Vet says my horse has wobblers

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ihartgeegees

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Until 2 weeks ago I'd never heard of wobblers and now I've been told by my vet that my horse has it. My horse is a 9yo WB that I have had for 2 years. He started appearing stiff in his back legs, swinging his back legs out plus showing resistance to bending and turning when ridden. In the past these issues had come up but a session with the osteopath has always shown up that his atlas was out and once that was put right I have been able to work him again. He was 5 star vetted when I bought him and nothing came up aswell as a second vet and two osteopaths have seen him and none of them have mentioned wobblers. I got suspicious that the osteopath visits were become very frequent so called in an equine vet who confirmed wobblers in the C6 vertebra. I've read a lot about wobblers and I am confused by the vets diagnosis because he said that my horse could go on and be a companion/light hack because he is quite mild wobbler. Is that not dangerous though to say he can be ridden? I personally will not ride him now as it is too risky and I lack confidence anyway. Also my horse will not lift either back leg to have it picked out. For a few months it was only one leg but over the last few weeks its both legs and he has to be twitched to get his old shoes off. Can this be wobblers or is it something else aswell. The vet did say he had pain in his sacroiliac joint and was lame in right hind. He is my first horse so this is a really tough one for me, but am I right in thinking it would be best if he was PTS?
 
Not a good diagnosis, sorry to hear. :-(
Low grade wobblers can still be rideable and safe, my only concern with your boy is that the symptoms seem to be getting worse recently. Have you got the facilities etc for a good retirement and is he a horse that would cope with retirement? Or would it be kinder to him (and safer to you and all that may handle him) if you do make the tough decision to say goodbye.
I would have a good chat with the vet who diagnosed him.
Good luck making the right decision for him and you. X
 
So sorry your horse has been diagnosed as being a wobbler we had a horse with this many years ago the only way you can get a proper diagnosis is for your horse to be refered in to an equine hospital this is done with the use of dye and x ray , I was told by vet this is more common in a TB which is the breed ours was and it is normally diagnosed by the age of 2 . I think it sounds a bit odd that your horse is 9 year old and passed a vetting . May be research a bit more and ask about getting xrays done .Our vet was an equine specialist and she said it was the only way to know for sure. I hope this helps .
 
I lost my best friend to Wobblers. He too passed a 5stage vetting 2 years before being diagnosed. Maybe they knew, maybe they didnt but as we didnt really do a lot and symtoms came to light with more work. He would trip in front. First time he went crashing down on his nose with me coming over top and braking my wrist.

My vet said as well, he'd have good days and bad and after a course of tildren would hopefully get no worse.

On his good days we go for a light hack (walking) and he'd have knee boots on and he'd be pulling my arms out of the sockets wanting to go. On bad days we couldnt even get down the track. But from the moment he was diagnosed it was only me who rode him and handled him.

I would have retired him but over the course of 2 months he had 2 bad turns where it was like he was drunk and couldnt walk. He was then on 100 steriods per day and booster jabs of steriods.

I took the very painful decision to have him pts whist he was a proud boy and he didnt loose his dignatity of one day going down and not being able to get up.

He was my best friend and i owed it to him to go one day early and not one day too late.

There are probably sucess cases, but few and far inbetween and i send you hugs and hope your boy isnt as bad as mine was xx
 
I have experience of a horse with wobblers, your horse is young and could quite easily have many years ahead of him..you have to take into account that you could have the next 10 or 20 years having to look after him. He will have good days and bad days. If he lives the rest of his life as a field companion there will be times when he can't keep up with his play mates, and gets his legs in knots trying to run around and fall. Personally I would pts. There may be a time in the future when you can't look after him. And being pts now will ensure he will never have a bad home in the future
 
I'm sorry to hear your news. I too had a wobbler. He had compression between C3/C4. I had to make the horrible decision to pts as he deteriorated to grade 3 within 6 weeks from initial diagnosis. Some don't get any worse. Unfortunately mine did and he couldn't pick one of his front feet in and became very whippet shaped in that all muscle was all up front and nothing behind. dragging hind toes. He fell on me and squashed me against the wall just try to move his quarters over one day and my decision was made. A year on I still battle with my decision to pts but he was getting worse and I wouldn't want to find him stuck in his stable or laying unable to get up in the field.
 
