Evie91
Well-Known Member
Thanks all very much appreciated, taking all advice/experiences on board and will share with vet/s.
Weird illness - any ideas
- Thread starter Evie91
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4Hoofed
Well-Known Member
Hmmm i was going to say may be worth a neuro exam? My boy a few years ago had suspected equine motor neuron disease. It was horrid he rapidly dropped a lot of weight whilst turned away, but when putting the weight on would have seizure episodes some of which sound similar to yours? But he would stand and rock or stand oddly so doesn’t quite match but maybe worth a neuro exam to see if it’s that area??
canteron
Well-Known Member
Hi, this I am sure isn’t the solution, but after my horse had ulcers last year, I have researched everything I can on diet to help her.
It isn’t conclusive, but some research shows that for a good gut biome, you need a good variety of plants (herbs etc) I now have a smorgasbord of herbs I feed (but Dodson and Horrell do hedgerow herbs).
If you search ‘oily herbs’ or ‘biome’ on here there is information and it might just tempt her if it is colic/stomach pains.
Probably no help, but I guess you have to try anything, I am so so sorry for you both x
It isn’t conclusive, but some research shows that for a good gut biome, you need a good variety of plants (herbs etc) I now have a smorgasbord of herbs I feed (but Dodson and Horrell do hedgerow herbs).
If you search ‘oily herbs’ or ‘biome’ on here there is information and it might just tempt her if it is colic/stomach pains.
Probably no help, but I guess you have to try anything, I am so so sorry for you both x
Pinkvboots
Well-Known Member
I think I would want a referral to a big equine hospital and get him in there so they can get to the bottom of it.
lauragreen85
Well-Known Member
I hope you get to the bottom of this.
southerncomfort
Well-Known Member
Haven't read all the replies so apologies if im repeating...
I had a horse with a suspected brain tumour who experienced full seizures. She also often had a small colic episode at the same time, I imagine due to the stress and tiredness.
Can you video these episodes and send it to your vet? I did this and my vet shared the footage with senior vets who all agreed on them being seizures.
I still have the video if you'd like to see it...? I find it quite distressing to watch but I'm happy to share if it helps you at least rule it out, but I'd bear in mind that their are different types of seizures and they affect different horses in different ways.
Either way, I really hope you are able to find a cause, and hopefully treatment, very soon .
I had a horse with a suspected brain tumour who experienced full seizures. She also often had a small colic episode at the same time, I imagine due to the stress and tiredness.
Can you video these episodes and send it to your vet? I did this and my vet shared the footage with senior vets who all agreed on them being seizures.
I still have the video if you'd like to see it...? I find it quite distressing to watch but I'm happy to share if it helps you at least rule it out, but I'd bear in mind that their are different types of seizures and they affect different horses in different ways.
Either way, I really hope you are able to find a cause, and hopefully treatment, very soon .
Fjord
Well-Known Member
I haven't anything useful to add but just wanted to say that I really hope you get some answers soon. It sounds horrible, for both of you.
Marigold4
Well-Known Member
Yes, my mare was quite a stoic type. Also, I took on a mare as a companion pony to mine some years ago who ended up with a pituitary gland tumour that caused her seizures. The seizures looked VERY different to what my ISH mare was doing. Yours sounds less like a seizure and more like a pain episode to me. But I'm no expert on this - just what I've observed.
ihatework
Well-Known Member
I’m with Patterdale & The Mule, sounds more like a dramatic pain response to some sort of gut issue to me.
Not grey by any chance? (Just musing on internal melanoma)
Not grey by any chance? (Just musing on internal melanoma)
tristars
Well-Known Member
i have had a horses do very weird episodes when allergic to certain insects, colic signs, seizure movements, prone on ground, thinking oh my god its dead, 1 hour later fine.
and drama queen performances, which i thought were helpful in working out what was going on
possibility of eating something allergic to
so many possibilities, hoping you can sort something soon
and drama queen performances, which i thought were helpful in working out what was going on
possibility of eating something allergic to
so many possibilities, hoping you can sort something soon
SEL
Well-Known Member
They might be able to use an ultrasound or even an x ray if he's admitted just to see if anything in the gut region shows up as out of the ordinary.
Keep us posted xx
I'm Dun
Well-Known Member
Yup, I agree. My beautiful TB had a bout of spasmodic colic and keeled over. He didnt lay down or anything, he just hit the deck, flat out on his side. I ran across the field calling the vet sobbing thinking he was dead. It was quite a mild bout as well according to the vet, but obviously, to him it really hurt and was very serious.
Nasicus
Well-Known Member
I knew one that did something similar, ended up on the table for colic surgery and turned out to be a massive abdominal tumour blocking most of his stomach. PTS then and there.
Hopefully it's not for yours, and is just as others have said, a very dramatic pain response!
