Waiting for the vet :(

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FfionWinnie

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I realise now I have actually never had an ill horse before, in 15 years of horse ownership.

I don't have a good feeling about this one. 23 year old Shetland pony, been the picture of health and very forward going ride for my daughter. He went lame a couple of weeks ago but was ok fairly quickly. Then today when I went out he was lying down, have had him two years and never seen him lie down so I was immediately concerned. He got up slowly when he saw me and I was able to walk up to him and catch him, warning bell number two, he has never allowed me to catch him without a fight. :(

I phoned the vet and brought him up to the garden while I prepared a stable for him, there is nice grass in there and he wasn't interested.

Really bad feeling there is something seriously wrong for him to go down hill this fast :(
 
Thanks. I haven't taken his temp since the vet will be here very soon but judging by his behaviour I would say he will (drinking water and hanging his head in a bucket).

Is it likely for him to have a virus and no one else? I have my own place and he hasn't been anywhere. The others have but haven't been ill at all.

He keeps following me round the stable, he has never been remotely friendly in the time I've had him. Horrible seeing him this depressed. Usually having him inside would have him jumping around like an idiot:(
 
Wagtail said:
Could he have laminitis? The pain can be so bad as to make them lie down and not want to eat.
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I did wonder about that but they are on a bare field with only hay. He has never had lami in his life and has usually had haylage in winter and not needed much restriction in summer either. I should think if its laminitis it would be a complication of something else?
 
I would def suspect lami first, then virus as the two most likely, hoping its the latter and clears up quickly.

The lami if it is that might be triggered by age related cushings disease, not cos hes hugely fat or anything.

Fingers crossed for you and him.
 
FfionWinnie said:
I did wonder about that but they are on a bare field with only hay. He has never had lami in his life and has usually had haylage in winter and not needed much restriction in summer either. I should think if its laminitis it would be a complication of something else?
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This is the most common time of year for Cushings related laminitis to first present itself. Due to his age, this would be my first thought. the depression is a sign of Cushings as well. It can come on really suddenly.
 
Wagtail said:
This is the most common time of year for Cushings related laminitis to first present itself. Due to his age, this would be my first thought. the depression is a sign of Cushings as well. It can come on really suddenly.
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hopefully he will have something minor but the above was my first thought mainly as I was in this position at this time last year and it was laminitis induced by cushings.
If the vet cannot find an easy answer and cushings/laminitis have be the problem I would ask them to get him on prascend immediately. I tested and waited for the results but the vet did offer prascend immediately and I should have taken up the offer.
Unfortunately nothing is immediate with prascend and I have found the best way to work up to the full dose is over several days to prevent the horse stopping feeding, getting depressed etc.
 
Maybe he's caught a chill... If he has undiagnosed Cushings, their immune system is not as effective and they find it harder to regulate their temperature.
Also get his liver checked whilst they run bloods. My Shetland has got depressed and twice, he's had a hepatitis infection of his liver (which was treatable with powders both times) which was the cause.
Hope your get to the bottom of it quickly
 
Sending healing vibes. I was another who would suspect lami. Especially with the lying down to take the weight of his hooves. What's his digital pulse like?
 
Thanks guys. Well not much further forward.

She said he is not showing any pain walking on sharp stones. No typical lami stance or anything.

He has a low temperature.

He has a small amount of extremely unpleasant smelling discharge from one nostril which led her to believe it could be a dental abscess.

I don't feel he is right on his legs, he is kind of staggery and not lifting his feet very high but when out on the hardcore he looked more normal :confused:

She could not get blood (that is why I was so long!). Tried for ages and even clipped his neck and towards the end he was getting really narky as you would expect so we had to give up.

He has had pen and strep and I have danilon to give him.

I offered him some beef pellets and he kind of picked a few and and dropped them again, tried speedi beet not much interest. He is at the water all the time sticking his nose in and pawing at the bucket til its spilled. He also was pawing at the speedi beet so I have tied the bucket a bit higher so he can't tip it.

I have put a fleece rug on him (not his so its massive). Do you think I should rig up a pig lamp to warm him up.

She said he can have anything he wants to eat, any suggestions to tempt him, just going out to get some things for him now.
 
You could try soaking some grass nuts/high fibre nuts or whatever you have in peppermint tea and offering him that, it's the only way my Shetland will eat any medication. Hope he picks up soon :)
 
Just another suggestion as to what it may be - I had a pony that did this a few years back and it turned out she had chondroids in her guttural pouches that were pressing on the nerve that allowed her to swallow. When she tried to drink it all came flooding down her nose washing out all sorts of foul smelling gunge into the water.

Was heartbreaking to see - ended up at Rossdales. She tested positive for strangles, although apparently didn't have it then (?) and they said they could do nothing for her as removing the chondroids would be too risky and could permanently damage the nerve making it impossible for her to eat or drink. Sent her home with iodine to put in her feed to try to keep infections at bay, but prepared me for the worse.

She got better, unbelievably, and is still a games pony 8 years later.........

The nasal discharge you mention and the hanging head over water bucket just reminded me so much of what she was like, just thought I would suggest guttural pouch infection as a possibility.

Best of luck with your pony. x
 
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