So sorry to hear about your horse, how awful for you both :(

I personally would PTS a wobbler especially if they were showing signs of getting worse as id hate for anyone else to be handling the horse and something to happen :(

Im sure you will do the best thing for you both, its a horrid condition :(
 
Thanks for all your replies and support. My horse is in full livery because I work full time and travel 2 hours a day, so can't really retire him. So a lot of the time other people are having to handle my horse for me which is a worry. It breaks my heart every time I see him move he looks so stiff and unsteady, he preferrs to spend most of his time rooted to the spot, which is so sad. I tried to make him go backwards today and he just couldn't do it he just kept turning in a circle. I'm really not sure I could cope with the worry of him getting worse and injuring himself or someone else. Kind of seems like the writing is on the wall :(
 
So sorry to hear this.

personally, he'd have a day in a lush field of grass a yummy feed with plenty of treats and then a dignified end. Eventually he's going to get a lot worse, maybe days but maybe years and id far rather make the choice myself than find him wedged in his stable oneday unable to get up.
 
I don't want to put doubt in your mind / give false hope but how has the vet diagnosed the wobblers, unless its xrays and bone scans at an experienced equine hospital it may be worth getting a second opinion if that's an option. There are lots of wobbler tests that horses may respond positively to and it could be something else. I have copied my experience from a previous post, the fact you mention sacroilliac pain is the same as our horse, developed through compensating for the initial problem.

We have a decent showjumping horse who was based away and was diagnosed with wobblers aged 12 by a well known equine clinic in the south-west, the diagnosis was made following a series of xrays and wobbler tests. He had initially gone suddenly lame when coming in from the field. It was on his third visit he was diagnosed (three months later) after previous joint injections in the neck and hock. The horse then returned home and to us seemed very weak behind generally, he would really drag his feet and it would worsen with exercise, we rode him a couple of times and he seemed very uncomfortable. Luckily he was insured and went straight into our vets in Newmarket. From initial tests (such as the backing up / crossing legs over) they too thought he was a wobbler although it didn't sit right with the general weakness, but following x rays they bone scanned him and found he wasn't at all. He had fractured a bone in his third trochanter (thigh) which had caused him to compensate his movement (although he wasn't lame) and by continued ridden work he had developed sacroilliac pain and got very weak behind, not helped by the fact he is a big horse and quite long backed. He is now coming along really well and should be jumping again within the next few months. The initial equine clinic sent him home with some steroids and a letter saying he was a diagnosed wobbler and safe to jump up to 1.20m but no more (which didn't make sense to me as either he was safe to ride or he wasn't?!). Before discovering the root of the problem our vets told us that if it was wobblers it was relatively mild and whilst he may deteriorate down the line, he could still be ridden, we would just have to play it by ear, definitely didn't advise to PTS so I would have carried on riding him if he was comfortable, but of course wouldn't have sold him or let anyone that works here ride him, as it is obviously a risk. He hadn't been observed ever falling over but was generally 'wobbly' behind. Obviously every case varies in its severity. Is the horse insured? If so it may be worth pushing for a bone scan? I know that cases like ours are very rare and we were lucky but if its an option it would be worth looking at. A bone scan would also give more information on the extent of the damage than an xray so wouldn't be a waste of time even if it just confirms things and may give a better idea of what the options are.
 
I am not insured for x rays and the vet didn't even suggest getting them done. He told me that I shouldn't spend any more money on my horse as there is nothing that can be done and I should find a companion home for him but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that as an option. He didn't even offer any drugs that might help, which was totally gutting. I have never been able to get my horse going in his work I have always had to stop because he has started having trouble. He doesn't have any kind of show/ competition background probably I suspect because the wobblers has always been there.
 
This is an awful situation for you to be in. It sounds as if retirement with you is not really an option. So I would have him pts if I were you. Companion homes tend to want smallish, healthy horses or ponies and I would feel uncomfortable sending a wobbler anyway. All the best with what ever you decide and do not feel guilty if you do put him down.
 
ihartgeegees said:
I am not insured for x rays and the vet didn't even suggest getting them done. He told me that I shouldn't spend any more money on my horse as there is nothing that can be done and I should find a companion home for him but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that as an option. He didn't even offer any drugs that might help, which was totally gutting. I have never been able to get my horse going in his work I have always had to stop because he has started having trouble. He doesn't have any kind of show/ competition background probably I suspect because the wobblers has always been there.
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I'm sorry for your situation - it's not a nice place to be.

How does the vet know it's the C6 vertebrae causing the problem if he hasn't done any x-rays or other diagnostics?