Hopefully it's not for yours, and is just as others have said, a very dramatic pain response!
irishdraft
Well-Known Member
This is what I'm thinking, over reacting to the ulcers and or a tumour/s in the guts somewhere. My last horse had this, he wasn't a drama queen but had repeated low grade colics and periods of lying down & not eating. Had many vet visits all diagnosing different things but in the end turned out to have internal tumours which were intermittently abscessing and also causing blockages which would then free up and he was fine again. I hope you can get to the bottom of it x
dorsetladette
Well-Known Member
After reading some of OPs replies I was just thinking is he grey for the very same reason.
onemoretime
Well-Known Member
It may be worth having his tummy scanned. Could possibly be a growth pressing on something else. I hope you can find out what the problem is. Im so sorry you are going through this.
Evie91
Well-Known Member
Good idea, worth a go. field is surrounded by hedgerows and no poisonous plants or trees. Will look into supplements.
Evie91
Well-Known Member
Nope- bright chestnut. I’m convinced it’s a pain response, but need to find the source and ulcers are not it
Evie91
Well-Known Member
Thank you - this is my worry too - a growth. Vet/s (2) have seen nothing abnormal in the scope but maybe scan is next. Will suggest.
Evie91
Well-Known Member
How was the it diagnosed in the end? This is what I’m worried about, getting side tracked and not finding the cause until it’s too late. You description of your horse is the same as mine is displaying but is much more dramatic (as is his personality).
doodle
Well-Known Member
Mine had an abdominal ultrasound at one point and then a belly tap. So maybe worth trying that next?
Evie91
Well-Known Member
Think I’m going to ask for this as next step
DabDab
Ah mud, splendid
One of my horses had similar sounding episodes when she was ill as a 3yo. Not exactly similar to yours but she lost a lot of weight, wouldn't eat much, spent hours lay flat in the field (periodically exposing her teeth) and would have frequent mild bouts of colic. It took about 3 months for her to recover and the vet reckoned that it was an issue with Mycotoxins, but that was never confirmed. She also had/has the remains of an umbilical hernia that was never fixed when she was a foal and there was a query as to whether that could be causing something that wasn't obvious without going in to operate on it. The vet was uncomfortable with operating when she was poorly because she was so weak and after she was better we did discuss it but came to the decision to leave it alone unless she had another issue. She's 9 now and hasn't had (touches all wood furiously) another colic incident since then, nor shown any other gut discomfort, so her 3yo issues remain as a bit of a diagnostic question mark.
Hope you found the answer to yours - an abdominal ultrasound does sound like the obvious next step.
Hope you found the answer to yours - an abdominal ultrasound does sound like the obvious next step.
Squeak
Well-Known Member
Tbh at this stage I probably wouldn't try any supplements or herbs in case it makes it worse. If his reaction was less dramatic then it would absolutely be worth a go.
I have one with a sensitive stomach and I tried him on the oily herbs last year and although he looked great on them, I thought they'd upset his stomach a bit although this year he's doing brilliantly on them. But for yours I just wouldn't think it's worth the risk at the moment.
GypsGal1718
Well-Known Member
i can't advise but i hope it goes well for you.
Gamebird
Well-Known Member
I haven't read all the replies, and it could be a large number of things, pain response included, but if there's any chance that your vets think it might be neurological I would recommend getting some decent quality video of one of these episodes and getting your vets to send it to Richard Piercy at the RVC. He is absolutely the go to man in the UK for anything neurological and odd.
irishdraft
Well-Known Member
Sorry OP I didn't want to say but it didn't end well, he deteriorated one weekend colicing & not eating, I had been keeping him going with several mash feeds a day which in hind sight was passing thru his guts without it getting blocked.
I had to rush him to a large equine hospital but after loads of tests they felt with his history this was the problem and he was too far gone to save, his digestive system had stopped working.Unfortunately although I suspected it was a gut problem I had not thought it was tumour related so it was all a terrible shock to find out that was the problem. In hind sight I should have thought it could have been tumours as he was a 14 yo grey ID although unusually he had no melanoma or sarcoids. I hope this doesn't prove to be the case for you .
Bobthecob15
Well-Known Member
Was about to suggest the RVC for this
poiuytrewq
Well-Known Member
Sorry I’ve I’ve missed this bit but has the vet done a neuro work up?
We had a horse who had very odd symptoms but quite intensely and only lasted a day at the worst, then he recovered over a week so I’m not saying the same as yours but neurological issues can present so differently and dramatically.
It must be terrifying for you, really hope you get to the bottom of it all
We had a horse who had very odd symptoms but quite intensely and only lasted a day at the worst, then he recovered over a week so I’m not saying the same as yours but neurological issues can present so differently and dramatically.
It must be terrifying for you, really hope you get to the bottom of it all
Evie91
Well-Known Member
Thanks for sharing, I’m not overly optimistic currently as episodes increasing and the ones we know about….