Weird symptoms... Help anyone?!

[peanut0611]

My friend's horse has been showing some strange symptoms lately. He's 17 y/o. Vital signs (temp., HR, RR) are all normal.

- Found sweating on his neck, chest and stifle in the morning. Not over-rugged!
- Seems depressed and unhappy. Head down, ears back, uninterested.
- Not eating all of his feed -- eating half, then leaving half until the morning and not interested in breakfast. He used to be quite obsessed with his feed.
- Intermittently lame. Only 1/10-2/10, but still lame -- a different leg every few days.
- Very swollen legs -- from fetlocks all the way up to knees/hocks.
- Had a teeny tiny bit of blood in feces the other day. Checked for worms, all clear.

Any ideas? Vets don't seem to be too worried, but it's unlike him. Blood has been taken. Thanks!

 

[Dab]

My idea would be to speak to another vet PDQ who will take these symptons seriously.

 

[Tammytoo]

Cushings, Ulcers, could be anything - get the vet out ASAP!

 

[peanut0611]

Two vets have been out, blood was taken. One suspected Cushing's.

 

[Nugget La Poneh]

Sounds a bit like prolonged azoturia or poisoning. Is he in/out? I would also be getting out another vet

 

[peanut0611]

He used to be out with two other horses daily, in at night, but when he started showing intermittent lameness my friend removed him from the field and now he's out in a roundpen (grass) for 30 mins daily. Don't agree with it... But hey.

 

[Nugget La Poneh]

So the symptoms (aside from the lameness) have started since being on limited turnout? If he's in all day, then the swelling on the legs could be fluid build up from being in a confined space. If is bright red blood, then not normally as much of an issue as will suggest it is 'fresh' so could be a tear in the bottom from trying to pass too hard a droppings.

I would still want another opinion, but I would start looking towards laminitis and/or very mild colic (possibly caused by dehydration, or the change in diet)

 

[peanut0611]

No, sorry -- symptoms first, then turnout changed. Symptoms haven't worsened or improved since turnout change. When I first saw the sweat patches they reminded me of colic sweats... But colic sweats every night?

 

[Wagtail]

I have two thoughts. Firstly, the depression, sweating and lameness, I suspect Cushings and low grade laminitis.

However, the lack of appetite and blood point to something else. I would suspect some sort of low grade colic or possibly cancer. Get the vet again and insist on more tests. Get a cushings test done. Check for digital pulses.

 

[peanut0611]

I'm edging towards either Cushing's or a tumour myself... But it's hard to give a close friend that sort of opinion. Blood test will be back on Monday and I hope that will clear things up.

 

[Dab]

The two vets that came out, were they from the same practice? is so find another practice. Have the vets said why they are not worried?

 

[glenruby]

Whereabouts in the country or you? I'd be thinking Cushings/laminitis or possibly lymes disease.