I've had a wobbler and he was PTS but not before it had been confirmed by scans and xrays. It's totally up to you what you decide to do but I would just check with yourself to be certain that PTS was the right option with no later recriminations or regrets. Personally I would have to be satisfied that I had a firm diagnosis and had explored all options and treatments. However only you can decide what action to take based on the vets advice and your personal cirmcumstances. Best wishes.
 
cjhmm said:
My foal fell over and one vet thought it was OCD and another said wobbler. I then got a McTimoney chiropractor and that technique was truly amazing! She now is walking normally again. If you have not had x rays to proof this then go down this road.
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I really don't think any therapist should be manipulating the neck of a horse with suspected wobblers without X-Ray confirmation that CVM isn't the issue. I would certainly never dream of doing so.


I'm also surprised that the osteo didn't refer straight back to the vet when these symptoms presented themselves.
Ataxia does not necessarily equal wobblers. It's hard to comment without seeing the horse in question, if mild, I would want to investigate with X-rays, and if indeed it is wobblers, I would PTS. If it is more severe, then would probably PTS anyway, as the horse may be a danger to itself and others, certainly not suitable to retire as a companion.

All the best to you and your boy, OP.
 
Before you can make any decision about your horse's future you have to be certain of the diagnosis. Your vet sounds a little unusual in his ability to diagnose without X-ray and also to dismiss any treatment. Although you are not covered by insurance, it would be worth asking around and finding what the charge for X Rays would be. Making a decision to pts on the say so you have now, could lead you to a life time of wondering if the horse really did have wobblers.
Although it is a very hard decision to make, having a wobbler pts is a kind decision since, in the wild, the herd would just move on and leave your horse to his fate. I can't think of anything more frightening than being rooted to the spot for fear that I would fall over if I attempted to move.
Its such a very sad situation for you; not the least because he is your first horse I think. I hope that further investigation will bring better news.
 
Can I ask those who have had confirmed wobblers if it can be confused, in the early stages with staggers - maybe caused by mycotoxins in feed/hay? I ask because I have been reading about this in relation to liver damage and see a lot of mention of staggers in horses. Not hijacking thread, just wondering if this could be a possibility.
 
shergar said:
So sorry your horse has been diagnosed as being a wobbler we had a horse with this many years ago the only way you can get a proper diagnosis is for your horse to be refered in to an equine hospital this is done with the use of dye and x ray , I was told by vet this is more common in a TB which is the breed ours was and it is normally diagnosed by the age of 2 . I think it sounds a bit odd that your horse is 9 year old and passed a vetting . May be research a bit more and ask about getting xrays done .Our vet was an equine specialist and she said it was the only way to know for sure. I hope this helps .
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My horse was a 10 year old well muscled warmblood. Apparently there are many wobbler horses competing dressage because one symptom is that they have enormous elevation in the trot. Mine also passed a vetting at four even though he was born with C3 narrowed severely.

It can, as it was in my horse, be perfectly clear that there is spinal cord impingement from neck xrays. No dye was required to diagnose mine and I was advised to have him put down, which I did. I do find it odd to give a wobbler diagnosis without xrays at all though :( Especially as EHV can cause the same symptoms.

Sorry you have this too OP. If yours does have it, then it seems to be becoming quite clear that late onset wobblers is found on a regular basis in well muscled warmbloods around the age of ten.

I too would not ride your horse again, though I am aware of two competing BD locally with it.
 
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HappyHooves said:
Can I ask those who have had confirmed wobblers if it can be confused, in the early stages with staggers - maybe caused by mycotoxins in feed/hay? I ask because I have been reading about this in relation to liver damage and see a lot of mention of staggers in horses. Not hijacking thread, just wondering if this could be a possibility.
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In mine it was quite clearly hind end only paralysis and not a generalised problem. I don't know if they are all as clear as that but its a good question, especially with vets diagnosing without xrays.
 
If he is confirmed by xray then you do have another option so long as he is able to enjoy life out in the field, and that is to send him to the blood bank. It really is like a retirement home for them except that once a month they come in to give blood. Not a problem unless the horse is a needle phobic. They live out in huge herds during the summer, and come in to communal barns in the worst of the winter. They must be 16hh or over and less than 15 years old. They keep them for life, until they get too old/uncomfortable to live out in the herds, and then they are PTS.

However, if he really is deteriorating, then I would PTS.
 
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Calcyle said:
I really don't think any therapist should be manipulating the neck of a horse with suspected wobblers without X-Ray confirmation that CVM isn't the issue. I would certainly never dream of doing so.


