallow. However after the fluids she picked up and was back to her normal self again.
When we brought her back into work we noticed she had started coughing when asked to exercise (a really harsh cough that seemed to come from her guts!)
She was taken into the vets for an endoscopy which apparently showed nothing. And then went back the next week to see a specialist who did a full work up and found that she had an infection of the larynx and that this was stopping it from functioning as it should meaning she couldnt breathe properly when exercising and swallowing was hard nd painful. Having found this she was put on strong antibiotics and painkillers for 4 weeks to try and clear it up. In between all this she had full bloods done which showed a slight increase (up by 1 or 2) in WBC but nothing else.
And this is where our problems start....
About 3 days before the antibiotics finished she went downhill. She came in looking really weak and uncoordinated. She wasnt eating much and she just generally looked very depressed. She had muscle tremors, was lying down at least 5 or 6 times a day ( its rare to catch this pony lying down usually) and she has been a lot of weight within a few days since she got worse. And lastly she had swellings in the grooves above her eyes (temporal fossa I think there called) and what look like raised veins down one side of her face.
The vet was called out again and she took some more bloods to check for liver enzymes. These came back all clear and so the vet started to talk about neurological conditions, MRI scans and tracheotomy, at which point I freaked out.
I had problems with this as she is too weak to go under GA for an MRI. I dont understand why the tracheotomy? as she can breathe well enough when she is ambling round the field or in her stable. But the vet was not very clear at all at explaining. (Plus unfortunately we are not always there when she comes out as the pony is on loan to another family and they have been dealing with a lot of it)
So I have asked the vet to take a step back for a few days while we try and get her stronger. And of course am wondering if I have done the right thing now.
Does anyone have any thoughts about what might be going on with my little mare? Any experience of similar symptoms? I am at my wits end at the moment. She is a very precious little pony, and I cannot even begin t think about losing her.
Thanks for reading! Sorry it was such a long post!!
Emily