I'm also surprised that the osteo didn't refer straight back to the vet when these symptoms presented themselves.
Ataxia does not necessarily equal wobblers. It's hard to comment without seeing the horse in question, if mild, I would want to investigate with X-rays, and if indeed it is wobblers, I would PTS. If it is more severe, then would probably PTS anyway, as the horse may be a danger to itself and others, certainly not suitable to retire as a companion.

All the best to you and your boy, OP.
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This totally ^^^^

I speak from experience...like so many others sadly.
The late Henesy was a wobbler :(
 
I would definitely not PTS without at least x-rays as what you have at the moment is an opinion not backed up by fact. All the signs might point to wobblers but without actually seeing what is going on inside I don't know how he can be so certain that's what it is. Sorry to complicate things but I'm quite shocked he could actually diagnose this as a certainty without even x-rays. Obviously a hard one as you don't want to throw money at it when the outcome may be the same anyway but I would definitely look into this further even if it's just speaking to another vet initially.
 
I think you need it confirmed by xray. That would be the conclusive way.

Mine was 5 staged vetted and a year later showed signs of something not right. If I look back subtle signs were there. Not standing with his hind foot flat on the ground was one and dragging toes in trot.
Vets for some reason don't actively look for the condition. My next horse I made it clear what I wanted vetting!!
 
I know nothing about wobblers but just had to say what a responsible owner you sound & there are so many things alot worse than being PTS.He is only young & as heart wrenching as it will be for you to do the deed in my opinion you are doing the very best for your horse.Big hugs & good luck in whatever you decide to do with your boy.xx
 
Calcyle said:
I really don't think any therapist should be manipulating the neck of a horse with suspected wobblers without X-Ray confirmation that CVM isn't the issue. I would certainly never dream of doing so.


I'm also surprised that the osteo didn't refer straight back to the vet when these symptoms presented themselves.
Ataxia does not necessarily equal wobblers. It's hard to comment without seeing the horse in question, if mild, I would want to investigate with X-rays, and if indeed it is wobblers, I would PTS. If it is more severe, then would probably PTS anyway, as the horse may be a danger to itself and others, certainly not suitable to retire as a companion.

All the best to you and your boy, OP.
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Have to agree with this. I had to have my beloved 10 yr old DWB PTS due to arthritis in the C4 and C6. First vet I called out when I found him in the field looking very uncomfortable, said it was his DJD causing the problem and medicated accordingly. Horse didn't get any better so called out my trusted McTimoney chiro, who took one look at him and said she couldn't touch him as he was Ataxic. Then got chiro to send findings to head vet, who came out and agreed.

I then decided we needed to know exactly what was going on and took him in for X-rays and lo and behold there were two huge bony growths on his C4 and C6 which were impinging on his spinal cord. I asked the vet if he should be PTS, vet took cowards way out and prescribed steroids (human ones, he was on 140 a day). Two months later I took the decision and he was PTS.

I wish I'd made the decision earlier.

I would really recommend x rays, then you know exactly what you are dealing with.
 
Thanks once again for all your help and advice. I have spoken to the vet and found out the price of a portable x-ray, which wasn't too bad and have decided to go for it. I hope this x-ray will identify for sure it is wobblers if it isn't I don't what will happen:eek: Just have to take it one step at a time for now.
 
You need to check that you will get a good clear xray on the portable vs than going to the vets clinic. I was under the impression that portable ones often arent as good?
 
You need to take your horse to a specialist equine clinic. They will provide a detailed estimate of costs which for xrays and consultation will only be a few hundred pounds.
 
Frozen Hoof Boots said:
You need to check that you will get a good clear xray on the portable vs than going to the vets clinic. I was under the impression that portable ones often arent as good?
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You now get digital portable X-rays which are much better, recently had my wee lad done with both old and new technology (vet was trialing the digital plates) and there was a difference.

OP I know nothing about wobblers so have no nuggets of information, but have some good vibes your way and all the best for you both.
 
My vet is an equine specialist and he did tell me that the portable one will not be as good as the one at the clinic but that it will give a diagnosis. I can't travel my boy with him being so unstable so the portable one is the only option.
 
ihartgeegees said:
My vet is an equine specialist and he did tell me that the portable one will not be as good as the one at the clinic but that it will give a diagnosis. I can't travel my boy with him being so unstable so the portable one is the only option.
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I refused to travel my horse and the portable xray was perfectly clear enough to give a diagnosis that he should be put to sleep. I think that they vary in power, if your vets is not a strong one, perhaps contact another vet?
 
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